Time for another FGOB edition of shit that fits. We’re still in the bib department here. We’re skyrocketing up the quality spectrum here, but also with the sizing department I would say. Assos is apparently a pretty amazing brand of bibs in the cycling world. But I had a good amount of frustration guessing my size. These bibs can run several hundred dollars at retail. Now, I only buy them from the Assos Factory Outlet. The pickings are pretty random there, various closeouts, sizes, etc., but the pricing is on point. These T Fi.Mille s5 bibs run just over a hundred I believe, they are somewhere in the mid-range, designed with a little extra padding and meant to be a good, all-around distance cycling bib. According to their site:

The T Fi.Mille_s5 is designed to be your ideal long-distance comfort short.

The heart of the T Fi.Mille_s5 is the redesigned Campionissimo insert made from 4 different textiles. Anatomically formed. Featuring Elastic Interface technology.

Includes Fi.Mille_S5 insert.

I can definitely attest to the quality. Now, I ripped the inner thigh of my first pair in one season. BUt if you look back at my first post about Garneau bibs, the same thing happened. I got another pair of both brands, rode more miles this year, and both bibs are holding up well. That leads me to be quite certain the rips were caused by shoddy seat texture, not bib quality. [SIDENOTE: I contacted Assos about the rips. They had me send in the ruined bibs to see if they could fix them. When they could not, they credited me 50% off a new pair. That’s pretty freakin’ good customer service.]

The fabric is great, the various fabric textures provide mesh up top and durability and good movement in the action areas. The padding is thicker, but it is also quite firm. I didn’t like it as much at first, but after a good amount of distance, I think it provides more duration. The ride is less comfortable to start, but more comfortable at the end if that makes sense.

OK, enough gushing… yes, I pretty much love these shorts. But I did hate trying to buy them. Nobody online anywhere after hours of searching seemed to be able to help me. Here is how Assos explains their sizing:

SIZING GUIDE

So, I’m 5’9″, 230 pounds (or so), with a 40″ waist. Are they implying that I’m a medium (175cm)?? So, bibs that fit a guy who is 5’9″ and 130 lbs. with a 26″ waist will fit me just as well? I literally Googled for hours trying to sort this all out. Finally I pulled the trigger.

I went with XLG, which is the 2X size. Luckily, I nailed it. The XLG fits me perfectly. They compress a bit, they are supposed to. There’s definitely no sag or extra room. I’ll be honest, if your stats are much outside of mine, I’d consider moving up to the TIR (3X) size.

My first pair was the short leg. These are about mid-thigh on me. I actually really liked this length. Since bibs are more designed by height than weight, when we FGOB buy bibs for our circumference, they are designed for much taller people. Many bibs hit me in the knee crease which irritates the shit out of me. I’d probably stick to the short leg for any future Assos bibs. My current pair are regular leg. They don’t quite fall to the knee crease, but I can feel the seam on pedal strokes. It’s not quite at the point of being annoying, but close. They also sell long leg – that’s would be right out the window unless you are a good deal taller than I am.

That’s all I have for today. TL;DR – Assos are amazing, their sizing scheme is a mess for FGOB! Hopefully my sizing experience helps you!