Cycling Shorts and Bibs

There’s no doubt about it, bike shorts can make a MASSIVE difference to your riding experience.

A well designed, good quality, form-fitting pair of bicycle shorts brings comfort where it really matters. So cycling Knicks are a very cost effective way to enhance your comfort and make riding much more pleasant.

Let’s explore the various types of cycling shorts and explain which ones might suit you best.

CYCLING SHORTS (OR “KNICKS”)

There are 2 different styles of cycling shorts; casual shorts with padding on the inside and knicks.

Knicks are generally made from lycra, are tight-fitting and with a chamois insert in the crotch. They are designed to reduce abrasion, remove moisture and provide much needed padding where you sit. They are often seen being worn by road cyclists, but are also popular with recreational riders looking for extra comfort.

Through more technical models, with contoured panels that fit beautifully, leg grippers to keep everything in place and multi-density chamois padding for amazing comfort. The chamois matters if you’re out and about a bit more, or suffer from sore “touch points” on the saddle.

The key aspects to choosing the right cycling shorts (this can be used for cycling bibs too - these have a brace that go over your shoulders) are:

Padding. Basic shorts have a single thickness chamois, More expensive ones have a multi-thickness (or density) chamois that's softer around the perineum and thicker around the sit bones.
Panels. Simply, more panels = better. The extra panels allow the fabric to contour around your body for a better fit. This means, there's no pockets of fabric that are too tight or loose.
Thigh grippers. Some brands use a thin band around the thigh with a strip of silicone. Others use a broader band that minimises pressure in this area.
Stitching. Basic cycling shorts will have a zig-zag stitch between the panels. Some mid-tier cycling shorts will have an over-stitch (to improve durability) and the more expensive ones will have a flat-lock stitch to prevent chafing and improve comfort.

In the next couple of sections, we’ll break down options for womens padded bike shorts and cycling shorts for men.

WOMENS PADDED BIKE SHORTS

We’ve got over 1,000 womens cycling shorts in stock. To make it simpler, we’ve separated our range into basic, mid-range and premium. These are just a few that we like and think are worth looking at.

And here are the brands we stock:

Azur (basic)
BBB (mid-range)
Bellwether (mid-range)
Castelli (premium)
Cuore (mid-range)
Liv (mid-range)
Netti (basic)
Pearl Izumi (basic, mid-range)

Basic recreational womens cycling knicks:

Mid-range options:

The premium option:

Castelli Velocissima 3

CYCLING SHORTS MEN

We literally have thousands of cycling shorts for men in stock. Here’s a snapshot of the brands we do:

Azur (basic)
BBB (mid-range)
Bellwether (mid-range, premium)
Castelli (premium)
Cuore (mid-range)
Netti (basic)
Pearl Izumi (basic, mid-range)

For basic recreational cycling shorts men, here are some great options:

Our mid-range mens padded cycling shorts are:

And the premium option:

Bellwether Endurance Gel

BIB KNICKS

Usually the domain of experienced riders, there is no reason why new riders can’t upgrade to bib knicks from cycling knicks. When we speak to new riders in-store, they are deterred by the look of bib knicks but there are reasons to consider them.

Bib knicks involve the addition of straps, which create a garment that sits perfectly in place and without moving while you’re pedalling. Bibs are the option chosen by most long distance and frequent riders because they prevent chafing across the waist and don’t restrict breathing under hard efforts.

As always, there we’ve got heaps of options to choose from. Let’s have a look at a couple that should highlight the variations.

Pearl Izumi has created a brilliant Women’s bib, with female specific chamois shape and contoured panels. Fantastic example to consider: https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/pearl-izumi-womens-pursuit-attack-bib-shorts-black-white

Giant Bike Company has an amazing range. The Rival offers unbeaten value: https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/giant-rival-mens-bib-shorts-black

Cuore steps it up a bit, with this technical offering: https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/cuore-bbc-bib-shorts

Castelli brings their European flair and Pro Tour experience to this amazing bib. Serious quality: https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/castelli-endurance-3-mens-bib-shorts-black

So, that’s the lycra division of bike shorts – Cycling Knicks and Bib Knicks. Super comfortable and efficient.

CASUAL BIKE SHORTS

Many people like to ride in casual bike clothing. Essentially, you can ride in a pair of what look like shorts or cargo shorts, but which have in fact been designed and engineered by Fox Racing or Giro or Alpinestars etc, ideal for on-the-bike action.

This has been especially popular in MTB Shorts, but again, casual riders can enjoy the extra comfort of bike clothing while wearing eye-catching shorts on and off the bike.

Here are a good sampling of shorts sold at Ivanhoe Cycles. https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/fox-ranger-shorts-2021-black https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/fox-womens-ranger-shorts-with-liner-bark https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/liv-tangle-baggy-womens-shorts-black https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/giro-havoc-mtb-short-flame-orange https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/alpinestars-predator-mtb-shorts-black-white Lastly, for the young, growing MTB riders, Fox Racing don’t just do the best-selling Fox Helmets. https://ivanhoecycles.com.au/products/fox-ranger-youth-shorts-with-liner-2022-black

As you can see from the above and when exploring the Ivanhoe Cycles website, there are a lot of options, with designs for weather, temperature, riding conditions and more. Please reach out if you need more help, by telephone, in-store, online or email, we love making sure you’ve got the right stuff at the best value.