Advice on cycling shorts - Edit

[Razor1972]

Hi Hubbers. I've been mountain biking for a more than 20 years now and have never invested on a decent cycling shorts. I've been told to buy Ciovita bibs. Any advice on a cheaper, but good brand? Say max R1000. I see the Ciovita Corsa can be picked up for R1300 on sale.

Thanks

Edit: I bought a Ciovita Corsa at Chris Willemse for R1000. It was on special for R1300 (from R1900) and they gave a further discount of R300 so was a great deal. Road with on Saturday and Sunday and makes a big difference. I think I need to add more chamois cream to certain spots, but otherwise it's great not to have an unbearably painful bum.

It is, however, an older model as someone has pointed out to me. Thank you for all the advice.

Edited August 29, 2022 by Razor1972
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[ACE Cycles]

29 minutes ago, Razor1972 said:

Hi Hubbers. I've been mountain biking for a more than 20 years now and have never invested on a decent cycling shorts. I've been told to buy Ciovita bibs. Any advice on a cheaper, but good brand? Say max R1000. I see the Ciovita Corsa can be picked up for R1300 on sale.

Thanks

Buy cheap, buy twice. At R1300 the Ciovita offers exceptional value for money. Finch also worth a look. Fox too

Edited August 26, 2022 by ACE Cycles

[ianblack]

Vye has a few great options, check it out at https://vye.co.za/collections/mens-bib-shorts/mens

[Iwan Kemp]

I ride in the Vye trail shorts. A great option at a great price. Locally made which is also great. I prefer being able to decide which if bib, if any, to wear underneath trail shorts.

https://vye.co.za/collections/mens-trail-shorts

Edited August 26, 2022 by Iwan Kemp

[MTBRIDER1234]

1 hour ago, Iwan Kemp said:

I ride in the Vye trail shorts. A great option at a great price. Locally made which is also great. I prefer being able to decide which if bib, if any, to wear underneath trail shorts.

https://vye.co.za/collections/mens-trail-shorts

I second this, I love my pair of Vye shorts (much lower profile and more comfortable than my leatt ones) 

I never ride with a chamois and I can say that these shorts are rad for all day rides and also strong enough to hold up to quite a few of my crashes. 2 years on and they show no signs of wear, except on the zip handle where some of the paint has slightly rubbed off.

[ChrisF]

6 hours ago, Razor1972 said:

Hi Hubbers. I've been mountain biking for a more than 20 years now and have never invested on a decent cycling shorts. I've been told to buy Ciovita bibs. Any advice on a cheaper, but good brand? Say max R1000. I see the Ciovita Corsa can be picked up for R1300 on sale.

Thanks

 

Corsa never again in my house ....

 

First one went back ... they tried to fix it .... then decided to replace it ...

 

New L was barely a M ... I gave it away.

 

 

Frankly, my First Accent pants works perfectly for 6 hour rides, on a good saddle

[Thomo]

33 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

Frankly, my First Accent pants works perfectly for 6 hour rides, on a good saddle

Speaking of FA, just happened to see this...

https://www.cwcycles.co.za/product/first-ascent-mens-pro-elite-bib

[Steady Spin]

Another vote for Vye. Great company and products. 

[Trance Dance]

I bought a pair of ciovita supremo bibs just before the trans baviaans. My backside was comfortable for the whole ride, I never thought bibs could make such a difference! Last couple years I rode in enjoy bibs and loved them... up until 175km! I think that's pretty good as well. But the ciovitas were even more comfortable! Even when the chamois got wet. Conditions weren't great...

So although can recommend enjoy bibs, the ciovitas are just that much better. 

[Vye Cycle Kit]

On 8/26/2022 at 10:06 PM, Steady Spin said:

Another vote for Vye. Great company and products. 

Thanks! 👊

[Steady Spin]

1 hour ago, Vye Cycle Kit said:

Thanks! 👊

PS. Can I send two pairs of bibs back for repairs? Stitching is a little tatty after a couple of years of washing and riding.

[Vye Cycle Kit]

2 hours ago, Steady Spin said:

PS. Can I send two pairs of bibs back for repairs? Stitching is a little tatty after a couple of years of washing and riding.

Sure thing. I'll drop you our details via DM. 👍

[DieselnDust]

I've got Vye Mirage bibs that are from 2016. They've outlasted pearl Izumi and Ciovita bibs. The pads are great and the lycra is light enough for Cape Towns humid summers..

The only feature I like about Ciovita bibs is the bib strapping. Its comfortable but the lycra used for the Corsa doesn't seem to last more than a season or two of regular use (used twice per week every week.)

[Vye Cycle Kit]

13 hours ago, DieselnDust said:

I've got Vye Mirage bibs that are from 2016. They've outlasted pearl Izumi and Ciovita bibs. The pads are great and the lycra is light enough for Cape Towns humid summers..

The only feature I like about Ciovita bibs is the bib strapping. Its comfortable but the lycra used for the Corsa doesn't seem to last more than a season or two of regular use (used twice per week every week.)

Would you mind elaborating on what it is you like about the Ciovita straps? Just curious to know and am always open to feeding some of the feedback back into our own R&D.

[DieselnDust]

37 minutes ago, Vye Cycle Kit said:

Would you mind elaborating on what it is you like about the Ciovita straps? Just curious to know and am always open to feeding some of the feedback back into our own R&D.

The strap is one flat elastic band without any stitching so it’s less irritating on the skin. The strap length is also a good fit for me . Then the x form at the back suspends the chamois a little better and it’s cooler in summer. 
on the mirage the webbing is ok but the stitching in the strap to hold edging down can irritate on hot days if the jersey is loaded 

[Bub Marley]

If you can try and stretch the budget for a pair of Assos. 

 

I recently made the comment in another thread that I wasn’t sure about whether Assos are worth the money as I’ve ridden so many different brands and for me, there wasn’t really much between them (Assos excluded from this list). Anyways I managed to find a pair discounted last year and while I still think pain will always be there the more time you spend on the saddle, regardless of what chamois you use, you can improve comfort. And when I talk about comfort, I’m specifically referring to chafing. 

 

The technology Assos uses with their chamois independent of the shorts is definitely in a league of its own. It is worth the price 100%. And honestly, I see so many specials appearing all the time so you can pick up a Mille bibs for essentially the same price as a Ciovita. I picked one up from Solomons for R2k which is insane value.

 

So essentially, what Im saying is save a bit more and get the assos.