Why Assos Bib Shorts Are the Right Choice for Pro-Am Cyclists
Friday, July 2nd, 2010When I first came across bib shorts for road bike cycling I wasn’t convinced. Why bother? Surely normal waist high shorts were more comfortable? Then as I researched I discovered that if I was going to become a competitive amateur I would have to copy the pro’s and take seriously the world of bib. I am Andrew Gray, and this is why I think that Asos bib shorts are the best choice.
Recently I have read a number of articles in magazines of famous people (Lord Alan Sugar for instance!) who considered lycra a bad idea, then once they had given it a go they have never looked back.. Certainly Wolverine in the X-men considered it odd, and it does tend to be a little unforgiving if you are a little on the large size. The opposite is also true and if you are slimming, as I am, then it makes you look better on the bike at least.
As a 40 year old happily married man it’s still quite cool to be wolf whistled by young ladies. Ahem…and yes I did tell my wife! She got the same reaction the other day out running, so I guess we are made for each other.
Regular lycra shorts work great, and mine are the original leather chamois type. I made a mistake though in my understanding of how the chamois worked. I thought that the purpose of the chamois was to provide comfort on your seat, and so the thicker the pad the better. Actually, I was wrong.
asos bib shorts
The purpose of the chamois, and these days it is made of synthetics – foam pads, anti-bacterial layers etc. – is to reduce chaffing by wicking away the sweat from your personal areas. There is a little padding provided, which improves the razor blade like quality of the saddle, but it doesn’t actually stop the discomfort. Lets face it, it’s not supposed to be an armchair! If your saddle is uncomfortable, get some padding for your saddle, or change the saddle, not look for it in your shorts.
So how does the wick effect actually work then? Well through contact, it absorbs the sweat and moisture in the same way that if you dip a piece of kitchen roll into water it soaks it up. The key to this is contact, which I will come back to. It’s no good just wafting the kitchen role over the top of the water and hoping it will work for example.
The moisture then is carried away from the sensitive areas – a little in the same way as a nappy on a baby – and to the outer layers where it is encouraged to evaporate. A polyester/spandex mix is used to help combine the spandex tight fitting properties of the short with the moisture wicking properties of polyester.
So why are bibs better?
If contact is the key, the straps on bibs keep the shorts much higher and tighter to the crotch area. That means the contact is better, and consequently the mechanical properties of the bib shorts are much more functional than their strapless counter parts.
For Assos, the shorts are only part of the story. They produce a range of clothing which is designed to take you throughout the year, and it is all based on what they have called their Assos Layering System, or ALS. They recommend their Assos Bib Shorts right through the summer until the high 20’s (Celsius), where they then move to waist high’s. (colder than this, check out what they, unfortunately to my mind, consider their ‘knicker’ range.) The layers build on what I have already mentioned, and that is the wicking ability of the materials, and then getting it as quickly as possible to the outer layer so that it is dried as quickly as possible. The following table will show the options that are available in the Assos bib short range which is ideally designed for summer riding. Remember though, for the best results you need to combine these shorts with other layers which are made systematically to interact together to give you best results, whether it be keeping you cool and dry in the summer, or warm and sweat-less in the winter without unnecessary bulk that creates massive drag on the bike. And it because Assos have done all the work to create these interactive personal climate control layers that they are the best bib-shorts choice available, and if you are serious about your cycling, they are the best option.
Table comparing Assos Bib Shorts through the summer: for the winter options choose ‘Assos Knickers’
| Model | Season | temperature | Features | Price |
| Assos fi Uno s5 bib shorts | summer | 22-32celsius | Training: 6 panel | £100 |
| Assos fi mille s5 bib shorts | summer | 22-32celsius | Long distance:4 panel. Compression advantage on muscles | £112 |
| Assos fi 13 s5 bib shorts | summer | 22-32celsius | Pro-level. Less material, lighter. More compression. 6 panel ‘race cut’ | £195 |
Link:http://icyclelite.com/asos-bib-shorts
Mens cycling jerseys essentials | iCyclelite.com says:
July 13th, 2010
11:30 am
[...] this is why it is a good idea to try before you buy, and adopt a leaning over angle. If you wear bib shorts then you will have a good high back anyway, and this provides an even better layer. One of the [...]
Cheap Road Bikes | iCyclelite.com says:
July 16th, 2010
10:20 pm
[...] looks very expensive, on paper at least. By the time you have invested in either lycra shorts or (assos) cycling bib shorts, and then found a cycling jersey to your taste, looked at road cycling shoes and decided which ones [...]