OK, I tried bib tights. Please help me correct this error!
OK, I tried bib tights. Please help me correct this error!
Author
Discussion

Kermit power

Original Poster:

29,622 posts

242 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
Who the hell ever thought these were in any way, and on any planet, a good idea????

Intending to keep commuting by bike right through the winter, but with my knees in particular starting to feel the cold in the mornings, I decided something more comprehensive was required. Given that something like 80% of the options fall into what I now know to be the loathsome category of bib tights, I decided that this would appear to be the way to go.

As a result of my ride in this morning, I now know this to be a big mistake! irked

To be fair to them, they did admirably perform the task of keeping my legs warm. Where the problem starts is with their equal ability to keep half of my torso warm too. What point is a garment which keeps half of my top warm?? furious

I am now faced with three options on the way home - keep all my top layers on and suffer an overly hot stomach, take one of them off and suffer from a chilly chest, or cut the bottom half off my T-shirt and ride home looking like Priscilla, queen of the desert's homage to Flashdance. Stupid bloody bib tights. irked


Oddly, as a grown adult, I have managed to master the notion of keeping my trousers up without needing braces, especially when they're skin-tight Lycra (and yes, I know, for those who know me, I've just put you off your lunch! hehe ), so I'm now after recommendations for normal, "trouser-length" padded tights or trousers.

All recommendations that aren't bib tights warmly welcomed, but I'm limited to around £50-60 budget. smile

GreatGranny

9,519 posts

255 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
The downside makes up for the comfort and warmth in other areas IMO.

I wear a little less up top and just bear it until I get warm, normally only takes a few minutes if you push hard.

Having a shower at work also means it doesn't matter how sweaty I get on the way in.

zasker

587 posts

233 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
I use DHB bib tights and have no problem but you could try something like these!

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-pace-padded-waist-tigh...

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-pace-roubaix-padded-wa...

Both within your budget

Kermit power

Original Poster:

29,622 posts

242 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
Is DHB a Wiggle own-brand product?

The Roubaix ones look perfect, but unfortunately they've run out of them in XL, and nowhere else seems to stock the brand at all.

The Walrus

1,857 posts

234 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
Is DHB a Wiggle own-brand product?
Yes biggrin

Kermit power

Original Poster:

29,622 posts

242 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
GreatGranny said:
The downside makes up for the comfort and warmth in other areas IMO.
How would they be different to non-bib items?

From a warmth perspective, I can't get my upper body temperature uniformly comfortable with bib tights, but can without them.

From a comfort perspective, I don't like the shoulder straps, but that would be a minor quibble if I didn't also have the half too hot/half too cold problem. I wear braces with my dinner jacket because it's not the done thing to wear a belt with it, and the trousers would fall down with neither, but I've never had this problem with my cycling shorts, so I'm not sure what the bib and braces effect adds on the comfort side of things?

I had assumed from the ratio of bib to non-bib options that they would possess some great advantage, but I've not found it myself.

Get Karter

1,950 posts

230 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
I'm not sure what the bib and braces effect adds on the comfort side of things?
It removes the necessity to have a piece of elastic tight around your upper waist, which restricts comfortable breathing, and digs into your abdomen when crouched over your handlebars.

All pro cyclists wear bib shorts for those reasons.

I do agree that some bibs have far too much material up top though. Simple 'braces' parts of lycra would be enough, and let the rider decide on his own layerings for warmth.


Edited by Get Karter on Wednesday 14th December 16:43

Kermit power

Original Poster:

29,622 posts

242 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
Get Karter said:
It removes the necessity to have a piece of elastic tight around your upper waist, which restricts comfortable breathing, and digs into your abdomen when crouched over your handlebars.

All pro cyclists wear bib shorts for those reasons.
I suppose that makes sense. My personal preference is definitely for a waistband rather than braces though. Then again, maybe that's why I'm not a pro cyclist! hehe

Chicken Chaser

9,055 posts

253 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
I have DHB Roubaix bibs and I think theyre an excellent purchase. Not suffered from sweating in odd places, still can put layers under and over the tights and I also have Bib shorts on underneath.


IroningMan

10,598 posts

275 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
Separate leg warmers cost peanuts: they're rarely thick enough for really cold rides, but they do give you more options.

paranoid airbag

2,679 posts

188 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
Get Karter said:
It removes the necessity to have a piece of elastic tight around your upper waist, which restricts comfortable breathing, and digs into your abdomen when crouched over your handlebars.

All pro cyclists wear bib shorts for those reasons.

I do agree that some bibs have far too much material up top though. Simple 'braces' parts of lycra would be enough, and let the rider decide on his own layerings for warmth.


Edited by Get Karter on Wednesday 14th December 16:43
fair enough, I've never felt like regular ones have given me problems. Whatever works for you is the rule to be applied here I think smile

Rouleur

7,415 posts

218 months

Wednesday 14th December 2011
quotequote all
These semi roubaix leg warmers might do http://www.wiggle.co.uk/descente-coldout-roubaix-l... I've got the knee versions and they're great, they come a long way up my legs and they're half way between lycra and roubaix fabric in terms of warmth.

AyBee

11,319 posts

231 months

Thursday 15th December 2011
quotequote all
Now try getting 3/4s, then you can have freezing cold, nice temp, boiling hot all in one biggrin

P.S. Serious face on: I've never had issues, love bibs and would never go back to normal, currently riding with 3/4s, one cycling top and a jacket and end up unzipping the jacked toward the end of my ride to cool down!

Kermit power

Original Poster:

29,622 posts

242 months

Thursday 15th December 2011
quotequote all
swerni said:
eeer, why not just remove one of your layers if your too hot.
Because the bib part comes half way up my torso, so if I remove a layer to cool my stomach down, my chest and shoulders get chilly. It's not the number of layers causing the problem.

I may, however, have found a solution, as my other cycling jacket, which I wore this morning, can be unzipped from the bottom as well as the top, so I can balance out temperature with it. smile

a11y_m

1,861 posts

251 months

Thursday 15th December 2011
quotequote all
I HATE bib tights purely because they make my top half too warm - I end up sweating like crazy as a result.

I've got a pair of full-length DHB bibless tights and have no problems with them sliding down or feeling uncomfortable/restrictive around the waist. I'm currently searching for a 3/4 length version as I even find the full-length unnecessary some of the time, despite them being lycra. I just seem to generate a lot of heat.

That plus taking a p*ss wearing a pair of bib tights is just bloody awkward!

Uriel

3,244 posts

280 months

Thursday 15th December 2011
quotequote all
Kermit power said:
Because the bib part comes half way up my torso, so if I remove a layer to cool my stomach down, my chest and shoulders get chilly.

Slaav

4,370 posts

239 months

Thursday 15th December 2011
quotequote all
Hate to point out the obvious but surely the pro bib versions (as a rule) have incredibly light weight upper straps and material.


I have a pair of Shutt VR Pro Bibs and the new version (I have old and new) really are not very heavy 'up top'. Give them a rinag and chat through with Pete or someone else there as the old ones are heavier up top but the pro bobs are incredibly light up top smile

amnesia182

486 posts

191 months

Friday 16th December 2011
quotequote all
DHB Roubaix 3/4 bibs FTW :-p

Karussell

157 posts

273 months

Sunday 18th December 2011
quotequote all
The OP should just harden up

If you want to wear bibs, wear em
If not, dont,

if you are too hot, by definition you are wearing too many layers

i frequently go out at sub 3'C, with bibs, a wicking top, and a soft shell jacket, and cover 40-50km. Get too hot, unzip clothing, get too cold, work harder and zip up clothing

Simples


Kermit power

Original Poster:

29,622 posts

242 months

Sunday 18th December 2011
quotequote all
Karussell said:
The OP should just harden up

If you want to wear bibs, wear em
If not, dont,

if you are too hot, by definition you are wearing too many layers

i frequently go out at sub 3'C, with bibs, a wicking top, and a soft shell jacket, and cover 40-50km. Get too hot, unzip clothing, get too cold, work harder and zip up clothing

Simples
What does "hardening up" have to do with anything?? You appear not to have read my OP.

Then again, what is to be expected of someone actually capable of lowering themselves to the point of saying, or in this instance writing "simples".