# bike shorts or bibs or MTB shorts?



## ansetou (Jul 17, 2009)

I'm considering biking to work. I have no shower here. Here is a newbie question

Bib or no bib? 
bike shorts under regular shorts?
MTB Shorts?
is there such a thing as easy removable bike shorts?

Basically, I store my bike in the closet in my office. I don't feel comfortable wearing bike shorts into my office. MTB shorts seems to be a natural first choice for me what do you think?


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

How far is your commute? Is that a long ride for you (as in, 10 miles is a long ride for a beginner, etc).

I don't wear lycra shorts to the office either. I've been wearing MTB shorts but before it was warm enough to wear shorts, I really didn't need padded shorts under my pants anyway on my ride which is 8 miles each way.


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## ansetou (Jul 17, 2009)

excuse me if I start to sound confused cus I am. I think for now, I need a pair of shorts just to start biking over the weekend. without it i'm just hurt so bad that I can only bike like 5 miles. I need something that can allow me to bike for a quick 5 mile trip to meet friends in the city or allow me to bike 20 miles to nearby scenic route when i'm physically capable of it. 

my commute is about 13.5 miles in total (i've been posting 14.5 in another thread by mistake). I am thinking about starting with subway part of it. this will leave me with only 6.5 mile left to bike. but my goal is eventually to bike the entire 13.5. 

additionally, i think i have only monday, thursday and maybe friday that I can bike to work and maybe one day during the weekend. I believe I can manage with 2 sets assuming one set per day and I wash them twice a week.

maybe i should get a pair of road bike shorts and another pair of mtb shorts. should i get bib? what is really the benefit of bib? btw, i assume I should wear the straps of the bib under the shirt, right?


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

Bibs alleviate the need to enginerr the shorts to be tight around the waste. this can be more comfortable in a bent over position.

Bibs under shirt for fashion. No real reason though. Do whatever you want.


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## oarsman (Nov 6, 2005)

*bibs under shorts*

is what I use for my commute. One of the reasons is that I regularly take transit part of the way and I am less self-conscious wearing a regular pair of shorts over the lycra. 

My commute to work is about 25 km each way, so I appreciate the bibs. I find them more comfortable than cycling shorts. 

For short rides, like to a restaurant, or to the gym or the store, I don't worry about wearing bibs or cycling shorts. Regular shorts are fine for me.


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

Quick question on bibs...I just bought a pair and haven't used them yet.

It seems like they will be a bit awkward when I need to relieve myself. If I'm wearing a shirt/jersey over them, I'll have to take the shirt off and pull the straps down, etc. Or am I missing something obvious (again)?


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## transplant (Jan 7, 2005)

Tweezak said:


> Quick question on bibs...I just bought a pair and haven't used them yet.
> 
> It seems like they will be a bit awkward when I need to relieve myself. If I'm wearing a shirt/jersey over them, I'll have to take the shirt off and pull the straps down, etc. Or am I missing something obvious (again)?



Are you a boy or a girl? :idea:


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## gearguywb (Dec 26, 2006)

transplant said:


> Are you a boy or a girl? :idea:


More importantly, do you sit or stand?


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## Brick Tamland (Mar 31, 2006)

I wear bib shorts, and carry some regular shorts to throw on before I head into the office.


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

transplant said:


> Are you a boy or a girl? :idea:


I am male. Sorry...that didn't even occur to me.


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## Maximus_XXIV (Nov 10, 2008)

You can take a leak with bibs if you pull them down in the front and then kind of lean over to create some slack. A little awkward but it works.


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## ansetou (Jul 17, 2009)

I think I'll try the flexibility of the bib in a bike shop fitting room before I buy it =)


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

The ones I got are the Sugoi RS. They aren't cheap but they are very comfortable. The guy at the shop is a friend of mine and suggested I try on a cheap pair and a nice pair (RS). The difference was noticeable immediately. The padding on the cheap pair bit into the sides of my legs like a piece of cardboard. No wonder people need chamois Butt'r.

The padding in the Sugoi RS tapers and extends down your legs so there's no abrupt edge. They are very comfortable and are simply amazing when riding. I'm sorry I went so long before buying a pair. I've been riding 28 miles a day for a year on a very firm 130mm seat in regular shorts or running tights. I thought a bruised bum was just something you had to live with.

FWIW...I don't notice any waistband discomfort on the Sugoi shorts. They also don't shift around on me which is one of the arguments for the bibs over shorts. It probably helps that I went down a size from what I expected I needed. I'm glad I tried them on in the shop or I would have ended up with the wrong size.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I guess I'm guilty of starting this discussion since I mentioned getting cycling shorts of some kind to wear when you ride.

I don't own a pair of bibs. My buddy does and he keeps telling me that I should try a pair. I will when I need to replace one of the four pair of cycling shorts that I currently own. I also have a pair of mountain biking shorts. They're kind of long and baggy and have a pair of tight shorts inside of the outer shell. The mountain biking shorts don't so much have a chamois as they have an additional liner inside of them that increases its thickness where your anatomy makes contact with the saddle. I'm comfortable wearing any of these on my commute to work.

WRT to using the facilities while wearing bibs, my buddy did mention that you practically have to strip naked to relieve yourself and that he likes to wear full-zip jerseys specifically for this purpose. I guess he would unzip the jersey, pull one side off, pull one side of the bib down and do his business as oppsed to taking the jersey off to accomplish the same thing.

As far as wearing a pair of cycling shorts in the office, it depends on the office environment. At the last place I was working at plenty of folks walked through the office to get to the showers in cycling shorts so it wasn't a big deal. In the place that I had worked at before that I would carry a pair of sweat pants and put them on as soon as I got to the door of the building despite there being plenty of cyclists working there. If it was a warm day then it would be a pair of shorts instead of the sweat pants.


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## ryball (Sep 19, 2008)

Shorts over bibs. So much more comfortable. I will never buy regular cycling shorts ever again. Shorts would always move on me.

Performance Elite II's get great reviews and are dirt cheap.

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1071108_-1_20000__32000

I have two pair. I'll be replacing my other shorts with more of these bibs as they wear out. You can get them around $55 if you catch their sales right.


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

Another trick with bibs is to pull up one of the legs - much easier for a quick stop. I didn't think the waistband on lycra shorts was that big of a deal until I tried bibs... 

Some MTB shorts work better than others. I have a couple of cheap ones and no problem with a short distance, but the legs are a little wider on one pair than I'd want (so they ride up). The PI ones I have are really nice but not cheap for something that doesn't see a lot of miles. Good padding, removeable liner (be nice to get another one or two), secure pockets and legs that aren't too loose.


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## ansetou (Jul 17, 2009)

I went to a local bike store and tried on a road shorts (Pearl Izumi Pro) and a mtb shorts by Sugoi. Both gave me a diaper feeling. I then talked w/ the sales guy and he said if I get higher end road shorts such as the Sugoi RS will be better but they were out of it.

I looked at the padding in the shorts and they are essentially the shape of the top of a saddle. so, my question is why can't I just buy a well-padded nice saddle. This way, I don't have to buy multiple expensive shorts and have the freedom of wearing whatever shorts i like.


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## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

ansetou said:


> I went to a local bike store and tried on a road shorts (Pearl Izumi Pro) and a mtb shorts by Sugoi. Both gave me a diaper feeling. I then talked w/ the sales guy and he said if I get higher end road shorts such as the Sugoi RS will be better but they were out of it.
> 
> I looked at the padding in the shorts and they are essentially the shape of the top of a saddle. so, my question is why can't I just buy a well-padded nice saddle. This way, I don't have to buy multiple expensive shorts and have the freedom of wearing whatever shorts i like.


whatever shorts you like probably have a nice crease right up the crotchal region.


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## freethelemmings (Jul 11, 2009)

Here's the long and short:

Wear what you're comfortable wearing. If you are worried about soreness, then keep in mind it will get better the more you ride. I remember starting out and being really sore after just 5 miles. However, I recently did 42 miles around the city in a pair of loose fitting North Face shorts and was only slightly sore. 

If you're uncomfortable with fabric stretched tightly all around your business, then wear a different pair of shorts. That said, try to stick to shorts that are still made to be "high performance." There is a local shop called Backwoods in town here that sells really nice apparel and equipment for those that are serious about hiking/camping/rock climbing, etc. You may find a store like that, which will equate to money well spent. 

Lastly, there are some gyms that sell shower memberships. Look into any gyms that are located near your work and inquire if that is something they do, and if it is worth the money to you to be able to shower a mile or two away from your work.

Good luck with your choice!


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I don't know if this needs to be said or not, but, you folks do know that you are supposed to go commando underneath cycling shorts, right?


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## Pierre (Jan 29, 2004)

Bib is more comfortable, and I would never go back to shorts. Jerseys with a full zipper are much more practical than half-zipper jerseys, if you wear bibs. Although tight-fitting lycra is super-gayish, I've never heard anybody make fun of cyclists in a really bad way. The down side is I have a strong tan line on the legs and arms, 'I'm wearing shorts all the time' 

And yes, at first it feels a bit like a diaper - when the short gets older it has a bit less of that effect, but also the padding gets less effective.


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

I bought a pair of mountain biking shorts, didn't like the liner but liked how the shorts looked so I cut out the liner and just wear cycling tights under the shorts. Having done that, I would prefer to have a good liner designed to be worn under shorts because it would be cooler (temp-wise) as a liner specifically designed to be worn under shorts can have holes and fabric that's thing enough to be see through which makes you cooler (but since they're under shorts it's not a fashion problem).

I was thinking of trying a pair of these:
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=44228


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## ansetou (Jul 17, 2009)

how about wearing a pair of tri shorts under MTB short shell? It seems the tri shorts are just shorter (cooler) and cheaper.


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## freethelemmings (Jul 11, 2009)

Squidward said:


> I don't know if this needs to be said or not, but, you folks do know that you are supposed to go commando underneath cycling shorts, right?


I can't speak for anyone else, but I can not think of any other way to be.


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## PaulRivers (Sep 11, 2006)

freethelemmings said:


> I can't speak for anyone else, but I can not think of any other way to be.


I can.

I just don't have the time, or money (the pair of bike tights I currently prefer cost > $100) to wash my bike shorts every time I use them. That's something I would feel the necessity to do if I wasn't wearing underwear underneath them.

To be fair, I do own some fairly expensive synthetic underwear (Under Armour, $20 a pair). But if I had to do laundry every time I went biking, I'd have a lot less time to go biking.


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## Squidward (Dec 18, 2005)

I only mention it because I occasionally see people on roadbikes in cycling shorts with VPL. It's not an issue if *she* is shapely and cute but it is if *he* is not.


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## ansetou (Jul 17, 2009)

ok, I ordered my first pair of road bike shorts. Sugoi RS. for $112.50 including s&h. I can't wait anymore as my bike is just sitting there because I'm afraid of the soreness. 

http://bicyclewarehouse.com/itemdetails.cfm?id=11707


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## jarrod7219 (Feb 19, 2009)

I found out today on my maiden voyage that baggy mtb shorts and down tube shifters dont get along when you are trying to accelerate rapidly. I was moving away from a stop light, and I stood up to accelerate, and my right leg got stuck on the down tube shifter, and shifted gears rapidly, almost sending me to the ground. I think i am going to start sticking the loose part inside the elastic so that does not happen again.


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## Tweezak (Dec 6, 2008)

An update on the Sugoi RS I mentioned before. I did my first century yesterday and saddle soreness was not a factor at all. The shorts were spectacular. I, on the other hand, started fading toward the end. I really struggled to finish, but finish I did. I think it was right at 100 degrees.


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