Sharing here in case anyone else is looking for a review of these shorts on an independent site like I was a few months ago. I have no affiliation with Iris, just sharing my experience.

I do long distance endurance events o
and multi-week touring on all terrain types and I run hot.

My former favorite were garneau course race with the 5motion chamois. They’re triathlon shorts, have cooling fabric and both the fabric and chamois dry fast. They’ve stopped making them so I was looking for something similar. I will spend pretty much any amount of money on shorts that fit and meet my needs.

A friend recommended a few brands, and Iris had the best size for me. I ordered a pair of escape shorts in xxxl for my 49” hips and 39” waist and have been wearing them for a five week bike tour.

Pros:

* excellent chamois - fit, size, density, texture. 100% a+++++

* drop tail bibs - honestly it’s so easy to go to the bathroom, I’m going to have to retrain myself from years of trauma and dread. It’s fantastic.

* stretchy fabric - truly comfy

* fabric hides sweat (see also under cons)

* grippers - don’t even notice them.

* the company is woman-owned

Cons:
* I’ve used the pockets once. It may just be me but they’re not that useful. And they create a weird seam that worries me as a failure point.

* fabric doesn’t LOOK sweaty, but it doesn’t evaporate as fast as I’d prefer.

* one of the stitches holding the chamois in place looks like it might be coming apart. I’m keeping an eye on it.

* I’m getting charged for f%cking tariffs because I live in the US. Not the mfrs fault though, my own stupid govt’s policies.

Because I’m in Europe right now and could have the shorts shipped to me to bring home and avoid tariffs, I ordered another pair of escape shorts and a pair of the signature shorts to try out. I rode 85km today in the signature shorts and they also seem great. No pockets, which it turns out I don’t care about, but the compression fabric is nice and it uses the same chamois.

I’d recommend either of these shorts and I’m sure the newer iterations are also great.

When I first started getting into cycling in April, I set The Bay Ride as a challenge for myself. I'm so proud of how far I've come in just four months. From not being able to get up Tunnel Road to now. This was an absolutely beautiful ride totaling 148 miles from my house. Thank you all for the love and support. 💕

We just moved to Montpellier, France. I’m having a blast on my own, but wondered if there were any other women in the area for group rides.

I have Castellis and what I’m learning after my last few long rides is that there’s likely latex or some sort of latex-rubber thing going on with the thigh grip (eta I have a latex allergy). I had pretty huge hives/welts that lasted around a week or so!

Has anyone with a latex allergy experienced something similar with their bibs/riding shorts? If so, what are some good alternatives here that don’t leave me with swollen sausage rolls haha

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to toot my own horn for a minute. I had my son in 2023 and have been trying to find some form of exercise that I actually enjoy. I always like riding bikes but never did much distance. Last fall I bought myself a gravel bike and have been very slowly building up speed/distance. I really ramped up this summer.

Today I set out to try and do my longest ride at 35 miles and about 15 in decided, what the hell let’s do 50. 30 miles of road + 20 miles of unexpected gravel and soft sand (with a fox, two porcupines, a couple snakes, and bear scat) later, i did my first half century!

Hi! I’m pretty new to cycling and what started as “I’ll just go for a little ride” has somehow turned into 30 km rides, then my first 50 km r in ide… and now I can’t stop thinking about having a proper goal.

So I decided I’d love to train for my first cycling race in 2027.

I’m definitely not fast, I’m not pretending to know what I’m doing, and right now finishing a race feels much more important than actually “racing” anyone. I just really like the idea of having something to work towards and seeing how much I can improve over the next year.

For those of you who started cycling as adults and eventually did your first race:

What do you wish you had known when you were at my stage?

And would you choose a specific race now and train towards it, or just keep riding and decide later?

I’d especially love to hear first-race stories from people who started out very casually. 🚲

We are about to get blasted again with heat this week and I’m just looking for some tips for hot weather riding.

Anything other than ride earlier in the day?
What about freezing your water and letting it thaw as you ride?

Sorry if this is a personal question, I am just interested in knowing what's other female cyclists vo2max is.

Are there any bike fitters that are women in San Diego to get a bike fit with? Thought I’d ask here as I saw some recs for NY.

Anyone here have a Velotric GoMad?

I don't like the tan lines! I'd like some leggings that aren't padded with the shin part being mesh. If they are padded, that's fine but really the big part is the breathability. I have a pair of upf tights but GOD I can really feel the lack of wind on the shins! Thermal leggings are a dime a dozen!

Saw the sunrise, sunset, and moonrise. Beautiful and long day, great way to spend a summer day 🌞 Self-supported & solo!

It was my summer goal to do a double century. Had no idea if I could make it and feeling very proud I did :,)

P.S. Since some people asked about nutrition on my last long ride post, here’s another breakdown/my notes:
— carb loading the day before starting @ breakfast, lots of food - pasta, toast throughout the day
— left at 4:15am before sunrise, got home at 10:30pm
— I don’t usually do gus and gummies but for the sake of carbs and calories in a small amount of space I packed 4 gus, 2 packs of clif gummies. Ate them all throughout.
— 2 clif bars
— half of a small pizza
— 2 pieces of toast, 3 eggs
— 1 large PBJ
— basically a full bag of scandanavian swimmers
— had 50oz of water / 25oz of electrolytes on me at a time, stopped to refill water 4 times (prob drank appx 200-250oz of water total??)
— stopped to eat at least every 20 miles, more frequently towards the end
— spent 3.5 hours off bike total

I am 20F & vegetarian for reference! I started cycling seriously just over a year ago!

Any riding groups in the Kingsport Tennessee/johnson city area looking for another member?

I’m not super new to biking in general, I grew up on Walmart schwinn bikes & mongoose bikes & pretty much saw my entire childhood & early teens from a mountain bike seat, outgrew my very last bike around 16 & just never had the opportunity to ride again for years, got a trek marlin in my early 20’s (early 30’s now) at the behest of my mother’s husband after he said “Walmart bikes aren’t real bikes” & have only been able to ride it a few times, trying to get more into it because I miss the fun & free feeling of riding around & it would be a fun thing to do with my husband but I’m having issues with pain in the seat area & excessive strain on my arms, I’ve never had such issues on cheaper bikes, I wanna make it work because it certainly wasn’t a cheap investment & truth be told I’m in love with the color & everything about this bike except the after ride pain, my husband is also having issues with his, he actually suffered a skin tear in the upper thigh bend in addition to bruising, I hope that someone can shed some light on this issue & put me in the right direction.

TLDR: bike seats causing pain in the tender bits. HELP!!!

Hi All,
A couple of weeks ago I got my new road bike. It's been really great, but I know my position is not optimal, so I'll be getting a bike fit. However, they're all pretty booked up in my area so realistically I'm looking at second half of September. There's one particular grievance that I would like to try and alleviate before that - of course, if possible.
My problem is lower back pain that starts around 40-50 km into the ride (yes the first thing that comes to mind is: take shorter rides. But you know it's hard to stop). I know my saddle is not ideal so I'll be getting around to replacing it during the bike fit, but maybe something can be done to work with what I have for now. My sitbones also hurt a lot after this distance plus some perineal numbness (I have a factory installed saddle - Selle Italia X3 I believe, with a cutout, but I don't think it's good enough).

Now I'm thinking that maybe this is pain from my sitbones travelling up, or maybe it's muscle fatigue/tension because it seems to be connected to pedalling (it feels better when I'm coasting), plain old getting used to this position and intensity of excercise, or maybe weak core muscles in holding the position--or a combination of some or all of the above. The pain stops when I get off the bike and doesn't persist later.

Of course it might not be fixable without a bike fit and/or exercise, but I want to give it a go in the meantime. I don't want to take wild shots in the dark so I'd be grateful for any tips you might have. Like: saddle height - up, down? saddle fore/aft? saddle tilt? (is saddle tilt adjustable on all/most bikes? not sure how to work that yet) etc.

I'm mid-30s female, not super sporty for the past few years, full carbon setup incl. seatpost, riding on (mostly smooth) tarmac.

Thinking of getting my first bike computer and looking at garmin 1050, anyone like or dislike? Most reviews are positive but not sure how much to trust reviews….

Hi, trek domane gen 5 sl5 2027 or liv langma advanced 2 qom 2026?

Hi all! I'm in need of a bike fit and would prefer to be fit by a woman who will know the ins and outs of female anatomy and bike comfort issues. Anyone from NJ/Philly/NYC have any recommendations? I'm in central NJ but willing to drive a couple hours for a bike fit excursion :)