| Hi dodders, the RedWhite BibShorts is our take on what an endurance bibshort really means. We focus on 5 key areas to achieve this vision and I hope the detailed writeup below answers all your questions: 1) Chamois
2) End Bib
3) Fabrics
4) Fit
5) Construction CHAMOIS The chamois is not from Cytech. Our chamois was selected after a detailed analysis of all offering from the top european chamois manufacturers. We chose a chamois from who we think is the most innovative designer currently. Its a relatively new company that’s using very a very unusual and disruptive manufacturing process. I will explain below. The chamois’ construction is unique. Typical chamois’ are built in an old fashioned way. A 4mm low density foam with a top layer that contacts the skin is laid down. Next, a 10mm high density foam layer is pasted using a polyurethane celluloid strip. The third layer uses a 2.5mm foam with another polyurethane celluloid strip. The entire construction is then warmed up to 200°C to fuse the layers together. The layers are pre-cut before this into the desired chamois shape. This process stresses the materials and cause hardening and reduction of breathability. Also, with age and use, the layers tends to peel apart as the celuloid strips age. The chamois we use is manufactured using a more modern process that ensures the resultant chamois is 1 solid, formed piece with maximum breathability and durability. The chamois’ layers are laid together and the entire fabric layers (called a laminate) is put into a cutting machine which cuts out the chamois’ rough shape. The pre-shaped cutouts are put into a Carving machine which further refines the chamois’ shape and removes all excess material which is recycled. Finally, the cut and carved chamois is put into a shaped mould (with gel inserts) and placed into a Thermic Moulding machine which gently fuses all the layers while shaping the 3D features of the pad without stressing the used materials. This creates a 1 piece, modern chamois thats perfect for: -repeated use without typcial “chamois fatigue” where the chamois loses its shape after hours in the saddle and ceases to work. - a long lasting a durable chamois that can be hot washed at 60 deg C. -A soft breathable chamois with all foams and fabrics unstressed. END BIB (GRIPPER) The latest trend is the PGE (printed gripper elastic). Many brands use this instead of the outdated silicone strip. We have experimented with PGEs, but we find that they start stretching and curling after 6 months of use. You need a certain amount of polyester fibre content in the PGE to reduce creep stress (polyester fibres don't stretch and help anchor the elastane fibres to prevent stretch fatigue). We wanted something better and found a material that uses thick polyester and elastane fibres (lycra fibres are finer) with many microdots of silicone on 1 side. Each dot works together to give an even and non tacky grip on the skin, while the lycra base (which we oversized) ensures your skin still breathes and doesn't over constrict your thighs. This uses the theory of surface area. By using microdots across a wide gripper, you achieve 2 fantastic results: -Increased surface area between the dots that allow the skin to breathe. -Increased gripping surface area through the dispersed dots that ensure a “gecko” like grip on the skin. Works well with hairy legs, even better with shaved legs. FABRICS We use Italian fabrics from MITI. Again, this is carefully selected. We went through 12 prototypes with various combinations of fabrics before finding the perfect one. The fabric we use for our Bibs is a 220gsm matt black fabric with 20% Lycra POWER (an elastic fibre with compressive qualities) and 80% nylon. There is a reason for this choice. When we set out to design The Bib, we wanted to achieve a natural next-to-skin feeling when you wear them. The material should be soft, supple and highly breathable. We also wanted the fabric to have good anti-abrasion qualities. Nylon fibres are superior to Polyester in this manner. We are often asked why we chose the color black for our Bibs. Why don’t we have beautiful graphics on our Bibs? This too is a conscious decision. Graphics are printed onto stretch fabrics using a process called sublimation printing. The ink based graphics are printed onto a paper, from which they are heat pressed onto the fabric to allow the colors to adhere to the individual fibres within the fabric. This process is only possible with polyester based fabric. Nylon fabrics simply melt when subjected to heat from the sublimation printing process. However, we didn’t want to compromise on our design principle for The Bib and stuck with a nylon based fabric to achieve the superior comfort unattainable when using printable lycra. The Mesh fabric is equally great. Its red to avoid it looking dirty after multiple use (white bibs turn brown after a while). Its really stretchy and very soft on the skin. Its a material that needs to be patterned well to bring out its best qualities. You can't skimp on it - which is why our Bibs use a solid back mesh with no fancy ventilation cutouts. Use too little, and it won't work well in holding up The Bibs. FIT Its very tempting to go to a manufacturer and ask for an existing model and simply slap your brand on it. We chose not to do this because we felt that the fit and sizing must also take into account the materials used. A higher quality fabric allows us to dial in a custom sizing and reduce panels simply because it stretches and holds the skin better. Our size S is 2 cm shorter than our Size M which is 1.7cm shorter than our size L. Why? We found that these dimensions fit the top 90% of individuals' anatomical dimensions. Also, its what we found from practice after 12 prototype and many fitting sessions. Our size S fits a 165cm guy with a size 29 waist AND it also fits me (i'm 70kg with a 33 waist). The materials stretch that well. I chose the Size M because i personally like less compressive shorts. Going beyond dimensions, we thought hard about the shape of the panels of lycra and mesh to use. We understand the 2 main pain points for most people when getting a Bib: - Fitting the gut. Lets face it, not all of us have bodies like Chris Froome. Most of us carry a slight belly, sometimes more. A “pro-cut” bib-short simply doesn’t work. -The bib-straps fit great off the bike, but when tucked into an aero position, they sag and flop about. To address the issue with fitting for regular people, we put in a front panel of lycra, just below the navel. This panel avoids cutting horizontally below and into the belly and gives a generous amount of room for the belly to expand out. The added benefit of this is increased breathing room as we tend to breathe with our diaphragm when exerting ourselves. On top of this, the design doesn’t make The Bibs any less fitting for people who want a tight, well fitting pro-cut Bib. This is the beauty of the pattern design we worked on. The mesh is patterned to follow the curves of the lycra, instead of simply being a strap that stitched on after the short part has been designed. The design intent was to create a mesh that hugs the body all around and remains like a skinsuit even when the user goes into the drops. When you use our Bib, you will notice that the straps remain tight and comfortable instead of buckling and flopping about. CONSTRUCTION We use flatlock stitching throughout the Bibs - even beneath the shorts (the part that contacts the saddle). This increases durability even with regular rubbing with the saddle. The stitching we use is a high density flatlock stitch that requires extremely experienced hands and special stitching machines. Our Bibs don’t have a seam on the inner thighs (that usually contacts the saddle). This is a common failure point on most Bibs and we could only removed this because the fabric allows us to stretch a whole panel of Lycra to wrap the inner thighs. It also improves comfort. KEY POINTS : 1) Its a long distance Bib Short designed specifically for that purpose in mind without breaking the bank. It uses an innovative gripper, a plush chamois made using modern techniques and a well thought out pattern design that’s put together using 100% flatlock stitches. 2) Our retail price SGD210 online inclusive of all taxes and shipping. This is a mid priced bib short that punches above its price class. 3) We use a 220gsm MITI Lycra fabric. Its nylon based rather than polyester to helps us achieve the desired natural feel on the skin. 4) We manufacture in eastern europe in a factory owned by an Italian firm. We did it the painful way by old fashioned sketches, 2D pattern design, fitting sessions. The manufacturer helps us get preferable prices on fabrics (they buy in bulk) and to stitch together each piece to our Bill of Materials and Specifications. Its why it took us 6 months to release it. |
I suggest that you put this detail on your website - it's a compelling argument for the product (apologies if it's already there but I couldn't find it if so).