Pearl Izumi Cycling Bib

I remember my first sports shoe purchase. I bought a pair of grey Power Joggers from the Lake Market Bata. Before this we used to wear very basic canvas keds with a thin layer of rubber sole for running and other sporting activities. After the purchase I decided to wear the new pair of shoes from the shop to home and oh my God - what a feeling !!! It was like walking on soft cloud. I felt like floating home. It was a totally out of this world feeling. I had no idea sports shoes felt this good. I learnt to respect and spend money on good sports shoes ever since. 

The next such feeling came when I first bought a set of four Michelin tyres for my Esteem. These were my first upgrade from the usual Indian tyres that I was used to. The road felt like covered with silk and again I was like floating. I have never bought any other set of Indian tyres.

This morning the third such life changing experience happened when I first went out cycling wearing my Pearl Izumi bib shorts. Oh boy what an experience !!! I had no idea a cycle ride could be this comfortable. I just did not feel the saddle under my bums. I ended up cycling some 36 kms in two and a half hours, going up to and coming back from Bobby's house in Salt Lake's AE block. 

No I do not go out like this :-)

My nephew brought this for me from the US the other day for $80 off Amazon. It's a pair of Pearl Izumi Attack bib shorts. It has what are known as chamois padding that makes the saddle very comfortable. The normal burning sensation that I have always felt since childhood while sitting on the saddle was totally taken care of from the moment I sat on the bike. I think it even smothered the shocks a little too and helped with my average speed marginally. I am more than certain this will make the road bike more comfortable. This morning I had gone out with my Hero MTB.

These are cycling bibs as opposed to just simple cycling shorts. In the sense there are shoulder straps or suspenders to keep the shorts in place and not let them slide down. The upper part is perforated to make summer rides more comfortable. The fabric feels good on the body but the chamois takes the cake. It is the ultimate in cycling comfort, I can say without any hesitation. I chose size small for a good snug fit. And it has fitted my small frame perfectly. But with the next pair I might want to experiment with size medium.

As I see it, my life can now be divided into two parts. Cycling till date without padded shorts and from now on with padded shorts. There is a heaven and hell difference. 

Of course these have to be worn like underwear. You wear it straight on the naked skin. If you wear a brief underneath then the entire purpose of wearing it is apparently defeated, Therefore after every ride this will need a good wash. So it would have been better to have a few more. Today I literally wore it like an underwear. I wore my blue Nike full sleeve dri fit T on top over the suspenders. And below I wore the blue Kappa track pants because it was cold. 

The edge of the two legs have thin silicone lining for better grip on the thighs. Mine were sitting a little too tightly perhaps and when I took them off there was a  depression mark on the two thighs. It was itching a little too. I guess one has to get used to them.



Obviously one 36 km ride in Calcutta's winter is not enough to pass a judgement on this. It is comfortable no doubt. But I have to see how durable it is too. So I will take a relook at the review after a few months.