Bibs

[jamesgs]

14 minutes ago, W@nted said:

That is great that you will be able to fit them????????
 

Bibs are great, just remember to take your pre ride dump before putting the bibs and shirt on…Otherwise you will have to undress again????

???? So I might as well ask while we are on the subject. Should they fit firm and where, we are not all the same shape.  Hips? legs? shoulders? I am the right weight.

[W@nted]

They should fit firm everywhere, but not cutting blood flow firm. 
 

You do not want loose moving parts, especially on your crotch and inner upper leg, as that is where the chafing will hurt you

[Steady Spin]

Vye is definitely my choice bib. Have Ciovita as well and i hardly use them. 

[warick_wrx]

I have found Panda bibs to me the most comfortable and best value for money. 

[W@nted]

14 minutes ago, Steady Spin said:

Vye is definitely my choice bib. Have Ciovita as well and i hardly use them. 

I think I will try the vye bibs next. Do you also prefer the velo? Sizing the same as ciovita?

[madmarc]

If  you go CIOVITA, make sure you try  them on before ordering online - I normally ride L - XL and with CIOVITA i have to use XXXL - If you Gauteng I think Cyclelab stock them, normally bike shops locally sell them about the same price as they are advertised on their website.

[Mountain Bru]

 

2 hours ago, jamesgs said:

Thank you so far everyone.  The online mentions of sportsful and castelli look good but Ciovita and Vye are in Cape Town. I will see what the fit is like in person. I do not know what bib fits are like but it seems they are the best way to go????

I know this can be hard to believe, but you don't have to pay duties when importing stuff from outside of the Western Cape 

I have no real experience, but I'd bet Castelli's bibs are far better than anything local. They stock them at CycleLab if you want to try some on before ordering online. 

In terms of fit.... You want slight compression to make sure nothing moves when you're riding, but nothing thats gonna cut blood flow or be uncomfortable, especially in a riding position. The shoulder straps might stretch slightly depending on the material, but I don't think you should be banking on that. Also make sure the legs have some sort of rubber in the elastic at the end and that they fit snuggly there, otherwise they'll ride up your leg. 


 

[EltonB]

2 hours ago, jamesgs said:

Thank you so far everyone.  The online mentions of sportsful and castelli look good but Ciovita and Vye are in Cape Town. I will see what the fit is like in person. I do not know what bib fits are like but it seems they are the best way to go????

If you are in CT, check out www.go-cycle in Somerset West. 

[Moult]

Ciovita are first class! You wont be sorry. 

[jamesgs]

2 hours ago, warick_wrx said:

I have found Panda bibs to me the most comfortable and best value for money. 

Thank you I sent them an email to see if there is an outlet in Cape Town. Bibs I imagine need to be tried on.

[jamesgs]

1 hour ago, Mountain Bru said:

 

I know this can be hard to believe, but you don't have to pay duties when importing stuff from outside of the Western Cape 

I have no real experience, but I'd bet Castelli's bibs are far better than anything local. They stock them at CycleLab if you want to try some on before ordering online. 

In terms of fit.... You want slight compression to make sure nothing moves when you're riding, but nothing thats gonna cut blood flow or be uncomfortable, especially in a riding position. The shoulder straps might stretch slightly depending on the material, but I don't think you should be banking on that. Also make sure the legs have some sort of rubber in the elastic at the end and that they fit snuggly there, otherwise they'll ride up your leg. 


 

Thank you for the fit tips, that is why I want to try them on. CWC, Chris Willemse cycles, in Cape Town is allied to cycle lab (mycyclelife). I will go in there and see.

[DieselnDust]

Bib fit :

the appropriate way to view a bib short is to think of it as a hammock for the boys thats suspended from the shoulders. The pad thickness in the sit bone area will determine how long you can sit on it till it becomes uncomfortable. 
being a hammock it’s important that the shoulder straps have some tautness once fitted. Loose straps will result in a bib pad that moves around and bunches up creating pressure points. Not lekker.

also consider the volume. If you’re a chunky shape then opt for a sports fit (mirage quad in vye, corsa in ciovita). If thin and lanky then race fit is a better option

 

[W@nted]

10 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

Bib fit :

the appropriate way to view a bib short is to think of it as a hammock for the boys thats suspended from the shoulders. The pad thickness in the sit bone area will determine how long you can sit on it till it becomes uncomfortable. 
being a hammock it’s important that the shoulder straps have some tautness once fitted. Loose straps will result in a bib pad that moves around and bunches up creating pressure points. Not lekker.

also consider the volume. If you’re a chunky shape then opt for a sports fit (mirage quad in vye, corsa in ciovita). If thin and lanky then race fit is a better option

 

I think I will pull the trigger on the Vye Velo. If I wear a medium on the Ciovita Corsa 2, is it safe to order a medium Vye Velo?

[DieselnDust]

The vye mirage quad bib is slightly tighter fit overall than the ciovita corsa.

[The Ouzo]

Vye Mirage vs Ciovita Corsa the Ciovita wins for comfort. But the Vye bib is really not far behind and is holding up really well to continued daily use. (The Ciovita only get used on rides that will be longer than 3 hours). Given that Ciovita often have there Corsa bibs on special at the same price as the Vye I'd go with Ciovita, but at normal retail pricing Vye wins.

 

As stated above, the Vye Mirage is a much tighter fit than the Ciovita so go one size up, it does stretch slightly but not enough to make it baggy.

[jamesgs]

 

Conclusion.

First, thank you for the input, it helped.????????

It came down to VYE or Ciovita for the convenience in Cape Town. I tried the Vye and I liked the padding and the XL hips were right but the shoulders were too tight. We are all different shapes so I am glad I tried them out first. My neighbor showed me his Ciovita corsa and said he has had it 3 years with a lot of wear and it still looks good. I went on to the Ciovita site and used their measurement guide and it recommended extra large. The Ciovita corsa is on special for R1399.00 (RRP R1899.00) and I had R75.00 mycyclelife vouchers. I ordered them online on Wednesday, received them on Friday and rode in the COLD weather in Cape Town today, Saturday.

The fit is very good, comfortable and I have no buyers remorse. It looks like it is going to be a good entry level Bib for me as a newby.

Footnote: Just for perspective I have done 2000km since starting, on a R299.99 pair of cycling shorts to make sure I am going to do this. so this bib is Luxxxury????