The other day I was too lazy to put my bibs under my commuter shorts before I road home after work. It had been a long day so I just wanted to get on my whip and ride—pedal away whatever had made my blood boil that day.
Big mistake. My crotch was not happy with me by the time I got home—a short 30 minutes later—so right there and then I vowed to never again forgo my bibs, no matter how short my ride.
I should have known better, really. I commuted for years without bibs, then one day saw my Element.ly colleague Jim Merithew put a pair on before he headed out. Flummuxed that I’d never even thought about it before, the switch changed my life.
Being able to ride without having to move around and adjust all the time let me concentrate more on the joy of spinning my wheels and dodging cars. I also got faster. More pedaling, less fucking around off the saddle.
Any bib will do, but my current favorite is the Giro Bib Undershort. Made with a comfy chamy and great compression, the bibs also have a pee hole, which makes all the difference when you’re suited up, ready to leave and need to empty your bladder one last time. There are also several overshorts from brands like Rapha, Kitsbow, Giro and Mission Workshop that slide over your bibs and make you look less dorky.
There is one disadvantage to wearing bibs on your commute. A couple times I’ve forgotten to pack underwear, which means I’ve had to wear my bibs all day during work. That’s not only uncomfortable, but I also worried that I looked like a toddler wandering around with a diaper on.
It was worth it, though. I’d rather look like a toddler any day and keep everything happy down there than sacrifice the comfort of my commuter bibs.
