There are a few brands on Amazon, I was wondering if two or three of those could be a good solution for riding inside. Saves the good stuff for the road and keeps the laundry to a manageable once a week.
I don’t expect them to be great quality nor to be comfy over five hours, just keep my keister happy for one workout.
I understand the thinking about wearing your cheapest shorts on the trainer, but I actually wear my newest and most expensive ones on the trainer. I’ve found that outdoor riding is much more forgiving in almost all definitions of the word, especially comfort. The position is more fixed, I move around less, I sweat more profusely and there are no breaks. If I ever have comfort issues related to riding, it’s usually because I’m doing longer indoor rides with shorts that are going just beyond their useful life (around 100 wears for me).
Also, I just generally find elastic waisted shorts to be just about the most uncomfortable apparel for riding a bike. When I’m bent at the waist, I don’t want anything gripping around my midsection and constricting my breathing.
Haha, yes, but honestly I think that’s the right way to think about it.
You also made another point in there about washing once a week. I assume you mean if you were to ride say 3 times a week and you had 3 kits, you could just do a single load. One caution I would offer to this, is that lots of people manage (or will manage) saddle sores. Prevention really is key here, but something to make sure about is that everything is nice and clean. I don’t like the idea of a sweat-soaked kit sitting for a week letting bacteria grow before it gets washed. I want to get my kit washed as soon as possible and thoroughly dried out before I wear them. Usually I’ll come off the trainer, kit straight in the washing machine and dry out for several days before I wear it again. I’ve kept saddle issues to a minimum, I think in large part to getting a regular bike fit, being conscious to retire bibs when needed and keeping them as clean and dry as possible.
If you place a few orders with them, you’ll get points to spend which makes them cheaper.
I’ve got £30 saved in vouchers, so once they get put on sale, it’ll take them down to £60, add on that £30 discount and I’ve got a pair of really good shorts for next to nothing
Keep an eye out for old branded kit. Whether pro team or for an event.
My favourite shorts are an Endura bib made for the RideLondon sportive. After the event the kit gets dropped right down in price, it’s a good £80 short for £30. Gutted I only bought one pair.
I use MTB liner shorts, they’re usually in mesh so they keep me cooler inside on the trainer with no fashion/modesty police to worry about. As I don’t use them outside it’s dedicated trainer kit and I buy multiples of tried and trusted quality brands in various sales and “stockpile” them. I have used that eBay “saved search alert” function to keep an eye for deals on my favourite BNWT items too.
Also, if there’s no wash load ready, you can always walk straight into the shower with them on, give them a quick scrub and rinse, wring them out and leave them out to air, ready to go in the next wash.
Agree with the not skimping on trainer shorts although I do tend to cascade mine down from best outdoor ride shorts to wearing them on the trainer until they die rather than wearing my best/newest on the trainer.
Also scour ebay, I picked up 2 pairs of Le Col shorts branded with the Bike Channel (after they went bust) for £20 a pair and also a pair of Basso ones for £15. As long as you avoid the big names there are some bargains from time to time.
It was late when I responded but should have added…
If you are looking for quality bibs at an affordable price and don’t need name brand logos check out https://www.theblackbibs.com. The products are made by Starlight so they are high quality but w/o the price tag.
I have team kit from Starlight and have also purchased some black bibs and they are on par with anything else I’ve worn (Specialized, Castelli, Donkey Label).
think about it, you sit down for longer on the turbo, and you’re cycling constantly (usually) with no free wheeling. that will extract a greater toll than when you’re outside.
Apart from when I ran a test with my new saddle I would usually wear a good pair of shorts.
I’ve ridden these bibs on 147, 123, 104, 103 mile gravel rides, groups rides, trainer rides. Not top of the line in any respect but way better than the $70 shop brand I can buy locally:
+1 for theblackbibs.com, the basic bibs are more than comfortable enough for trainer rides. I find that without the silicon leg grippers they move a little too much for outdoor riding, but with the static nature of trainer riding they are perfect. I have one pair and plan to purchase 3 or 4 more for a long New England winter if indoor riding.
I haven’t had that problem with them (maybe I have fat legs lol) but good to know it’s an issue for some. Have you tried their “Plus” bibs? A little more expensive (still a good buy) but has a banded leg gripper more typical of higher end shorts.
I haven’t yet, it’s really not a big issue, just seonthing I noticed particularly in cross where I am moving in and out of the saddle a lot. On the road or a TT it’s not a problem at all.
I’m planning to get a few pairs of the plus shorts once the snow thaws. I couldn’t care less about branding on my kit, so for me these shorts are a home run. I have no doubt that the plus bibs will be excellent.
100% agree…I’ve got my eye on the new knickers and the soon to be released winter jersey…I froze during a cross race last week and decided it was time.
