rparedes said:I have used Giordana, Canari, Pearl izumi shorts; starting with "low end" $30 -$40 moving up the ladder to $60-$80 but I never thought I would spend $100. Recently I bought a pair of Sugoi RS shorts on sale for $100 and was so impressed that I bought two more -that blew my budget for the whole year ; ). Specially now that my previous favorite was Pearl Slice Ultrasensor and now they are $100 also.
I have noticed a big difference on chamois, fit, support and comfort so far on my Sugoi shorts vs Slice Ultrasensors.
What's the next level up (brand) from the Sugoi?
So is it reasonable to assume that very high end shorts (assos or similar) are exponentially better?
It depends on what pleases your peaches and taint. What works is based totally on personal preference. Build quality and technical "features", as well as name, cause the biggest differences in price. I tried a lot of brands, before I found 2 that work for me. Sugoi rubbed me the wrong way. The Sugoi RS bibs I used had seams finished to remove flesh nicely, and the lycra became see-through way too quickly. Eventually I found myself in Assos bibs which are as comfy to me as the price might suggest. They're damned durable, too. I've got 4 year old Assos bibs that are still going strong. Last year I gave Giordana Forma Red bibs a try and found 'em to be a bit more comfy at a lower price. The quality looks as good, and feels as good, but time will tell how their durability fairs. FWIW, Giordana has a line of bibs/shorts/jerseys that spans the range of costs. Even their lower cost bib/shorts--$70-100--have good reps.
Unfortunately bibs/shorts are like saddles: sometimes you get lucky and find something that works right away, and other times it takes a bit more effort and testing to find what works.
In my mind, it's worth whatever it costs to have a happy taint.
