Knockoff cycling bibs from China and found on Ebay

Complete kit for ~$30?  Say it ain't so!

As a disclaimer, I am reviewing the 2013 versions of these knock-offs and at the time were found for $40 for the complete kit.  The price has dropped to ~$30 give or take $5.  It seems that the current kits have an improved chamois from the orange chamois' that were found in the bibs when I purchased the kit.

Finding the right cycling bib and jersey can be frustrating.  For bibs, it literally needs to be comfortable in every spot, the chamois, the thighs, the crotch, the chest and even the feel at end the pant legs.  Much like saddles and handlebars, it's basically a try until you find the right one.  And unfortunately, that undertaking could take years until you find the right one.  Until then, you have to settle for the one that feels the best out of the rest.  Jerseys in my opinion are less difficult to get comfortable with and typically feel very similar across many different brands.  In addition, there are much more choices and easier to return because you often don't need to go for a test ride to test the fit.  Now, on to the review!

Bibs  

When I purchased this kit, I purchased a Team Europcar and Team Euskaltel set of kits, with the former in small and the latter in a medium.  I mostly did so in order to at least get on that fit well.  Return shipping to China just isn't worth it, so if one didn't fit, I'd give it to a friend.  Anyway, the first thing that you'll notice is the rubber gripper at the end of the pant legs aren't really comfortable, even when compared to other brand name bibs that use rubber grippers.  In all honesty, it seems like they either sewed it too tightly or just used too much gripper.  I have a Louis Garneau, Champion Systems and Voler set of bibs that have the grippers, but they actually feel comfortable and not too tight.  With the knockoff bibs, there were fairly deep grip indentations on my thighs after every ride and the chafing from the pants going over the indentations throughout the ride was pretty uncomfortable.  I'd sometimes flip the pant legs so that the grippy part would face outward and that actually alleviated the fit quite nicely.  As with most knockoffs, the stitching isn't particularly consistent.  For the most part, the stitching is actually passable and after two years, the bibs are still solid and not falling apart (and against my expectations), but you'll see the stitching ends constantly, which means that they either didn't stitch it correctly or they over-stitched to compensate for some loose ends.  Either way, it gets a passing grade because there aren't loose threads everywhere and the bibs still hold up.

This was the chamois at the time I bought the kit.  They've since upgraded to a light blue coolmax chamois pad.  This review is on the bibs that have orange chamois'.

So then, how is the chamois?  Not great, but decent and certainly .  On rides shorter than 20 miles, your butt will feel fine.  Any longer and you'll start to get uncomfortable.  It seems like the padding is not particular big enough to support much of your sit-bones or good enough to support it well.  Even getting out of the saddle constantly and 15 miles was all I could handle on these bibs.  This is across two different bikes with two different saddles.  I couldn't really get comfortable on either bike for longer periods of time.  It might actually have to do with the placement of the gel because I am more comfortable on bibs with no padding whatsoever.  The funny thing is that the bibs seemed to get more comfortable in the second year, when the gel or padding was worn down quite a bit and became a little flatter.  I suspect that the gel placement either wasn't optimal or it was pinching on certain muscles or tendons as a result of cheap gel or padding.  Which is a shame, because the bib actually has a good fit everywhere else.  The length of the legs was good, the material was non-chafing, and the the chamois was designed well so that there was no rubbing between my thighs either.  They fit better than my Champion Systems bib and feel much more comfortable to wear and ride (as in just the fit and feel of the material, does not include butt comfort).

Jersey

Not much to really say.  The fit is really good and again, the stitching for the most part is also good.  There will be some loose threads, but after two years, it still holds up quite well.  The material also feels really nice and quite frankly I prefer these jerseys over some of the brand name stuff.  Granted, the brand names have a little better quality material, stitching and fit (these don't quite hug the body, you will get small bubbling sometimes), but for the price, can't be beat.  At this price alone, it would be worth it simply for the cycling jersey.  I will say though, that the newer versions now have waist grippers, which I do not like at all.  The older version that I purchased did not have the grippers and is infinitely more comfortable.

Verdict

I'd say that these bibs are worth the price of admission, IF you don't ride for much longer than 20 miles, don't ride as often or aren't a weight weenie.  Like I said the bibs are fine for the short term and you may even want to order a size up so that the leg grippers don't suffocate you.  The mediums did feel slightly better than the smalls, but not by much and going larger would mean that the bib shorts would become bib knickers for me (I'm short).  They are also good if you ride infrequently because you won't feel bad about an expensive pair of bibs that you barely use sitting in the closet.  I mention that non-weight weenies should take a look because the fit and material in the crotch, chest and leg (grippers non-withstanding) are actually quite good.  If you have plush saddle, the chamois should be more than adequate for over 20 miles.  I used these bibs with a really well padded sunlite saddle and the pain was quite manageable over 40 miles and the chafing was negligible, I never ever had to use chamois cream.  However, I can't recommend these to anyone who rides moderately to seriously.  Add an extra $10 or $20 and you can find bibs that are far more comfortable and of a better quality in material, stitching and chamois whether it be name brand or other slightly more expensive knockoffs.  I would however recommend the cycling jersey, they are a bargain (obviously, they are knockoffs!).