So - bibtights and bivvy bags. A bad idea?

[ScotRoutes]

Situation - getting cold and wet, pitched bivvy, trying to keep down bag dry.

I decided to get into the bivvy bag to remove the bibtights, then slide the sleeping bag in and get into it. Surprisingly, I just about managed it (seems I'm still quite flexible for an oldie). AND, I managed to reverse it in the morning.

However, it did raise the question of whether or not bibtights are the brightest idea for bivvying, despite that they are generally more comfortable for longer rides..


Anyone else ditched them in favour of shorts for a bit of convenience (yes - there's that issue too)?

[johnnystorm]

First bib shorts I owned "wow, these are comfy". First time stopping for a whizz or getting changed anywhere other than at home "wow, this is a pita!"

I'll be keeping mine for days out rather than overnighters.

[SteveM]

I always take my riding shorts off, theres a phenominum called 'UCT' which translates to unneccasary chamois time, you only need suffer this once to never ever want to suffer it twice :-0

Always take a pair of merino grundies with me, and if I'm remote am happy to let a little bit of air circulate around there as well for a while......

yes, just imagine that

[ton]

i am eating belly pork........or i was, the dog is now enjoying it.......

[Zonc]

IMHO it is super important to keep clean and healthy in the chamois area. Old sweat brings all sorts of nasties so airing the undercarriage is always beneficial .

Merino boxers are good or unless very cold (frosty/snow) I prefer to go commando at night. A warm top is suffice for me. If travelling in cold areas/mountains I bring a pair of Ron Hill tracksters and my PHD duvet jacket to suppliment my PHD bag. I always wash/body wipe before bed and carry a wee dropper of Tea Tree oil.This keeps everything clean and fresh ) Others I know, have ridden with, wear the same things day in day out. So bib longs are probably, in my book, not a good idea.
Whatever the advice do what suits you and how you roll!!!

[ScotRoutes]

Aye folks, some nice views on personal hygiene but what about wearing bibtights / shorts rather than non-bib?

[Bearbonesnorm]

I usually don't wear anything under my shorts. However, when I'm out with customers, particularly those of the opposite sex I tend to stick something on underneath. Really don't get along with any type of padding, so firstly tried 3/4 unpadded bibs but found that I usually ended up with 'braces' pulled down (and left down) after the first call of nature, so a bit pointless. Now I wear a pair of unpadded On-One shorts, they're comfy enough and hassle free but in reality they're just a pair of tight lightweight boxers.

If I'm out on my own or with folk accustomed to my ways I still prefer to wear nowt.

[Yorlin]

You could invest in a lightweight travelling kilt to preserve the decency?

As for the actual question, probably normal shorts are the most practical - given that most people seem to ride quite late then kip. If you were going to set up camp and footer about (ie drink beer and talk rubbish with mates) then bibshorts to travel, then something to get into might suit a bit better.

If I was out in the wilds and saw some bloke taking all his clothes off, rubbing in some ointment, and diving into a bivi bag, I probably wouldn't come over to say hello...

[Zonc]

I now tend to use non bibs /liners - easy to carry 2 or even 3 liners to one pair of bibs. As for longs I prefer to use leg warmers.
Hope that answers your question :-0

[slarge]

I use bib shorts when I bivvy - works ok but I get them off before I get into the bag and put some thermal leggings on and dollop a load of sudacrem downstairs. The leggings help prevent getting sudacrem on the sleeping bag. I tend to try to have a base layer top on under the bib shorts though so getting them off isn't a complete strip - can get the top half done first then the bottom half. The comfort when riding is worth the inconvenience off the bike.

I wear endura pro bibs that have silver in the pad - it's meant to prevent infection and I tend to be ok but spots etc are bad news if they do occur.

[Aidan]

For me, bibs every time. You'll likely spend a lot more time riding than sleeping, so get the comfort right for that.

I'll unhook the bibs as soon as I stop for the night, then put on whatever upper-body layers I need while setting up. Once I'm in the sleeping bag, I pull them down but keep them around my ankles so it's not too complicated to find/orient them in the morning. A bit of baby-wipe washing also helps.

For any length of ride that I've done, 2 pairs will do. Swap every 2-3 days depending on how you're feeling.

Also, if you can find two brands that you like, two different designs is good. Then you get some variation in which bits are rubbing

That felt weirdly confessional

[ScotRoutes]