Bib shorts with minimal padding?

Cycling Kit Kit - What to Buy
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Hey all, I’m looking to buy some new bibs and would like to find something with relatively minimal padding. I’ve gotten a bit annoyed with the bulky feeling of the Le Col bibs I’m running now and I want to see if something more minimal feels better.

Does anyone have good experiences with something here? SQLab seems to make some: SQ-Shorts ONE12

And there’s BlackBib’s Triathlon bibs, but shipping and taxes to the EU make this not a particularly attractive offering: The Triathlon Bibs – The Black Bibs

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FYI I moved this post to “Kit - what to buy” instead of “Tech - what to buy”.

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These have minimal padding.

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Have you looked at Assos? I have some equipe and compared to my castelli, Rapha etc the padding is pretty thin, comfy too

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I have Maloja bibs with the thin SQlab pad. I like them.

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I second the Rapha recommendation if you want separate jersey and bibs. If that’s not a must, have you tried a triathlon suit?

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7mesh uses different chamois pads - their Force pad is thinner and lighter: Chamois Series | 7mesh | 7mesh

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Take a look at triathlon bibs….not many companies make them, but DeSoto was one that used to.

They use very minimal chamois because they need to dry quickly. If I could get all my shorts with a tri-chamois, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Clothing companies seem to have forgotten (or never knew) that chamois were originally about reducing friction / chaffing, not padding.

IMO, the near-diaper designs of today’s chamois are complete overkill. I think people would be surprised at how much more comfortable a thinner chamois can be.

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