Endura

Pro SL Bib Short - Men's

Perfect Bibs except for a so-so Chamois

Familiarity:

I've used it several times

Size Bought:

XS

Height:

5' 5"

Weight:

125

I love everything about these bibs except for the chamois. First the good news: they have a snug/compressive race-cut that I need due to my small/skinny size (think Castelli but better made/designed), the Lycra is soft & luxurious-feeling, the leg length is on the long-ish side which I prefer (tho not as long as, say, the P.I. PRO) & hits me 2? above the knee, the raw-cut leg openings are snug but not ?sausage-leg? constricting & with the tenacious applied silicone grippers they don?t budge, the ?lumbar support panel? both helps to keep the chamois in place & makes my lower back happier (though it is tight and needs to be wrestled past even my narrow 35? hips), the bib straps are soft & seamless with just enough thickness to truly lay flat, and the bib back is a nicely-narrow mesh panel. Now for the chamois. I like it?s fairly-dense & med. thick padding (about 15mm overall). What I do not like at all is that the padding?s thickest area is very small (I.e., it tapers down quickly towards the back/sides/center). This makes it difficult to keep both sit bones positioned where there?s the most cushioning. If the chamois shifts a bit off-center my sit bones end up in the less padded center channel & outside edge. If only the padding thickness remained the same through most of its area then these would be perfect bibs (and note that Endura?s much-hyped choice of chamois widths doesn?t fix the problem since the padding area doesn?t noticeably increase with the widest chamois choice). OK so Endura?s chamois design includes a ?Continuously Variable Profile technology [that] provides supportive padding only where required? but they took this to the extreme especially for those that value long-haul comfort and/or do not race. As it is I unfortunately need to regularly check that the chamois hasn?t shifted sideways (there?s something about my pedal stroke that seems to cause this?oh well), My only other nit is minor: the silly ventilation ?patch? at the front of the chamois is so small that it has no chance of providing much if any added cooling to your genital area (it?s kinda like a tiny home version of Assos?s KuKuPenthouse?why bother?).