GEAR REVIEW – Sugoi MidZero Tights & RS Bib Shorts
By Curtis Staples
Sugoi RS Bib Shorts, MSRP – $160
After using the Sugoi MidZero Tights this winter, I started to wonder about some of the other Sugoi products. After 10 years of riding, not to mention finding the MidZero’s to be a great product, I knew it was time to try another Sugoi product. What’s more, most of the team cycling shorts I owned needed to be replaced. So for Christmas, I decided to replace a pair of my old cycling shorts with a pair of Sugoi RS Bib Shorts. These shorts are the most expensive pair I own and it shows — there are more features packed into them then a Swiss Army knife! Seriously.
Based on the new aerodynamic designs that are coming out of many of the clothing companies, the RS Bib Shorts use two different knitting fabrics: Mobil Mesh and Ultra Profi (68% polyester). The Mobil Mesh knitting of the shorts makes them fit right to you; there is no loose material and no bunching of the chamois when going from standing to sitting. The Ultra Profi material on the leg panels of the shorts is noticeable because of the textured grids that work to move perspiration away from the body, which are covered by a smooth face to enhance the aerodynamics of the short. The material that Sugoi uses for these shorts is some of the thinnest that I have ever seen in a pair of cycling shorts. While the thin material is noticeable on colder days, these shorts are perfect for summer. The Formula FX chamois, in my mind compares to the best that are offered by companies like Castelli, Hincapie, and Pearl Izumi. Although it seemed bulky on appearance, it fit felt perfect once on.
At work, I am constantly telling customers the importance of purchasing quality pieces of equipment, especially when they are contact points with the bicycle. Although, I had previously overlooked cycling shorts as a piece of this equation, I know that in the future, I will not.
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Curtis Staples is the store manager at Inside-Out Sports in Cary. For 2010, he is making a comeback to elite level racing with the Happy Tooth Presented by Inside-Out Sports Elite Cycling Team.
