I’ve had it with saddle sores and chafing. I’m looking to do a total wardrobe replacement. Looking for 4-5 bibs. I dont want to be spending more than $120 but prefer to be closer to 100. Any shops or brands doing any sales right now.
This is a large up front purchase and I want something to last. I’m tired of buying garbage
Chafing is a very personal thing also affected by your saddle. I’d get one pair of bibs to make sure it works for you first before committing to 4-5 pairs.
I’m a fan of Castelli Free Aero Race 4s. On sale at Competitive Cyclist. Just rode a solo century yesterday with zero chafing issues, and I don’t use chamois cream. Note that these bibs run small. I’m normally a L/XL, but I run XXL with Castelli. Strangely, I run a L with their jerseys and I don’t have a small upper body.
Saddle sores are caused by lack of cleanliness. IMO there’s only one good way to clean “down there” - a mesh ball/shower sponge/loofah with body wash, immediately after any workout. Clean AND exfoliate.
If you can’t shower immediately, use a baby wipe to clean off all the sweat, followed by an antiseptic wipe in the critical areas, followed by another baby wipe to clean off the antiseptic. Then change into boxers immediately.
I treat saddle sores the same way I treat acne. Just gotta be a bit more careful because acne cream can seriously irritate other sensitive areas.
Try lowering your saddle.
Can’t go wrong there. I have about 6 pair of these and I don’t have any complaints. I have some that I have worn for 5+ seasons and they still fit and feel great.
These are out of your budget but the Equipe RS Bib Shorts S9 are amazing. I got mine on sale for $149. You probably will not want to wait for a sale (I get it, I usually don’t want to wait either) but if you happen to find them for that price they are on another level in terms of fit and comfort.
How do they compare to the Endurance 2. Worth the extra $25 per?
I have some Castelli Free Aero bibs and they don’t work for me. The chamois is cut very low in the front, and sometimes things rub in ways they shouldn’t… I’ve read reviewers say the same about Free Aeros, but of course others love them. I have and like bibs from Assos, Giordana, POC, Panache and Rapha. Totally agree with @QuittingBikes, get one pair of whatever you want to try to make sure they work for you personally before getting the other 4.
Alcohol wipes as soon as I get off the trainer have pretty much solved saddle sores for me. Unfortunately, they’re impossible to find at the moment and I’ve suffered a bit for it.
Try acne cleansing pads, e.g. Clearsil.
They’re harsher than alcohol wipes, so clean off after you’re done. Baby wipes are very hard to find right now as well, but there’s nothing special about them, as they’re not antiseptic. You can substitute with literally anything, including a wet paper towel.
My wife gave me some Witch Hazel last month when I ran out of alcohol, but it didn’t seem to do anything. Thanks for the tip on Clearsil! I’ll give it a shot. Alcohol wipes were a total game changer for me.
Currently shower after every ride and use salacyclic wash
Ive had great luck with the midline Louis Garneau Bibs. Great longevity of the spandex (dont put them in the dryer), sizing seems fairly American (not the compact Castelli) and the bibs are chamois has plenty of coverage and density, also with good longevity.
Ive also had good luck with Giordano midline stuff, also a big chamois.
I cant do the Castelli, the chamois is too small and too far forward so I just end up with my sit bones on raw spandex. Not Good.
Im also trying some Gore C7’s right now, but the chamois is alittle on the small side, though it has good density. Unfortunately I think Im in between sizes medium and large. I tried both and the straps were too tight on the medium and the spandex is too loose on the larges.
Best of luck finding the Goldilocks bibs! Let us know what you choose.
These guys are local to me, have good prices but stock levels can be up and down as they are quite a small brand. Postage could also take a while to OS. Their bibs are amongst the comfiest ive had, Rapha Classics and Attaquer are the only others that I’d consider better, but they would want to be at 4x the price 
Bibs are $85AUD atm, around $60USD i think, $135AUD + shipping for full kit
I train on my tt bike a lot (which is where the sores came from)so a bigger chamois is better for me I’m sure. Does that mean the castelli is out?
You can’t beat blackbibs for the price. I just got a new pair of the $40 ones for all the trainer rides I have been doing and I question why I spend more for the Castelli
I saw a recommend somewhere on here to use hibiclens, I got it off amazon before finding it was also in the usual Walgreens cvs etc. A search online shows it in stock in a couple stores in my city, I use it with the little round cosmetic cotton rounds my wife has after riding and I’ve had no problems lately either. It’s not as obvious to people to hoard-buy as isopropyl and is probably better for your skin.
I am Rapha all the way and core bibs are solid for regular price of $115. Have 4 of them now along with 1 pro line bib. The core never go on sale but they were with the recent sale which is over now. Also buy the pro line jerseys fwiw.
Check them out if you want but as some others said it is possibly not an bib issue and could be something else.
Yup. I’ve got a pair also and they’re my favorite. Legs ride up a bit without the grabby strippy, but whatever. They’re super comfortable and I aint shy.
I’d never spend another dime on black bibs. They are complete garbage
As long as you don’t mind looking like a billboard, hammer nutrition has some good bibs for under 100. I bought a pair of the bergamo bibs a few years ago that I really like. Not sure if they have changed the cut or anything since then:
https://www.hammernutrition.com/men-s-premium-cycling-bibs-1
I’ve been tempted to give their Voler compression bibs a try as well as I’ve heard good things about Voler bibs and the fabric they use. I think buying them through hammer is actaully cheaper than getting them through Voler itself.
I’ve found The Black Bibs to be some of the best you can get for the money. The base set is very basic, but for $40, you can’t really beat them—I’ve used them for 2-3 hours trainer rides and they are still incredibly comfortable. I recently picked up a set of the new Black Bibs Ultimate ($80) and they are probably the most comfortable bibs I’ve ever worn. The chamois is pretty amazing. I highly recommend them.
My undercarriage seems to be pretty adaptable, allowing me to ride in pretty much anything. That said, if I’m fortunate enough to have a few pennies burning a hole in my pocket, I’d choose lapassione.cc or Le Col.
If you complete one of the Le Col challenges on Strava, you’ll get a discount code which brings their bibs inline with other manufacturers.