I am not trying to derail this thread, but does anyone else find bib shorts to be uncomfortable? I tried them a few times, but I just didn’t see the fascination with them. There was this pocked of air that existed between my lower belly and shorts. The straps were uncomfortable, too. These were Rapha bibs. I used Rapha shorts 95% of the time.
I’m a fan of bibs. I don’t get nearly as uncomfortable down below, presumably because bibs don’t shift as easily as shorts. Also, having a bit of belly fat makes some short uncomfortable just because the waist doesn’t like to stay in one spot.
I currently have 3 shorts (Bellwether) or bibs (Voler), but really only like one pair (Craft).
Your endorsement and a few reviews online convinced me to get a couple Equipe s7 bibs from the Assos Archive sale.
Very excited to have a good rotation of comfy bibs as I am spending a cold northeast winter indoors!! 3-5 hour TR rides will be more doable!
I wonder if the straps were too short for you, causing undue pressure on your shoulders and being under more tension creating that air gap? Another thing, one of my disagreements with manufacturers is that higher end bibs often have really thin mesh shoulder straps, and the lower end bibs have wider, heavier ‘webbing’ straps. I find that webbing straps can’t bunch up and therefore distribute the pressure better, where mesh straps can turn into spaghetti straps and are more noticable.
But generally no, much prefer bibs because I hate cinching shorts tightly.
I used my Castelli Free Aero Race 4 again yesterday for a trainer endurance ride. When I rinsed them out in the shower afterwards, a piece of gel fell out of the V shape opening at back end of the chamois, looks like the damn thing has come apart inside. Considering I paid 140 € for these 1.5 years ago, I expected a bit more durability out of them. That’s the last pair of Castelli bibs I’ll ever buy.
My Assos bibs last me years and I ride a lot.
Castelli bibs…provided you are not big…I squeeze into M at 5’7’’ and 61kg - that said I prefer the Kiss air pad on the cheaper versions to the pad mentioned above - I have 6 pairs - all with weird Italian sounding names but all from the bottom of the range - and brought in the sales…never paid more than £55 for a pair of Castellis
If you’re going high(er)-end, the Rapha Pro Team bibs are very nice. They’re expensive ($270) but I’ve done numerous 3hr trainer rides on them now and find they do a great job. I wear a Small at 5’11 (180cm?) and 158lbs or 71.5ish Kg. The Assos Equipe bibs are also super nice. Again, I wear a Small with those too.
If you want to go cheap, and I know this is a contentious topic, but I think the Black Bibs bibs are good when you consider the price. Obviously, they’re not as nice as the Rapha or Assos bibs but they’re also $60ish compared to $250ish. I wear a Small in the Black Bibs but they almost feel slightly too big?.. Idk, I have relatively broad shoulders so I usually wear M/L tops but S for bottoms.
Can anyone recommend a CARGO bib short? Use will be training and bikepacking. Figure having a couple extra pockets for food/hat/buff/gloves…etc could be useful.
I know Rapha makes them at $270. Wondering if those are worthy or if there’s other options.
Something on the thicker/warmer side would be best, but not thermal ones.
Rapha also makes a set of Core Cargo bibs that are more like $130-$150. They seem a bit thicker than they’re normal Core bibs but definitely not thermal.
I have the Rapha ones but these also look good at a better price.
I do prefer the rear pockets a bit more on the rapha ones but for nearly 50% of the price these are really good. Their ‘ultimate’ line is a significant step up from their other bibs.
Check out the Cache Bib from Voler. Can’t attest to these specifically, but Voler stuff is quite good.
Not sure how easy they are to get in your part of the world. But these are awesome! (Think they ship world wide but tax is always the question)
Merino blend and the most comfortable set of bibs I’ve had.
When ever family is heading from NZ to Europe I make sure they have another set of these in the suitcase to make sure I don’t run out of stock!
Thanks… and I am in NZ so we have a look at these. I haven’t bought any Ground Effect stuff for ages but it used to have a good rep.
I like the bibs from rapha, but I still prefer castelis aero race bibs, being team bibs I get a discount
Got my self self a pair of Endura FS260 Pros a few weeks back. I’ve not done more than 60mile rides in them yet but so far its 
from me.
I’ve been super happy with Pactimo Stratos and Raptor (both just got redesigned). Super comfy for long rides and a nice chamois. I’m an ambassador if you want a discount code shoot me a PM I can’t post it publicly
While they are a bit pricy, I’m really happy with my castelli free aero 4 and competizione. They Fit my larger thighs and stay in place without chafing on longer rides.
I did take a chance and buy a pair of Craft aero bib shorts, there is a nice compression around my thighs. Only done 1 longer ride with them, but they held great without cream for 4 hours.
I’ve tried on:
Few Castelli models - too tight, not a good fit for me.
Assos T Équipe EVO and Equipe RS S9 - amazing fit but the pad just didn’t work for me, uncomfortable after 15 minutes.
Endura Pro SL - way too tight around the hip bone.
Band of Climbers Icon Explore - good level of comfort and fit overall, but nothing sensational. Two extra pockets are nice.
Uyn Alpha - fit is almost as good as Assos - wish the straps would be slightly longer. The pad is super comfortable and never moves. Just as comfortable after 10 minutes as 4 hours. Finally found proper bib shorts for me. Highly recommended!