I've had two pairs of the Equipe RS, one an early pair bough shortly after it was released and the second was a later "black series" version bought shortly before the "Targa" lines were announced. The early Equipe pair had a lighter, more stretchy feeling fabric, which apparently was its downfall, as it developed holes where the chamois was stitched to the rear of the shorts, right at the opening for the "golden gate" free-moving portion of the chamois. That early Equipe RS pair also seemed to relatively quickly show abrasion wear (as lightening of the fabric), from the saddle and jersey zippers, etc. The later Equipe RS bibs seemed a bit stiffer and thicker than the early pair, and though I've not put tons of miles on them yet, seem a bit more durable than the earlier pair.BdaGhisallo wrote: ↑Thu Feb 23, 2023 9:54 pmI have both and the material feels different. The material on the Targa feels thicker and less stretchy.
Most recently, I bought a pair of the newest RS Targa bibs right before Christmas. The material on the RS Targa to me feels somewhere between the early Equipe RS and the later Equipe RS in terms of both thickness and stretchiness. While I've only put several hundred miles on them so far, they also seem to resist abrasion wear better than the early Equipe RS bibs. I also much prefer the newer, lower profile Targa chamois, and I like the broader leg gripper section as well. They effectively address my only two issues with the earlier Equipe RS bibs in terms of comfort/fit: the excess chamois material in the front; and the somewhat "old school" dimensions of the leg grippers.
All three pairs were purchased new from well-known national/internet bike stores based in the US, and so should be first quality through official distribution channels.