Alternative to Pearl Izumi

There are, but prices don't seem to be too much different among the big brands. One thing to look for is closeouts of last year's stuff.

As for colors, most of the variation seems to be in the pro team gear, which isn't bargain priced except for, once again, closeouts of last year's line.

I ride these bib shorts and the price is great (I buy them 2x at a time, for ~$62.50 each). bicyclinghub.combuytwosancxp.htmlOpen ↗. BTW, I ride ~15 hrs/wk, so I put my bibs to pretty heavy use.

I trust you've heard the expression "you get what you pay for", right?

I have a bunch of different shorts, including one pair of Pearl Izumi Ultrasensors. The Pearls are by far the most comfortable shorts I own. No comparison.

They are also the most expensive. Once in a while I've seen them on sale for $75US, but usually everyone sells them for the same $89US everywhere I look.

For a bit less money ($65-70US, I think) I found some Giordana shorts that are *almost* as comfortable.

For about $60US I found some Performance shorts that...well, they're just not nearly as comfortable as the Pearl Izumis. They don't suck, they're just not as sublimely excellent.

But here's the thing: I also found some Performance shorts for $19. The first time I put them on I thought "holy [censored], these really SUCK!" Big honkin' squishy Trico-style perforated chamois pad that sticks out like an incontinance pad and squeaks when you walk...I figured I'd just wasted $20. But the first time I (reluctantly) rode with them, I realized: they're 99% as good as the $60 Performance shorts. So if I'm gonna wear sucky shorts, at least I don't have to pay a lot for the sucky shorts!

But for the good ones, like Pearl Izumi, yeah, you get what you pay for.

I'd say that the one pair of PI shorts that I have are really good, durable and comfortable. Mind you, I bought them 14 years ago and I can still use them, mostly because I haven't ridden in 12 years, but they've held up.