Anybody using the Descente shorts with the blue chammy? It's called the Strata Aero-X Pro Short. They've piqued my interest cause it looks like they've put a good deal of effort into designing that chammy.

Thing is I've tried on a couple of pair and haven't thrilled. On both shorts the hem was curling up. On the second pair the chammy was stiff - it was not curving up with the anatomy of the err....uh.... crotch. Instead the shorts were sticking out both for and aft.

Have I just been unlucky? Should I keep trying to find a good pair?


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Eeek! I guess the ? as to whether to keep trying depends on the cost. Have you had good luck with Descente in the past?

S

Eeek! I guess the ? as to whether to keep trying depends on the cost. Have you had good luck with Descente in the past?

S
I have a pair of their men's bibshorts now. They're okay.

Looks like some kind of high-tech maxipad!

I have nothing of use to add here, I've never worn descente shorts. I really like the high-end PI's, so I wear those or my team shorts, which are whatever we're sponsored by.

I have found that I am completely unfazed by shorts. The girls on my team will be complaining about how horrible the shorts are, and I'm sitting in the saddle thinking... "What?" I must have an iron crotch or something.

I have a pair of these shorts from 2006. The concept that goes into making these is a little different than others.
The chamois is sublimated to show the multi-density pattern they've come up with, which is very comfortable and supportive. The chamois welds are excellent; I've gotten saddle sores from badly made welds, so that was important to me. The fabric is a great supportive Lycra with multi-stretch, and Descente crossgrains their fabric (meaning they "tilt" their fabric grain at a 45 deg angle) which gives it an incredibly supportive effect. Not everyone likes the feel of this, because it make the fabric feels tight when you first put it on, like support hose. However, I've found the extra support feels pretty good on a long ride.
This year, for the 2007 model, they were suppose to take out the old fashioned rubberized grippers (the kind that gives us sausage leg), and put in silicon grippers. These are "suppose to" feel more comfortable and look better. Perhaps this modification didn't go as well as they'd hoped? I can tell you that this year's silicon grippers look a little funny on a few different brands, but once on and rolling, seem to straighten out. Honestly, I'd give them a try anyway, but I've been happy with these before, so that's why.

Bought a pair of bibs with the strata chamois for my wife as a birthday present & she is so happy she is thinking about buying another pair.

I hear ya. I pretty much never have trouble with shorts so I've never been able to relate to the level of analysis that many of my peers have on shorts.

We finally gave up having team/club shorts because no matter what manufacturer we used (even in an 8-panel short) there was always a group whining about how the shorts sucked. Funny, I wore 'em all and couldn't really tell the difference.

So, shorts preference is just so danged personal. Like saddles, obviously, but with even other areas for opinions to differ... like how long the inseam is, how high the waist is, etc. etc. in addition to the chamois style.