Shorts & TE Inventory

[Cassandra_Cain]

Ok so a few things here...

1 - is it just me or does TE's inventory on shorts/jerseys seem a bit low? I'm guessing (more like hoping) this means the 2007 goodies are soon to arrive!


2 - more importantly....I admit it. I do really. I *hate* black shorts. Ugggh, so boring and drab. yes I'm one of those strange women who rarely, if ever, wears black slacks/skirts/jeans. If they made them in something other than black or dark blue I'd get the Shebeest Triple S or Sugoi Flex shorts - the chamois on these look sooo comfy, but alas, they only come in black or dark blue to my knowledge.

So my question is....I've seen some very pretty looking Castelli Donna Shorts & Louis Garneau power shorts right here on TE, love the colors on each - they are expensive but are they any good? I have no problem spending $150 on them, but only if they would be good for 100 mile rides or 8 hours on the bike.

I already have a pair of cheaper sugoi's in light blue which are OK for short rides, as well as a pair of team MTBchick shorts which I like, but are no longer available in my size.

[grrrlpwr]

i LOVE my Garneau Power shorts with ergozone chamois-(crazy looking but awesome chamois)-
but my 'thing' is i like 'em LONG in the inseam,(which in these days of short -shorts is increasingly hard to find!) aaarrrggh. and they are perfect. but they are black which suits me fine . i tried a pair of pro shorts with pro-graphics they looked cool in catalogue I put them on and yiikes the graphics made my hips and thighs look insanely wide. eeek.return to basic black. phew.i did notice the power short comes in black/white combo...

now i'm a convert to bibs as well (SO COMFORTABLE!)but sure wish the few womens' bibs out there had longer inseams!--i'm making do with mens' bibs..

anyway my 2 cents...

[Cassandra_Cain]

Hey grrl - there may yet be hope for those of us non-black-wearing-gals, ok fine, hope for me :)

Anyone else familiar with the Castelli Donna Shorts & Louis Garneau power shorts ?

[Kalidurga]

In my dream world, bike shorts with awesome chamois's (chamii?) come in camouflage and earth tones...

[spokewench]

I have a couple of pairs of the Castelli 80 shorts and I like them fine - I rode 480 miles in 6 days in them (with a break from Perlizumi shorts one day). They worked as well as any for me.

[Cassandra_Cain]

In my dream world, bike shorts with awesome chamois's (chamii?) come in camouflage and earth tones...

OMG - you and me both, I'm all about browns/khaki's/olive....just no black please~!@

[Cassandra_Cain]

I have a couple of pairs of the Castelli 80 shorts and I like them fine - I rode 480 miles in 6 days in them (with a break from Perlizumi shorts one day). They worked as well as any for me.


Those are a bit different than the ones I was looking at, but then I don't have any experience at all with Castelli. Good to know you like them nonetheless.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The nice thing about black shorts is that they totally hide any cellulite/oatmeal texture! Something us "mature" gals love. :cool:

[7rider]

I got some Castelli Y-pro2 women's bib-shorts last year from Sierra Trading Post. They are great. I like the chamois, very comfy. I liked them so much, I bought 3 pair! Hey, they were on closeout for about $75, a whole lot cheaper than $129 or more. (One, I haven't taken the tags off of)
However, some minor problems have cropped up: One...well, it's not a problem with the shorts...it's my problem...the sizing runs SMALL...so I had to order one size up over my usual size. The other is a tread on one of the legs has come undone and I need to re-stitch it so it doesn't completely unravel. Really a P.I.A. for such a "high end" short. There is a double row of stitching, so the hem hasn't completely unraveled, but it's annoying.
But...if you're looking at the Castellis and it's $150 for shorts or $130 for the bibs, I'd opt for the bibs, and not just because they're cheaper.

[Squirrel 2]

I have experience with the Castelli YPro3's, both the bibs & the shorts, & the Louis Garneau power shorts. The chamois have some similarities & some differences. They are a fairly stiff chamois in both brands. The LG chamois is thicker & seamless. The Castelli chamois has seams, which bother me at times. The inseams on the Castellis are much shorter than the LG Power. The fit on the 2 brands is very different. Castelli is made for a taller rider, at 5'2" they are kind of big on me. The straps are too long on the bibs, but the fabric molds around the waist well so they stay up that way. They still feel a little baggy around the butt, even with a size small, which is a size smaller than their size chart recommends. The LG Power shorts have great fit, and lots of panels that mold to the body well. They are one of my favorites right now.

[Grog]

In my dream world, bike shorts with awesome chamois's (chamii?) come in camouflage and earth tones...

I think you camo girls would be inclined to like these:
http://www.trashycat.com/catalog/catalog.html

[HipGnosis6]

In "real life" I'm the exact opposite - virtually everything I own is black. However, I can see the benefits of not being gothy whille out on the bike so my shorts are the only black cycling gear I have. Imagine my friends' shock the first time they saw me in a fluorescent yellow jersey - I wish I'd had a camera!

[Cassandra_Cain]

I think you camo girls would be inclined to like these:
http://www.trashycat.com/catalog/catalog.html

Hi - no kidding, those are cute - very earthy :)

The only thing I am not sure of, is if the chamois on these shorts is comparable to those on the Sugoi Flex one's. That (the sugoi chamois) is probably the best i have ever seen - no squishy bunching up - just perfectly solid support.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Another nice thing about black shorts is that they don't show dirt or discoloration of the seat. Many years ago I had a pair of non-black shorts. They looked good for the first couple of rides, and then they looked awful, ending up with a huge discolored spot on my butt. What caused it? I have to assume it was dry transferring from the seat, or...

For me? Black shorts only!

[ptenoid]

2 - more importantly....I admit it. I do really. I *hate* black shorts.

If you're looking for colored shorts, try http://www.velowear.com. Their Avanti short comes in 7 colors. I got purple. :)

[Cassandra_Cain]

2 - more importantly....I admit it. I do really. I *hate* black shorts.

If you're looking for colored shorts, try http://www.velowear.com. Their Avanti short comes in 7 colors. I got purple. :)

Hey there - thanks for the link and for pointing it out.

Any comments on the chamois on those shorts? I'm looking for something that's good for long distance and/or many hours in the saddle?

The shorts look great though regardless :)

[Susan Otcenas]

1 - is it just me or does TE's inventory on shorts/jerseys seem a bit low? I'm guessing (more like hoping) this means the 2007 goodies are soon to arrive!


This is such a tough time of year for stocking inventory!

In July and August, we start running out of sizes and colors in lots of things. Our manufacturers have moved on to making winter items at that point, and THEY are out of lots of summery things too. It's a real trick to buy enough in season to meet demand, yet not OVERbuy and end up with a warehouse full of summer stuff too late in the year. It's as much art as it is science, and sometimes we come up a little short. :(

Right now, we are receiving mostly winter apparel (see out what's new page for an idea of what's starting to fill the warehouse now http://www.teamestrogen.com/whatsNew.asp ) .

We ALWAYS try to stay in stock in at least the "key" black shorts from all our vendors, but sometimes they are out of those too! I've been out of size medium black Castelli YPro shorts for weeks, because Castelli US is waiting for an order to arrive to their warehouse too. Since mediums make up something like 40% of our business, that's alot of customers we are disappointing at the moment.

If there's something you need, and our online inventory doesn't show it available, just give us a call. (877-310-4592) Oftentimes we can tell you when the next shipment is arriving, or if there's no chance of us getting it back in stock (ie. it's discontinued).

Hope this helps,

Susan

[ptenoid]

Hey there - thanks for the link and for pointing it out.

Any comments on the chamois on those shorts? I'm looking for something that's good for long distance and/or many hours in the saddle?

The shorts look great though regardless :)

I can't comment on the chamois in the women's short, actually. I'm a pretty hefty lady, and ended up ordering the men's avanti short because the women's shorts didn't go up to my size. They seem to have expanded their available size range since then. The chamois in the men's short is not the same as the women's short. However, I have been wearing them regularly for a couple of years, and they are well-made, comfortable shorts. Now, if only they came in orange...

[Cassandra_Cain]

Susan - thank you for responding. I understand that getting certain kinds of biking gear at this time of year is somewhat akin to looking for a bikini....in December...not exactly easy to do. I'll be eagerly awaiting next year's goodies when you do get them...:D Meanwhile, for this year I ended up ordering from another website, reluctantly as I always prefer to buy from TE - a pretty pair of LG power shorts, in white/pink of course.

PT - orange eh? If only right! :)

[Susan Otcenas]

Susan - thank you for responding. .......Meanwhile, for this year I ended up ordering from another website, reluctantly as I always prefer to buy from TE - a pretty pair of LG power shorts, in white/pink of course.


You're welcome. :) And I'm so sorry we didn't have the shorts available when you were looking for them! (We have another shipment of those due here on Monday.)

Best,

Susan

[Bike Goddess]

TE carries Sheila Moon shorts as well. Try those too. She's from SF, and also a cyclist.

[li10up]

Hey there - thanks for the link and for pointing it out.

Any comments on the chamois on those shorts? I'm looking for something that's good for long distance and/or many hours in the saddle?

The shorts look great though regardless :)
I have a pair of the Avanti shorts in blue and I love them. The chamois is very substantial without being bulky...much like the chamois in a pair of PIs I have...but the fabric is heavier which I think will last longer. They are very well made.

[Cassandra_Cain]

You're welcome. :) And I'm so sorry we didn't have the shorts available when you were looking for them! (We have another shipment of those due here on Monday.)

Best,

Susan

Ack! I am already feeling buyers remorse....maybe I'll return the other shorts :P

BG - thank you for the tip, I will look into those.

Li10up - cool, I like hearing those kinds of recommendations, thank you :)