I really like the 7 Mesh outerwear such as the wind vest and free flow jacket (awesome chilly weather jacket if it’s dry out!) but the MK3 bibs don’t work as well as I’d like as well as the quantum Jersey. The chamois tends to wedge itself between the cheeks especially off the bike which isn’t comfortable and the front groin area is a bit tight despite the rest of the bib feeling like the appropriate size. The double layer of fabric in the chamois area runs up to the lower back area and creates a few uncomfortable seams. That does make the bib feel a little thicker and stuffier too. The front of the bibs is kind of cut squarely right in line where your stomach tends to fold over when you lean forward so your gut kind of rolls over (even for a lean guy) enough to prefer bibs with a cut where the fabrics kind of goes up higher toward your bellybutton so it kind of keeps your gut in. Unfortunately they are at the end on my weekly bib rotation when everything else is in the laundry. I find myself preferring my basic Voler bibs.
In regards to the Quantum Jersey the fabric is a little stuffy and is 100 percent polyester. But I really like the little flaps inside the pockets they help keep phones, credit card, other loose items from bouncing out.
Interested to try their more race fit jersey and and other bibs to see if they are comfier.
Didn’t mean to sound like a negative Nancy but wanted to let you know what I didn’t like. It’s probably just me as overwhelmingly everyone else has great things to say!
@Silverback@Marko27 thanks for the feedback, all sounds reasonable and different people pick up on different things. The double fabric in some places is warmer and that’s a trade off for the comfort of the floating chamois. (Well, it’s a trade off in hotter weather anyway!) On the front we prefer the lower fabric line, it doesn’t have as much of a girdle effect but it does reduce weight & heat retention. We’ll keep trying to find a perfect solution! One thing I’m surprised to hear is the seams being uncomfortable on the upper back, that’s not feedback I’ve heard before so I will pass that on, thanks.
Regarding the Quantum, we use a new fabric we like better in the new Horizon which replaces it, but still 100% polyester. Two important reasons why:
The fabric uses all mechanical stretch (think fibers like coiled springs rather than being stretchy) so it can be engineered differently - it’s knit to stretch well horizontally for comfort, but much less vertically so your jersey doesn’t sag low when the pockets are loaded.
Eliminating lycra means the fabric carries far less water weight, dries more quickly and continues to breathe (pass water vapour) better, so it’s lighter & more stable temperature-wise, you don’t get the brutal refrigerator effect descending in a soaked jersey. However in very hot weather lycra can be desirable because carrying water means you get an evaporative cooling effect - that’s when those descents feel awesome! Oh and use our Skyline for that
Thanks for leaving this open. After hemming and hawing all week I decided to pick up a pair of the women’s cargo bibs and thermal tights. Being able to put them in a jersey pocket is certainly appealing since I usually start out with cold mornings but warm days. Fingers crossed they fit me well, if so I will be ordering more.
Initial feedback on my MK3 bibs that I received on Friday.
First off, hands down amazing service by Claire and the crew at 7mesh for a sizing issue, and then helping deal with the fun of post office shenanigans and COVID. Great customer service.
As for the bibs;
leg openings are perfect size. There are a lot of bibs (Castelli, Garneau) that the legs themselves turn your thighs into sausages. The 7mesh sizing and design is perfect, none of that.
Thigh grippers are amazing. No riding up, sliding down. Guaranteed SHARP lines come summer.
I never really notice bib suspenders all that much, but these are nice and wide and dont chafe the nips. They also disperse the tension evenly in a way I never really noticed was an issue, but after throwing my garneau bibs back on today I immediately noticed
Chamois is great, i am not experiencing the issues other users have posted about. These things really are individual but it has felt great for me, both on the hoods, in the drops, and standing up in.
Being from Squamish I have had every version of the 7mesh bibs from the beginning and they are all great. Each new version has small changes that provide improvement. you cant go wrong with this small Canadian brand. They truly are rider owned and rider focused.
I wanted to chime in with another testimonial. The 7mesh Mark 3s are my “fancy bib shorts”, so I haven’t worn them recently with Covid-19 reducing my outdoor rides to almost 0. Yesterday I spent over 4 hours in the saddle, and the bib shorts were perfect. They did not slip one iota and I neither felt the straps nor the chamois — which is what you want. My shoulder and my legs are sore (IF was almost 0.8), but my rear end is fresh as a daisy.
Love em. Have a pair of their shorts for indoor riding. More comfortable for my saddle sore prone areas. Like their cool/cold weather long sleeve stuff as well. Better than recent Rapha purchase. Those ride up pretty high on the abdomen and are warm for indoor workouts. Better than Castelli. The Chamois doesn’t seem to hold up as long on those. I really like Cafe du Cycliste. Probably my favorite of all of them. $$$$
Follow up, I wore the WK3 cargo bibs on the trainer for an hour this week and yeah, they are awesome. I plan to ride them outside tomorrow on a road ride and then again next Saturday on a 5+ hour ride and I’m looking forward to the experience. Luckily I ordered them when I did because my size appears to be out of stock for those right now, but I think I will add the regular non-pocketed bibs to the collection.
Thoughts:
The lack of fabric on the back since the straps are nice and thin is great, it really allows sweat to come through and evaporate. It’s ideal on the trainer since I have a ceiling fan directly above me.
I really like the hammock chamois as well so I can rotate my hips when I move from hoods to drops without the chamois bunching up in the front and leaving my sitbones unprotected (something that happens in my Castelli bibs). I’m looking forward to trying these on a road ride when I’m getting out of the saddle more often.
The leg cuffs are laser cut and don’t have a circumference seam so there’s no sausage leg effect. They are also longer than many women’s bibs which I prefer.
They felt really tight when pulling them up and I was worried I ordered too small since I followed the thigh size guideline. One I have them pulled up, they fit perfectly, not quite a second skin like a Castelli but tight and comfortable. I appreciate not being choked by my own clothing.
I personally love that the front comes up to the true waistline with a mesh material. It’s still breathable but keeps me from having a squeezed puffed up belly hanging out. No one wants to see that.
Thanks again for the recommendation, pending my long rides next week I will be filling out my closet.
I wanted to send a follow up. Based on my thoughts above 7mesh thought I should try their RK1 bibs. After a 2 hour indoor workout and today’s 3 hour outdoor ride I can say these are my new favorite. I forgot they were on, which is the best compliment I can give. Today was the first humid summer like day and these really helped not overheat. They really felt like a second skin. Lighter than the cargo bibs I had tried, absolutely no tightness in the crotch, no wedgie, and with the straps were comfortable at the shoulders and don’t cover/ rub the nips. Plus they look great and minimal.
Just stumbled across this thread today while trying to search for some guidance on 7mesh sizing! Kind of done with the whole rapha thing and being a Canadian and a big fan of Arc’teryx, where 7mesh apparently has roots, I’m keen to give them a try.
I’m 175cm (5’9") and 69kg (153lbs) and wear a size Small in everything Rapha and a size 44 (Italian sizing) for my everyday chinos and 28 or 29 for most jeans. Measuring myself up quickly, it seems I lie between a XS and S with 7mesh. Anyone with a similar build who could lend some advice? I’m inclined to go with Small.
Awesome of 7mesh to come through with a discount code too! Is it still active? There’s a few things out of stock at the moment, so it would be super cool if it were still active when things are re-stocked
I am 5’ 11" and same weight. With 29 waist pants. I am wearing a S in these and they are pretty perfect. I am usually a M in other brands. Their sizing chart was really helpful. I would say my straps are a little snug, so probably just right for you.
Since I used the coupon provided I feel i should give my review. I purchased a pair of the MK3 Bibs and the Horizon Jersey.
I am 5 10 205 lbs 36" waist, and wear a XL short in Pearl Izumi & Garneau. 7 Mesh’s size chart put me between a M & L for their bibs. I went with the L as until recently I have been 20 lbs heavier and i may gain it back. The L seemed to fit me well, I probably could have gone with the M instead if I wanted a tighter fit.
I like the chamois on the bibs. it has been comfortable on the few rides I have done with it so far, I have yet to do a ride over 40 miles in it so I cant comment on it for long rides. I do not like the square cut front of the bibs. I found that while going back and forth between standing and seated it can ride down and get caught under my gut. I then have to pull it up. I think that if the front had even a small arc to it, that would prevent this issue.
The size chart put me in a XL Horizon Jersey. I found it fit slightly tighter then a Pearl Izumi Elite XL jersey. The jersey has quickly become on of my favorites. The zipper is easy to zip up and down one handed while riding which I really like. I also like the pockets a lot. The large zipper pocket is big enough to fit a vest or jacket. I always have issues fitting a size XL jacket into a jersey pocket so this what great for me, The small zippered pocket is perfect for Id, credit cards, cash, car keys, pretty much anything small you really dont want to accidentally lose out of a pocket
Hey all, thanks! I won’t tag everyone in case that’s creating too many notifications, but I’m sharing all feedback with our team. (Appreciate the input Rondal / Chris / Oreo / tfree / ciarrai / dendroica ! And sorry if I missed anyone.) And @llmonty I’m so glad we found a better solution for you.
This was super fun so I let it run a lot longer than we’d originally planned. We’re going to wrap up the promo code at the end of May, so if any lurkers want in - fair notice!
If anyone has been waiting based on product availability, ping me a DM and I’ll let you know if we have restock coming for you and make some arrangements.
For anyone that sees this thread later, check our site - we sometimes have promo offers as part of our email signup. We also have a sale section for older styles & colours, and we offer a 10% off code as thanks for people that write product reviews on our website. Finally, most of our business is through retailers rather than direct - so we’re super happy if you support 7mesh through your LBS.
I will answer questions here if I’m aware, but I might not always be on top of things. We also do live chat whenever we can on our site which is particularly helpful with respect to sizing and fit, and we try to respond promptly to emails.
Thank you for the promo code. I ended up ordering two bibs on separate orders. They have quickly become my favorite bibs. After a metric century on Saturday, I never once was concerned with my bibs. You made at least one loyal customer. Keep up the good work, you have a wonderful product.
Just missed out on the coupon, was working a day or two ago but just got busy, was planning on picking up a pair of MK3 and shorts anyway to extend discount code?
Hi, thanks for asking. Sorry we’re not going to open this one up again, but if you sign up for our newsletter we do have a promotion running there right now. Cheers!
Phew, managed to get mk3 shorts. Very comfy but i think i like the gripper on mk2 better(didn’t like it initially since it was little too tight) . Maybe it’s my wookie legs, but it seems like it slides up more than i would like to and i always seem to notice it while riding. Comfort is extraordinary though and new fabric although feeling rougher to the touch is top notch. Love the new pad as well, softer and lower up front A+++
A+++