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Serious question, do you Chuck them when the pad gets compressed, or when they become transparent?
Depends on what happens first; if got some shorts where the pad is still comfortable but there are transparent sections; which relegates them to use under other layers such as unpadded tights and under baggy shorts.
Basically I eek all the life they have out of them!
Annoyingly I bought 2 pairs of Lusson Carbon bib shorts for road use a couple of months back, one pair is starting to go transparent above the pad while the other is fine; I suspect they rubbed against my thick commuting rain jacket on a particularly manky audax a few weeks ago.
I've got 3 pairs of assos* shorts, two are over 12 years old and the other is closer to 9. They are all still comfortable but one of the older pairs is a bit transparent in the upper crack region so has been retired to under baggy short duties.
* #humblebrag
Until the Mrs goes "Euuugh!" so I guess your second option 🙂
my bibs last one ride
(and then they go in the wash!)
i only wear my bibs under my shorts these days which seems to make then last for ages. my endura bibs are 9, specialised around 5. and i tend to wear my biking clothes till they literally fall apart.
the actual bike bits get replaced more frequently than the things i put on my body.
Glad it's not just me then (miserable Scotsman)
How do you know your bibs are showing crackage? Do you check in in the mirror or wait until the passing traffic complains?
Longest serving pair I've got are Endura Equipe at 5 years old and they've just been consigned to the bin as the seams are becoming uncomfortable and the grippers are worn.
Retired my Endura 260s after they went transparent and pad was rubbish. But rotate the ones I do have so they last reasonable length of time.
My only pair of bib shorts are approximately 9 years old. DHB. They now have a hole on the right hand leg where I go bitten by a dog last year.
I recently cut up some 8 year old assos shorts and used the non-transparent panels as material for patching the knees of my bib longs.
But rotate the ones I do have so they last reasonable length of time.
Inside out or back to front?