Lifespan of shorts?

[Becky]

How long do y'all keep your shorts/bibs? During a 30 mile MTB ride yesterday, I commented that my 3 year old bibs needed to be replaced because they weren't staying put. I took a bunch of guff for that statement- apparently, my riding buddies disagreed! So now I'm curious...

[OakLeaf]

Just like any other garment. There isn't some magical number - you'll notice when some part of it starts to wear out. Is the elastic in the fabric deteriorating so that you can see the little ends of elastic strands poking through? Is the chamois delaminating? Are high-friction areas starting to get see-through, and if so, are they areas like the inner thigh where no one else will notice, or places like the butt-crack and pubic bone where you really don't want other people looking in? Not an issue with bibs, but does the waistband still have enough stretch to keep the shorts close to your body?

Those are the only places my shorts wear out ... maybe someone else has more wear areas, but it's not something you aren't going to know about and accidentally forget to replace your shorts! "Not staying put" absent some obvious sign of wear is probably more a change in your body than it is in your shorts.

[Becky]

"Not staying put" absent some obvious sign of wear is probably more a change in your body than it is in your shorts.

Interesting...I've never worn a pair of shorts to the point of transparency, but I've chucked plenty due to a loss of compression and thus increased movement of the chamois. I haven't really lost any weight, I try them on prior to buying, and the size charts say I'm in the right size, but maybe I need to try a size smaller....

I'm still curious how long others' shorts last them. I'm a data geek that way.

[lph]

I hesitate to chuck anything expensive, I just buy sdomething new and keep the old stuff "in case"

But it is really hard to tell how long a pair of shorts last, since I rotate 4 or 5 pairs, and of those 2 or 3 favourites are in heavy rotation. I agree that they tend to get sloppy and shifty once the fabric has stretched enough. They may be see-through as well, I guess, but I can't see it and haven't been told it, not to my face at least... I see it often enough on other people's butts though!

My winter AmFib tights are easier to gauge, since I only had one pair until they well and truly fell apart. They lasted about 4 winters of daily use.

[Penny4]

Good question....just today before i left on my ride I was trying to check out my backside in the mirror to see if i had any "transparency" issues. I'm pretty sure i looked ridiculous doing it, lol. As far as i can tell, my 2 year old LG's are still hanging tough.

[ny biker]

I really don't know how long my shorts last, other than that they last for years. I have two pairs of Shebeest Century shorts that I alternated for long rides for several years. Eventually they developed lycra leprosy from rubbing on the sides of the saddle, so I demoted them to short-ride shorts for a couple of years and got a pair of LG Neo Power shorts for the long rides. After a year or so with the LG shorts I bought a second pair of them so I would no longer have to wear the same pair for every long ride. This winter I had a coupon for the LBS that was expiring so I used it for a new pair of Pearl Izumis to use as short-ride shorts. But I still have the Shebeest Century shorts and maybe will wear them again.

Before demoting the Century shorts to short rides, I used a couple of pairs of Shebeest SSS shorts for that purpose. The chamois started looking faded on them, and I decided I preferred the more compressing fabric in the Century shorts. But I still have the SSS shorts, though I haven't worn them in years.

[Owlie]

I have two pairs of Sugoi shorts that are 3-4 years old and have been relegated to trainer use, if not the trash. The fabric is still in good shape, but the chamois is toast, I think. I've lost muscle mass, that's true, but I don't feel like the chamois is moving around. It's just not comfortable any more, if that makes sense.

[ny biker]

I have two pairs of Sugoi shorts that are 3-4 years old and have been relegated to trainer use, if not the trash. The fabric is still in good shape, but the chamois is toast, I think. I've lost muscle mass, that's true, but I don't feel like the chamois is moving around. It's just not comfortable any more, if that makes sense.

I have noticed with my older shorts that the chamois looks faded and washed out, and the foam definitely compresses/wears down with repeated use. I don't think I've really noticed them becoming uncomfortable, but that might be because I only use them for short rides when they start to look old.

For shorts with worn spots of fabric, I know some people get more life from them by wearing them only in cooler temps when they'll have tights over them.

[ridebikeme]

On the average, most manufacturers will say that a shorts life span in three years. Of course, at times that all goes out the window because we all are different in terms of how many days/week we ride, how many pair of shorts we own/rotate...etc. I use my shorts year round, so I've always thought that I'd save some of the 'older' ones for trainer use but only do that unless it's going to be a shorter ride. Unfortunately, there is no majic answer here, I've learned to buy shorts in pairs when I find a pair that I like and to do that quite often. For me, a good pair shorts is the insurance that I will go out and ride on the days that I simply don't want to do anything HA!

[emily_in_nc]

I've got shorts that are 10 years old that are still fine, but that's a rarity. These particular ones were Performance Ultra from way back when and have seen a lot of use but still fit, have good chamois, and since they have sewn leg bands, haven't had issues with elastic breakdown as I've had in some other shorts. I've thrown out a lot of shorts in the time that these have lasted. Also have a couple pair of Shebeests that are 4-5 years old and still going strong.

[Crankin]

I have some Terry Bellas that are 4-5 years old. Generally, I notice the chamois degrading before anything else.

[Becky]

Crankin, I've also noticed that my Bellas have held up well. I should probably buy more, seeing as they've been a good value. Hopefully there will be some "Tour de France" coming up soon!