I've been searching for a perfect short since spring. I lost a few pounds over the winter due to illness and my medium shorts no longer fit, especially my favourite Sugois & MECs (Mountain Equipment Co-op here in Canada). They'd be fine for a 30k ride, but after that I started having problems with short-shifting.

I only started having a problem with fit as I started riding longer distances this year. What's comfortable for 30-40 km becomes a real problem around 50k and a major issue at 80+.

I tried Pearl Izumis (C$70), Specialized (C$50) and 8-panel MECs ($59), all in a size Small which is supposed to fit 36" +/- hips. The Pearls are too long (would make a great boob tube), plus a big waddy pad, the Specialized are pretty good (red chamois) but the fabric is a bit too stretchy. The MECs in the Small are a bit snug around the upper hip (makes pee breaks difficult) and the Medium, which I bought last year and fit perfectly then, are now a bit too loose around the waist. Too bad they don't have the drawstring waist like the Sugoi as their pad is terrific.

HOWEVER, the Sugois are JUST RIGHT! The pad fits snug to the body and doesn't shift, the fabric has just the right amount of stretch and the body length is just right for this short-waisted woman. I've ridden over 100k wearing these shorts with absolutely no shifting/discomfort. When I wore them for the first time and they passed the 50k test, I knew I had a winner.

The downside is that they are $119 a pair + shipping but NO tax at cyclepath.ca, the best price I've found so far - do I buy another pair and make sure I don't gain any weight over the winter, or take the chance that next year's model will be even better but probably more expensive. I can't believe I paid that much for a pair of shorts - I wouldn't pay that for a pair of pants!