I’ll admit, getting comfortable on the bike saddle has been a continuous battle for me.

In my early years on the bike I didn’t understand the importance of two things: the saddle and the chamois. My previous bike experience had primarily on a spin bike, where people regularly brought padded seat covers into class to make it more comfortable. (Please don’t do that on your bike)

So when I started riding more seriously and found some bargain bike shorts with very thick chamois, I thought they were my ticket to a comfortable ride. At the time I was also new to being decked out in spandex from head to toe and tended to buy things a size too big because I felt insecure about wearing anything too fitted. And frankly, cycling was expensive. 60% off a pair of bike shorts, yes please.

All of this was bad news when I spent 6 hours riding a Tri bike up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Let’s just say that it wasn’t just chaffing, it was also a bruising! Not just a little bruise but to the point that my roommate for the weekend yelled ‘oh my god’ when I was changing. (I’m not modest, I grew up as a swimmer as had she. You just strip down in front of anyone).

Three key lessons came from that experience:

Buy the size that fits snuggly
Thicker is indeed not better when it comes to a chamois
Bike shorts are worth the investment you make

Over the years I’ve honed in the combination of the right saddle, the right shorts and the right saddle position and it all seemed to work until perimenopause hit. If you haven’t hit this season of life yet, just know that things change and tissues become more sensitive. At the same time, I’d been off the bike for a while and gained some weight. I knew that was also causing some things to sit differently on the saddle. I got a new bike in December and had not taken the time to swap out the saddle. I was resigned to starting from scratch with the chamois, saddle, position experimentation.

As often happens, a PR rep reached out to me asking if they could send me some drop pee bibs to try out. I know bibs are something that folks always have questions about so I said to send them my way. However, I live in Washington State, so when a pair of bib shorts arrived in December, I just tossed them in the drawer. I even remember telling my coworker that I had gotten them but wasn’t sure I’d wear them. The material kind of felt weird and I didn’t know anything about this ‘new brand’ called Pas Normal (apparently it’s been around in Europe for a long time and has been making it’s way to the U.S.).

I did drag them out a few times for some trainer rides where I usually wear my least favorite bibs (less wash and wear on my best ones). I noticed that the material which seemed weird actually felt lightweight and the straps were very comfortable.

Last week we had a much needed warm snap in Washington and I snuck away for a quick weekday ride. I decided to throw on the Pas Normal bibs. During the ride I noticed how comfortable I felt in the saddle, even when I decided to try a bit of sloppy, chunky off-road riding. I also noticed that the material made it easy to wipe the mud off at the end of the ride but I kind of assumed it was the high from being outside in the sunshine.

This past weekend was the first time I’ve done two long rides on the weekend in a very long time. On Saturday I pulled out my old favorite bib shorts, thinking they’d really help since I had not changed out my saddle yet. As expected about 90 minutes into the ride, I began to feel really uncomfortable. I chalked it up to the saddle and lack of time building up my saddle muscle.

On Sunday a group from my gym had a bike maintenance clinic and group ride so I tossed on the Pas Normal Bibs. I rode to the shop, sat through the 2 hour clinic and then rode for a couple of more hours with the group and had zero saddle pain the entire time. Whoa. This could be a game changer.

When I got home, I pulled out the bibs to check out the differences.

First the Pas Normal bibs have a super soft chamois. And as you can see there are no seams that might rub. I’ll also admit, I weigh more than I have at other times in my cycling life, which means there’s a greater area to fold when sitting on the bike seat. This seems to even things out really well.

The Pas Normal Bib short chamois. Yes, you’re seeing dog hair even though they are fresh from the laundry. Welcome to my life!

My now second favorite bib short chamois. You can see the difference in width and seams.

On a side note, I also really loved that they have a little pocked on the side of the leg. I used it for my phone and it felt completely secure the entire time. Because it was on the right side and I’m right handed, I could grab it to snap quick photos when riding.

Also, the drop pee bib worked great. I used it in a normal bathroom (I do find other brands sometimes don’t work great there, they are designed more for squatting low. Also, the grip cuffs on the shorts were so comfortable. I never felt like I had sausage legs or that they rolled up.

Because I’ve only worn them a few times, I don’t know how they hold up with weekly washing and drying. That’s my only concern with a product with a high price tag like this. I find it worth the investment when I know a pair of bibs will hold up for several years with proper care. Even so, because this chamois has been magical for me, I’ll invest in at least one more pair for my summer riding.

Test pair: Pas Normal Women's Essential Light Bibs

Size: Large

Cost: $280 USD (the comparison bib short is $279 USD)

My sizes: I wear a size 8 in Lululemon wear and a 10-12 in ‘normal pants

*this is not a sponsored post and has no affiliate links. I did receive the bibs for free but with no obligation to produce content. T

Are the new Pas Normal Cycling Bibs Perfect?