I’ve tried a lot of bibs in search of more comfort on the bike in the last year. I’m mainly looking for a good chamois, good compression, straps that are long enough and don’t dig in and bibs that wear well.
I’ve tried Assos Mille GTO C2s, Pearl Izumi Pros, Giordanna FRC Pros, Le Col Hors Categorie II, Castelli Free Aeros, La Passione Minimal Bibs, Pactimo Summit Raptor, Sportful Total Comfort and Pro Corsa McKensie Summit Pros on the mid to high end.
Of those, the best value in my opinion are the Pactimos. Good chamois, light compression and comfortable wide straps. Although I’ve yet to see how they wear over time. The Castelli work well for me as well. I’m generally looking for a medium to high density chamois and the these two seem to agree with my backside the best.
Starting w/the highest priced, the Assos I wanted to love, but the chamois isn’t more comfortable for me and tends to have the potential to create numbness. The compression is better, however.
At the bottom of the pack for me: The worst chamois of the bunch has been the Giordannas that I’ve kept. Their chamois is a few generations behind the better ones. I immediately returned the Pearl Izumis, mainly for fit and the Pro Corsas due to poor construction, although I really liked the chamois on the Pro Corsas. The Sportfuls actually have a good chamois as well, but are losing their elasticity after only ~10-15 uses, whereas none of the other bibs have this issue. In terms of quality of materials, the Sportfuls have been the absolute worst, minus the very comfortable chamois.