One of the great mysteries of cycling to non-cyclists is how we can tolerate sitting on those tiny saddles for hours at a time without coming home walking like you’ve given birth to several kids. The secret is mostly in the bib-shorts.
The difference between relaxing after a long ride and sitting on a pack of ice essentially comes down to whether or not you were wearing good padded shorts that day.
Padded cycling shorts are a necessity in biking, so much so that even purpose-built baggy biking shorts usually have the option of buying them with a matching pair of cycling shorts to wear under them and, if not, come with pads themselves.
Bib Shorts
What comes to mind when you think of a cycling shirt is usually skin-tight lycra. Padded shorts also come in another version that you more often see worn by road bikers or triathletes, the bib short.
These are made to fulfill the same need as cycling tights but do so much more comfortably. The ‘bib’ portion of the shorts consists of two straps that go over the shoulders and support the shorts from above which makes it so that there doesn’t need to be a tight band around your waist.
Apparel like this is popular in other sports but the elimination of a tight band around the waist is especially beneficial when it comes to cycling.
Any clothing that fits in the standing position will have to stretch in the default pedaling position a rider is in which in turn puts a strain on the body in that area. This also means that bib shorts are slightly more complex to fit.
Rather than being concerned with just a waistline, bib shorts have to fit properly over your shoulders as well as be the right width for your build at your waist, chest, and legs.
The Important Bits for Bib Shorts
Bib shorts may seem like glorified underwear but there is much more to their form because of the functions they have to perform. Cycling gear has to be purpose-built to handle a specific type of repetitive movement in the legs for as long as possible.
They have to reduce or eliminate friction and chafing, be able to shed heat and sweat and to maintain comfort in the seated position on a bike for hours on end. To do this, bib shorts have several key parts which affect the fit, feel and function.
Chamois – The Really Important Bit!
When I heard the word “chamois” for the first time, I thought it was a type of pajama that old French ladies wore….
The Chamois is what the small padded area is called and it is easily the most important part of the whole bib short.
It’s named after a kind of leather from European mountain goats, which the pads used to be made from, but gladly cycling short pads are now made from better and cheaper synthetic materials.
Chamois come in a huge variety of shapes, quality, and features, which don’t necessarily improve by price. The fit of the chamois is, just like your saddle, largely dependent on how far apart your sitting bones are.
Women generally tend to have sitting bones that are farther apart. Also like your saddle, it’s going to take some trial and error to figure out what really works for you.
There are fitting guidelines and systems that can point you in the right direction but the only real test for fit is some time in the saddle.
The width of the chamois between your legs is also incredibly important and highly dependent on your body frame.
The best fitting chamois will be one that is wide enough to cover as much of the sitting bones as possible, but not so wide that it gets in the way of your pedaling and rubs the side of your thighs.
While soft, hours of rubbing across thousands of pedal strokes will cause irritation on even the best materials.
If you’re still looking for what works, I recommend experimenting with cheaper bib shorts, in the $20 to $50 range, with differently shaped chamois to get some decent comparisons before dropping some coin on the nicer options. This is because better fit doesn’t necessarily come with an increase in price.
What does come with price is better quality materials. For the chamois, that means less stitching and seams as well as material that is smoother and better at whisking moisture off your skin.
On the top of the line offerings, you can expect to find pads that have very few seams or are even seamless and have a foam of different densities layered inside.
Grippers – Keeping Your Shorts Where They Belong
Bib shorts wouldn’t stay put on your thighs if the whole thing consists of smooth silky Lycra. They would constantly ride up your thighs with every pedal stroke like bad underwear on a long hike.
That’s why there is a band of sticky silicone around your thighs that help the tights stay tight against your skin rather than ride up your legs when pedaling.
Grippers are usually made of a band of silicone that goes around each leg hole. The difference between a cheap bib short and an expensive one in this department can be significant.
Some of the cheapest bib shorts may even try and get away without having one at all and instead try and sneak in a tighter band of Lycra at the end of the leg sleeves to serve the same purpose. Avoid these!
The silicone band is essential to maintaining a good fit by keeping the shorts tight against the legs.
Mid-range and high-end bib shorts may go beyond having a thin silicone band and have wider, less sticky silicone surface to distribute the force over a larger area and therefore cause less stress and irritation on the skin.
The best silicone bands are wide and seamlessly integrated into the bib shorts.
Bibs – It Is All In The Name
As per their name, bibs are what make bib shorts what they are. These are the straps that go over your shoulders and negate the need for a waistband on the shorts.
When looking at different bib shorts, expect to find many different styles of bibs, some which just consist of two straps and other that cover more of the back and stomach.
Bibs on cheaper bibs shorts will generally be simpler, with unperforated straps and fabric on areas between the straps if they are covered. Mid and high-end bib shorts start to have different designs and functions.
Some offer greater breathability for hot weather, warmth for colder weather, sun protection and softer wider fabric which puts less stress on the shoulders.
Fabric
The part with the greatest amount of area in contact with your skin is the going to be the overall fabric of the bib short. These days, most of the fabric on shorts is going to be some combination of nylon or elastane, (Lycra or Spandex).
But just like aluminum in mountain bikes, it’s the execution rather than just the material that makes a difference in the final product. Fortunately, the quality of a material is quite easy to judge.
The look and feel are often enough to immediately determine whether a certain fabric will feel great against your skin or not on an extended ride. There are also bib shorts for specific niches in different climates that come with fabric that is intentionally warmer, more breathable or even water resistant.
Why should I buy a bib short?
Bib shorts are the go-to outfit for road bikers and for good reason. Nothing beats them when it comes to long-term comfort in the saddle, aerodynamics and keeping you cool.
Although incredibly practical, bib shorts have an image problem in mountain biking – especially riding styles with more dirt involved than long-distance cross-country riding.
The UCI actually followed through on the ban of skin-tight apparel at downhill races because, while providing an objective advantage in terms of wind resistance, it conflicted with the image the sport of downhill wanted to project and, frankly, made them look bad.
Bib shorts can still find a lot of use in mountain biking when worn under baggy shorts and a jersey. They make a great substitute for the cycling shorts you need for most mountain biking shorts and pants anyway.
They also maintain the benefit of a comfortable waist if you’ve got yourself a pair of baggy pants or shorts that fit well around the waist as well.
You also don’t have to worry about anyone getting a good view down the back of your pants in the riding position.
Having the whole bib short also makes taking off your jersey or changing in public a little less offensive.
Bib shorts are generally a more expensive alternative to normal cycling tights but they are better performers in every way.
The comfort of not having anything very tight around your waist can be hard to describe but all the road bikers who swear by these should be convincing enough to at least give them a try.
Attribution Section:
Image Source: Source. Flickr- Glory Cycles
I found it very helpful in how you explained that bib shorts are very comfortable and help to keep you cool while riding a bike. Recently, I have been wanting to start biking but I get very uncomfortable and hot. Maybe wearing bib shorts would help me to be more comfortable while biking.