Chamois looks pretty poorly stitched in place otherwise not bad
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For what it’s worth, I bought some bibs from Amazon (I think they were only 32 dollars), and they were identical to the $40 bibs from ‘the black bibs’. The brand was called ‘cerotipolar’.
Thanks for sharing. For me, that style chamois is torture, but if you like it, it does look like the one on the Black Bibs I bought.
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I hear you on the chamois. I have no discomfort/chafing/saddle sore issues with this style, but prefer the Pearl Izumi Elite or my really old Volers which have a different fabric style on the top, and some perforations.
Still, for 45-90 min trainer rides and say up to 3 hours outdoors, then I’m fine with $33 shorts. Blackbibs seem fine, but really seem to be no better than what you can buy for $30-35 on Aliexpress. I’ve not tried the $16 aliexpress shorts (many reviews say the $16 ones look nothing like the photos), so I’ll skip those.
Next time, I might look to see if there is a $50 aliexpress short that has the name brand chamois. So if Rion are a $80 short for $33, then I’d maybe be able to get a $150 for $50.
All in all though, I’m feeling good about the purchase, and provided extended/frequent riding doesnt lead to skin discomfort/damage, and they don’t fall apart to the point that I can’t use them on the trainer, then I’m loving them.
As for the chamois stitching, yeah, that is a quick/cheap zig zag stitch and not the nice pearl Izumi two rows of single stitching. So I take back that they’re as well made as my pearls. If you bought some local shop kit made this well or you had a recreational race team that had kit like this, you’d be very happy. It’s not Rapha or Pearl etc, but a huge improvement over many local bike shop or event kit.
Which bibs are these with the orange chamois? I might be willing to give those a shot.
That chamois looks just like what’s in my older Pearl Izumi
@Pbase @Cleanneon98 - Yes, Pearl Izumi Elite.
Generally they’re $150 shorts, but I have got one pair that was $55 at the outlet in Park City back in 2018.
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If you are M or XL, or XXL, then at half price, I would totally get these Pearl Izumi elites over some $30 or $40 Aliexpress/Amazon no name shorts with the red chamois. These don’t show the chamois, but list it as the same one (or latest version) of the orange one I pictured.
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I have some Black Bibs and I hated them. This is a very personal thing, but even in less than an hour of riding they’re really uncomfortable. The chamois flattened after a few rides.
I get the budget part. If you only have $40, then it’s probably hard to find something better at that price (many good suggestions here tho). If on a budget, I’d rather go with DHB or Sportful, they have similar priced options.
But in any case, I don’t think the Black Bibs are the best bang for the buck. You get so much more from the more traditional brands, and they often go on sale. Even if they’re more than twice the price, I’d rather have 1 decent bibs and handwash them every day than 3 that I hate.
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Its mostly been covered but as a strategy I would find less expensive bibs for trainer rides and the more expensive name brand stuff for outdoor rides.
The trainer rides can be less intense on your bum since you’re probably doing intervals and with a good bike fit and technique you’re unweighting your body from the saddle a bit during these efforts. They are also shorter, maybe only up to 90min so you can get away with less pad. You’re gonna need 3-4 pairs though to get through a week so you don’t want them to be $100ea unless money is growing on trees in your area!
I bought black bibs for my kids on our tandem rides since they had kid option. The pad is a bit bulky but I have not heard any complaints from them. I was going to get a few pair for my trainer rides but haven’t pulled the trigger.
Since pad/fit is rider dependent and since $40 is a pretty low cost to try things out, I am willing to give it a shot when my current trainer bib set runs its course.
All my bibs right now are Pactimo though. I use the Ascent Vector line indoor/outdoor and keep a pair of the Summit bibs for outdoor, group ride days only. Summit line fits much better on me with my large hips and thighs as they stretch more easily…they are really nice. I will probably go up to “12 hr bibs” with the next purchase. My friend has some and they look even more pro and he has no complaints.
I’m the exact opposite. The trainer is when “comfort” matters the most for me. Outdoors I’m moving all around and changing cadence, taking breaks for traffic, etc. Indoors I’m sitting in one position for 90 minutes and only changing position at most every 5 minutes or so and only for a few seconds of saddle relief.
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haha, we’re all different I guess!
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I bought the tall person version. The length is great, I am 6’3”.
But for me they are too uncomfortable to wear.
I rotate between
Assos (best chamois, but a little short even in XLG)
Pactimo- the endurance bib, I actually find these not great at 80+ miles. The stitching on the chamois chafes
Pearl Izumi - cheap simple great for an hour or so
Ale - good
So for me the black bibs were a total waste of money and went in the bin, I tried them enough times to know they would always be uncomfortable for me. But they seem well made and the customer service when I ordered them was good.
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Le Col bibs are like £150 a pair, not really a fair comparison. Even with £30 still not approaching a $40 pair of shorts with postage and customs.
Le col are always offering a discount and as I said when you include all the costs these start get close in price. It depends where you are in the world as postage and import charges are the killer.
I was annoying at these cost and the delivery is very slow
But that said i have used these bibs a lot now and they are very very good in fact I have been wondering how I can order them and avoid the import charges,
I would 100% recommend these if I lived in the USA the land of the free and quality bins it seems
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I’ve found (for me) the sweet spot with the black bibs is the $85 ultimate version. The chamois is SO much better. Wish it was on every model. Hate the cheaper chamois on the less expensive ones.
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I have 2 pairs of the black bibs; they’re totally the same as some no-name amazon bibs that were $5 cheaper. And when I say they’re the same, I mean they’re indistinguishable, down to the generic care label. The chamois is super-thick, and the material is see-through.
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They don’t agree with my back end. My skin is a bit sensitive so your mileage may vary.
Link? I’d like to see them and possibly try them out.
I agree. I have a couple pairs of the $40 ones and while they work just fine for me the ultimate version are so much better. Will be ordering another pair in the near future.
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(https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QX4Q4WN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1)
They’re listed for $38 dollars. They were 35 when I got them. I also bought some for a bit more money that had the silicon band around the leg openings. I’ve bought amazon bibs sold under the brand name ‘przewalski’ and the chamois is better imo, for the same price.
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