The price of a cycling wardrobe can be daunting, to say the least, but we've got a surefire calculation to justify your velo-inspired profligacy to yourself (or your significant other): Calculate an item's price based on pennies-per-mile. With long-distance kit like Louis Garneau's Equipe Men's Bib Shorts—which are already reasonably priced for bibs—that act of self-deception is especially compelling. The Equipe's primary features equip it for hours spent in the saddle, including everything from charity centuries to continent-crossing endurance events.

The Motion AirGel chamois at the Equipe's heart is, well, the shorts' heart. It's LG's most comfortable distance chamois, and it backs up that claim with a Cupron face fabric that's treated to reduce irritation and odors as wound dressing; the treatment throughout the Equipe's life. Potential abrasion is further reduced by the chamois' seamless transitions between foam thicknesses, eliminating pronounced edges. Given that saddle sores and the gradual accumulation of undesirable funk are the enemies to bib short longevity, those traits are partially responsible for the Equipe's pennies-per-mile excellence.

The other factor is the gently compressive materials used throughout the shorts. The Equipe bib shorts were constructed from a combination of Power + Lycra and Pro + Lycra fabrics. Power Lycra features excellent compressive properties to support your muscles and reduce muscle vibration during vigorous exercise. It absorbs moisture from the skin and wicks it to the surface to keep your temperature regulated.

This material also features a UPF of 50 to keep harmful rays away from your skin. The addition of Lycra Pro means that the shorts stretch to fit you and recover their shape after each wearing. This knit also features a UPF of 50 with a weight of 235gsm, which makes it a midweight Lycra knit. The bib straps were sewn from Power Mesh, which is a lightweight material that wicks moisture away from your skin.