I’ve started wearing baggies when not racing but it seems the baggy bro’s havent figured out a good pad for bib liners. I have two pair’s, one Endura and one Belllweather. Both are good but have absolutely shocking pads. Anyone have any good experiences with bib liners with good pads? (Ideally with back pockets for phone/pump etc)
The Pactimo one I have is pretty good. Very thin fabric so it’s till breathable under the shorts and the pad is good. Though the back pockets are a little shallow. A pump might not fit well in it. I’m always a bit worried that my iPhone 8 will slip out but it never has.
If you don’t mind slightly thicker fabric and want to have the versatility of wearing them without shorts then you could look into the cargo bib segment. You have more options and they are usually more roadie focused so the pads are better.
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I use my worn out road shorts under baggies (too thin/holes). But lately I have been wearing comfortable boxers (after forgetting my shorts) and finding that I don’t have any problems 
A big part of me liking the liners is being able to put my phone and a pump in the pockets. I dislike having anything in my shorts pockets.
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I’ve not tried, but Pactimo have their Tellus ones on a pretty good sale. Pactimo seem well liked on the forum. I’m going to stick to my old stuff for a while, but probably get some pactimo’s next.
I’m still on the hunt for what you seek - Specialized has their SWAT bibs, I have an older pair, they’re just OK comfort wise. I actually took a chance on a pair of ZOIC bibs with rear pockets, the chamois is actually pretty good and the pockets are the best I’ve found so far, but check sizing because mine are a litte on the loose side.
But… I only go this route for casual rides as actually accessing the bib pockets typically requires a full stop for me. When I’m training/racing and really need pocket access I just go old school and run an XC/Roadie jersey. Turns out you can still run baggies, then no need for “liners” I just run my nice bibs and run baggies on top.
I have these that came with some shorts a couple years ago. The pockets are some of the best on any liners or shorts I’ve had or seen. They are very deep and can carry a lot. It’s like they sewed some road jersey pockets on the back of them. But the chamois is…not good. It’s not terrible on it’s own but it is so short and positioned so far back that it doesn’t cover my junk and there’s a big seam right there that can rub badly. So not too bad for shorter rides but for longer rides it becomes an issue.
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Had the exact same experience on the 1st gen SWAT bibs - pockets were great but I could feel the stitching in the chamois on long rides, not to mention being a bit thin. I don’t like the newer SWAT bibs as the pockets are too high up and you have to dislocate your shoulder to reach in the pocket.
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I agree with that assessment of the first gen SWATs - the pockets are good, chamois not so much, I’ll only use them for shorter rides too. And I tried the 7 mesh bibs the pockets are laughably shallow and I didn’t even try them, I felt like even a gel pack would flop out. So still looking for a pair of really dialed cargo bibs. Seriously though don’t discount the ZOICs I don’t like their other stuff at all so was surprised by their bibs…
Rapha have MTB Bib Shorts that have pockets in the back, they are not that big but you can fit a water bottle in one. I prefer the cargo bib shorts that have pockets in the thigh and the back but they are a bit warmer.
I agree. I have been using these for a few years as a bib liner and also on the indoor trainer. What’s great is they also have back pockets.
Endura do many different levels of pads in their liners. I’ve been using them for years and have found you get what you pay for. The cheaper ones and the ones that come with baggies are not good at all compared to their more expensive ones (which are still cheap compared to roadie stuff). Alternatively, just wear road bibs under your baggies. Many people I know do this.
The problem with roadie bibs, for me at least, are two-fold. They are hotter and they dont have rear pockets to put a phone and pump.
None of my liners have pockets. Stuff goes in my baggies pockets, my camelbak or endurobro bumbag (fannypack). I dont carry anything on the bike either.
A lot of the gravel type bibs do have a rear pocket, but it works out pretty expensive when I already have 5 pairs of nice comfortable road bibs which I am totally happy wearing under MTB kit (or just wearing road kit for MTB). So my cheapo solution was to get a Camelbak stash belt for phone etc, wear it under my jersey.
I just wanted somewhere to keep my phone where I am not worried about it popping out of my rear jersey pocket, if I am wearing a normal jersey. I don’t like keeping it in baggies pockets (if I am even wearing baggies) because I feel like it gets bashed a lot.
This is the link on their website: Stash™ Belt Hip Pack 2L , I got it for about £13 on Amazon which I figured was a no brainer at that price, and it seems to work out pretty well.
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Might just buy some mesh type fabric and sew some pockets onto some older road bibs.
I rarely wear bibs with baggies. The bib material is too slippery and I can’t keep the baggies up on my waist. Since most of my mtb rides tend to involve significant out of the saddle time, I don’t worry too much about the quality of the chamois. My current favorite is the Giro Base Liner that’s $50 on Amazon. I buy expensive bibs (Rapha/Assos) for road though.
This becomes incredibly important on long rides. If you’re wearing baggies over the top of most roadie bibs you can soon find your crotch to be a sweaty mess, and it really doesn’t take long for that to cause some serious soreness… especially after multiple days.
I’ve found climbers bibs can be better for this, but all the same, much better to have something designed to be worn under another layer.
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