Having already introduced my soft skin to the harsh reality of the asphalt twice this season and subsequently ripped up holes in both of my rather pricey bib shorts, I was wondering what is the best way to repair them? Just sew the holes together or perhaps patch them up with material from older shorts? Any ideas?
I vote new bibs and save the holy ones for the trainer. Just because they’re wasted doesn’t mean they have to go to waste
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Depends on the damage. Something like a “slice” could be fine for a straight seem stitch with no extra material. If you burned a hole or have a larger opening, adding material to patch the opening is best.
It also depends a bit on the location, and what a seem and associated material mean for fit and comfort. I have done some mild mending with not extra material, for smaller holes and it works fine.
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Contact the customer support and ask them to repair your bibs
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What brand? Many do repairs.
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Most of the pricey brands have repair programs. Look up their sites. I know Rapha does free crush repairs.
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They are Castellis. I had a quick peek at their website but could not find any info about repairs.
The hole on the first pair is not very big but the damage around it is quite irregular. I’m thinking a small patch might work on them. The second pair has a larger split along the seam, I’m thinking I can just sew it together? I’m not very experienced with sewing and my concern is that the stitches will rip if the material stretches. (I’m hoping for some leg gains in the coming months 
)
I would not rec this for the general case but I have a speedsuit that is held together in a few spots with Aleene’s Fabric Fusion.
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I have used good quality iron on patches, and sewing around the perimeter to work well, depending on the location.
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I ripped a pair of 3 year old Rapha flyweight bibs, and reached out for a repair service. They sent me a gift card for the price of a new pair of bibs. I wasn’t expecting that at all.
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I would definitely contact them. Eliel repaired (for free) a pair that I crashed in as part of their repair service they offer. They put in a new panel in the side that was ripped and it looks really good - it took me a bit to confirm that they repaired my pair rather than just send me a whole new pair.
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Reviving this thread to see if there is any new developments in the mending bib shorts space 
Following a recent crash, Rapha have confirmed they can’t fix my bib shorts but have offered me a £90 voucher which is completely unexpected and very good of them.
That being said I would like to fix them for the trainer. I have found examples of people using Iron Mend (https://www.amazon.co.uk/McNett-Iron-Mend-Iron-Neoprene/dp/B01L4906GS) - anyone have any experience with this or similar?
Any good dry cleaner with a tailor on prem will be able to repair split seams and small tears/holes. My local shop (Wilmette IL) usually charges $20 or so and does great work.
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Treat bibs like the flag, if they touch the ground, burn them.
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I think it very much depends on the location of the hole, but my mother is great with a sewing machine, and she repaired a half dollar sized hole in the hip in my Le Col bibs. Some stretchy/soft material, and a stretch stitch on a sewing machine will do the trick.
I JUST had a tailor repair bibs I wore 1x before wrecking. She did a great job. I had to sacrifice an old pair of bibs for her to make the patch. She mimicked the sewing patterns and seams of the bibs (which have cargo/leg pockets). Looks and feels great. Stretches appropriately. $16.
A few times I’ve spent that wee bit extra on Rapha because they do that. Lol, I should have done that instead of buying discounted Santini bib longs. It would be handy to have free repair of the bib longs a driver put a hole in last week. But the Santini’s were a 5th of the price
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Use neoprene ironi on wet suit repair kit. Works great. One example:
GEAR AID Wetsuit Repair Kit with Neoprene Patch, Fix Seams and Tears , Black , 6” x 10" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GT471S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_QJZC67R7S7AC6SYD71YD