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3/4s or bib knicker how do you wear yours?

Hi people,

With the winter being as mild as it has I noticed more people with 3/4s on in different ways and was wondering if there is an "offical" way of wearing them?

I tend to have mine just below the knee and above the calf muscle. Having seen them half way down the calf and fully covering the calf muscle with a small gap of a few inches above the socks/overshoes. I was starting to wonder if I had them on wrong.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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8 comments

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Redvee | 9 years ago
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My 3/4 bibs and knee warmers both sit just below my knee mainly from a comfort point of view. If I pulled them down onto my calf I feel they'd ride back up to my knees.

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MKultra | 9 years ago
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If you are tall and slim you often find the corresponding 3/4 bibs sit rather high just below the knee cap. There is no way around it really what with the march of inflated fatty sizing. I am now a size smaller in endura kit than I was ten years ago.

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ajmarshal1 replied to MKultra | 9 years ago
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MKultra wrote:

If you are tall and slim you often find the corresponding 3/4 bibs sit rather high just below the knee cap. There is no way around it really what with the march of inflated fatty sizing. I am now a size smaller in endura kit than I was ten years ago.

Same here. That royally messed up an online order of mine, I hadn't expanded but the clothing lines have.

However I do prefer a shorter fit to my knicks, just above the widest part of the calf muscle. One should have ones guns on display. Likewise knee warmers.

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mtbtomo | 9 years ago
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Does it not depend on the brand? Some 3/4's are longer than others. Plus some people will need a larger or smaller size for their height.

It's no different to shorts.

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mooleur | 9 years ago
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Saw a geezer with Rapha 3/4 tights on backwards the other day (no chamois, I'm assuming!)

Doesn't get any better than that. <3

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therevokid | 9 years ago
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I have a pair of assos 3/4's and a pair of sportful 3/4's and they are different
in their length. the assos just below the knee/above the calf muscle whereas
the sportful are about 1"-1 1/2" longer !!

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gthornton101 | 9 years ago
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Agree that it may well be bib knickers versus knee warmers that you have spotted.

I wear the dhb "knee warmers" with my bib shorts, but they are much longer than other brand knee warmers that simply cover the knee. The dhb ones tend to come mid calf on me and whilst, with longer socks, this puts me close to full leg coverage it gives flexibility in taking them off when the morning warms up.

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KirinChris | 9 years ago
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Are you sure they are knicks or are they perhaps leg/knee warmers being worn with bib shorts. I ask because I would say there is a difference in how they're worn.

If they are bib knickers then I think the way you are wearing them is correct and in line with what I mostly see when I'm on club rides in London. Any further just looks like you bought a pair of longs which you've grown out of.

But knee warmers would probably come down a bit further than knickers. Still, I think if you are inches away from socks/overshoes then you've missed the point and might as well wear full leggings.

It's the Goldilocks Principle, which also applies to socks, shorts and sleeves. Not too long, not too short, just right.

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