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Hi there.
I'm in the market for a new set of capris for these cool fall commutes and rides.
REI has PI Sugars on sale 25% off.
My LBS has Descente Bliss Bikapris.
Was curious about thoughts on these two.
I know there are a lot of fans for the PI's and I do like my AmFib tights and some old PI shorts I have (not crazy about their tops, tho). I have no Descente bottoms and was wondering how there were for fit, form, and fashion.
Thanks!
Now, I haven't really tried out the Descentes, but my limited experience with these two is that by and large, while a lot of people buy the Sugar Knickers, and they are popular with a lot of bike shops, etc, easy to find, etc, you may be happier with the Descente Bliss. I would strongly recommend trying both, but if you can only go with one, I suggest you go with the Descente Bliss.
PI tends to be very popular as a beginner short/knicker/etc because they're usually the bread and butter sale items for a lot of distributors, but if you can afford the extra $$ for the Descente (or Garneau, or Giordana) I strongly recommend trying a little of as many different brands as you feel comfortable. Some do wonderfully for some, others do great for... others. Descente fits me pretty well; but I have the Strata shorts. My 'figure' is more narrow-waisted, with.. um, nice glutes. hah. :rollseyes: but I do like the fit of Descente shorts over PI because (at least with the Stratas) the legs aren't too tight, they're cut in decent respect to where my waist is (not too low, not too high up my back) no harsh stitching, and the seams are very flat and non-irritating. Hope that helps!
Regina, for what it's worth, I have a pair of Descente Bliss shorts (they were one of the first pairs of bike shorts I bought after I started riding longer and realized the tri shorts that seemed less weird to me as a newbie didn't cut it for long rides, and I don't think I really knew what I liked or wanted when I bought them). I don't wear them much anymore, but every time I do, I realize how much I like the chamois, which I think is the same chamois as in the capri. It's not super sophisticated but it's very comfortable.
I just bought a pair of Sugar capris just cause they were cheap and convenient (kind of like sugar...). I think they'll be fine, but there are definitely better choices out there. I kind of agree with Kit about PI. I'm commuting everyday and needed more than one extra pair, so I wasn't searching for "the pair."
I actually have and like both Shebeest capris (Shindigger, with minimal hourglass chamois and Pedal Pusher, with Shelastic chamois). I really like the Shelastic chamois (hence I like the Triple S short too). I like the hourglass chamois too, but mainly for short rides (fine for my commute). The Shelastic chamois is just super comfortable at any distance (for me). Not so crazy about Shebeest's fabric, on the other hand.
You might also look at Terry -- I want to try a pair of Bella capris. I have the Bella short which I really like - the chamois is actually quite similar to the Shebeest Shelastic chamois. Their ordinary knicker is nicely cut too, and I think the new chamois is similar to the nice comfortable chamois in the Bella short.
I'd also be tempted by the Castelli capris.
Thanks, folks.
I called up Mike at my LBS and told him to order up a pair of the Descentes in my size (he didn't have my size on the rack). They should be in in about a week.
Sierra Trading Post has the Shindiggers on sale, and I considered those, but I'll stick with the shop for now.