Need New Shorts

[Susan Otcenas]

V-

Of the 3, I have the Descente and the Sugoi. I love love love the Sugoi. The 2007 RS is worn by almost every woman in this office, with great success even though we are all different shapes and sizes. The fabric is light and oh so breathable. Fabulous on a hot day. And the chamois is top notch.

On the Descente - we sell a fair number of these as well (in fact we are out of several sizes right now) but our internal fit testing on this one is mixed. In the smaller sizes, it seems like the rise is a little low. I didn't find that to be true in my size (XL), but it's worth mentioning nonetheless. A common comment here in the office was that the chamois seems to be positioned a little farther back than on many other shorts. So it's not even visible on the front, but comes up a little high on the back. Again, YMMV as there are women in the office who are quite fond of this short. Fortunately, one of those wears the same size as me, which is good because I'm going to give her my pair, as I'm in the "chamois-too-far-back" camp.

I confess to not having worn the Etxe Ondo short yet. Renata here at TE has a pair of the knickers with the same chamois, but she's not ridden more than 50 or 60 miles in them. They were great at that distance.

I'm also quite fond of Gore's Ozon Short - http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=26192 Nice chamois (dense but not thick), supportive fabric, no elastic at the front of the waist (useful if you sometimes suffer "gastric issues" from long rides with too many supplement drinks), and a soft-touch leg gripper. I'm considering bringing these in in solid black to go along with the blue and white. My pair is all black and I really like them.

Hope this input helps.

Susan

[Veronica]

Thanks Susan! I ordered the Sugois yesterday, along with an SPF jersey so I can cover up my owie.

I'll be sure to post how they do over the long haul.

V.

[Velobambina]

The fabric in the Sugoi's---is it denser than the 2006 model? I love those shorts, but I found the fabric to be a little too sheer for my taste (they are great for wearing on the trainer, with just my husband and dogs around!). I was tempted to get the 2007 edition but decided not to because I was worried they might be too sheer.

If you get the Gores in solid black, I will be tempted to get a pair. Even though I'm a bibs girl now, I'm not averse to having some regular shorts. The chamois in these looks different from those in the windstopper full bib tights (which I just LOVE---keep me warm in the worst of the winter cold/wind). How does it compare to the chamois in the tights (I believe it was red fabric)?

[Susan Otcenas]

2006 & 2007 have the same fabric. We have, on occasion, had a few people mention they feel it is a little sheer. It's not a common complaint though, and it's still one of our best-selling high end shorts. But certainly, it is airier than some of the other high end shorts we sell. Benefit or disadvantage? Depends on your personal preference. I love them, especially this time of year.

The Ozon shorts have a completely seamless chamois. See: http://www.teamestrogen.com/referenc...ls.asp?ID=ozon lady chamois

I haven't worn the bibtights myself, or any other Gore bottom with that chamois, so I can't make a direct comparison for you. But here's a photo for your reference. see: http://www.teamestrogen.com/referenc...sp?ID=advanced lady chamois

Hope that helps.

Susan

[Velobambina]

Thanks!

I'm probably overly paranoid about the sheerness of the Sugois. I've seen a lot of guys wearing shorts that were semi-transparent (probably due to age/wear), and it's not pretty.

[Surlygirl]

Has anyone tried the Giordana Forma shorts here at TE? My DH has the bib short version and swears by them. I like the Sugoi RS shorts but I didn't think the material held up as well as it should have.

[Misandal]

Veronica, I know exactly what you mean about not wanting any thickness through the inner thigh area - and I had a lot of trouble finding shorts that supplied adequate padding where you want it but none where you don't. I've got two pairs of Performance Ultra shorts and they have served me very well. I've used them for 2 century rides so far this season and numerous metric distances, plus my usual training rides. The inner thigh area has no padding and the material there feels like velvet on my skin. Two thumbs up for those!

Missy

[indysteel]

Veronica, sorry to hijack your thread, but my quest for some new shorts is getting expensive and I thought I'd see if Susan and the others have any suggestions.

Last year, I bought and successfully wore three pairs if PI Ultrasensors. They're starting to show some wear so I decided to get some new shorts. So far, here are my findings. I bought a pair of the Shebeest UltraDs and Hincapie Power shorts first, size small in both. The Shebeest were an immediate no. They fit my hips and waist just fine, but they were tight around my thighs and they looked just awful. I also felt like they had way too much padding, especially hight on my butt where I don't really need it. I've already sent them back.

I like the fit of the Hincapies much better and decided to take a big risk and wear them at RAIN. I was a bit irritated going into the ride from a ride earlier in the week in my now failing PIs so it's hard to tell exactly how much I liked the chamois. The biggest problem I noted is that the leg grippers were not holding the shorts down on my thigh. They creeped up so badly that I took them off at lunch and switched to my newest old pair of PIs. I wore them again last night and had the same problem. It's too late to return them now. I don't think they're defective per se. They just don't work for me. I'm going to let a friend of mine try them. Hopefully, she'll be willing to buy them from me.

When I got home from RAIN, I had three new shorts from TE waiting for me. PI Microsensors, Craft Master and PI Ultras. I like the way the Micros fit. The Craft I don't. They don't come up high enough on my waist and, like the Shebeest, I feel like the butt just has too much padding. The discomfort I feel on my bike is mostly in my girly bits area (which makes me wonder if my cut out Terry Butterfly Tri Gel is really the best saddle for me).

I was counting on liking the Ultras at least but I noticed that they widened the chamois and it now feels a bit too wide on me. I'm hesitant to even try them. If I could get my hands on some 2006 Ultras, I'd buy a few more pairs. For the money, they might be the best choice for me, although I'm hopeful about the Micros. I haven't tried them yet, but if they don't work, that's another chunk of change down the drain. I see the positive reviews for the Sugois, but I'm getting really gun shy about ordering anything else.

Does anybody out there have any suggestions? I'm going mad!!!!