At Interbike this year, I was given a pair of the new RPM bike shorts from SUGOI to test out. Since the show in September, I have been wearing the bike shorts for training rides around Marin, my bike commute to the climbing gym in the city and I even wore them for Levi's GranFondo (picture below). I can now safely say these bike shorts have changed my riding life…
Let me back up a little here. Ever since I began riding, I have lived with "saddle pain", believing it was all just part of the sport. Without going into too much detail, pressure from the saddle had been concentrated way far forward of my sit bones where it ideally should have been. Because of this pain, I have had trouble going for longer rides and also riding consecutive days as I needed time to let the pain subside.
Enter the women's version of the new SUGOI RPM bike shorts. During my first ride with the RPM bike shorts, I was frankly astonished that I had no pain and could actually feel that all the pressure was concentrated back on my sit bones.
I can only think that this relief must be due to the construction of the S.1000 chamois. The chamois appears to be better contoured to a female specific body with no unnecessary extra padding to create bad pressure points, as was happening with my Pearl Izumi bikes shorts (see comparison below).
In addition to the contoured chamois, the SUGOI RPM bike shorts use compression technology to offer your muscles some extra support as you ride. I could really feel the compression technology at work for the first couple of rides but the bike shorts seemed to get just a tiny bit looser with every wash. Because of this, you might want to consider getting one size smaller knowing they will eventually loosen up.
I enjoyed the feel of the super sleek P3 fabric used in the RPM bike shorts as well as the silicone dot free hems. The P3 fabric is treated with a wicking finish that works in conjunction with the ventilated air channels in the S.1000 chamois to keep you from getting soggy diaper syndrome on long, hot rides. I could actually feel the sweat being wicked to the back of my bike shorts where it eventually evaporated away.
Bottom Line: The SUGOI RPM is a great mid-level range bike short. I found the S.1000 chamois to be extremely comfortable compared to my older Pearl Izumi bike shorts and I really like the compression technology. Again, you might want to order a size smaller than you normally do as the bike shorts seem to loosen up a bit over time.
The SUGOI RPM bike shorts will come in both a men's and women's version and be released in time for Spring. The men will also get the option of a RPM bib short version. The bike shorts will retail for roughly $70 and the bib shorts for roughly $90.