These bibs are incredible. I've tried several brands such as Rapha, Aerotech Design, BlackBibs, Neo, Gorewear and none of them give me the soft and complete flexibility of what Assos bibs do. I love the cross straps because they truly stop the chamois from moving around. The fit is a little more towards the racey side than comfort but I don't think that's a negative because it's like having a second skin as clich' as that phrase is. I will say my only small gripe is I wish the pockets had a reinforcement stitch at the opening because sometimes my phone camera bump catches the opening takes a little effort to get it fully in the pocket. A very small nitpick though. I'm an Assos buyer for life!
I recently had to replace all of my older bike shorts, of another brand, and I decided to go back to my old Pearl Izumi's that I used to ride years ago. The Men's PRO Short I found to be excellent, if you are looking for a very good thick chamois. These short are very tight, but offer excellent support and comfort, if you have the body for what I call a "race-cut". They are pricey, but so are a lot of the other top brands, but overall, a great short. I know it can be hit or miss with bike shorts, but I found the Levitate Pro Chamois to be excellent !
When on sale the Competizione 2 Bibshorts are an excellent value that come in a variety of colors with different Castelli accent logo combinations. I have multiple versions of the Black, Green and Blue. I actually find the KISS Air2 seat pad more comfortable than the Progetto X2 Air Seamless seat pad that is found on the more expensive models. I tend to chalf more with the Progretto pad vs the KISS Air2. Overall I am very happy with the various Competizione variants as they are cost effective and meet my needs. I find the quality overall is good as the shorts last well with only logos occasionally pealing off. I am 5' 10", 180 lbs and wear XXL. I am a daily rider that typically rides about 25 miles during the week and 40 miles on weekends.
This jersey is *warm, *very comfortable, *breathable (I can't cope with membrane jackets above about 40-45 F - I sweat too much), *available in bright colors (not death-defying camouflage or black), *long-wearing. It's my go-to winter jersey, and getting one around half-off is always a treat.
Just be aware Pearl Izumi sizes run much larger than euro-company sizes.
