SIX OF THE BEST
Bib shorts
£110-£160 | Which ones strike the best balance of comfort and performance?
01 Rapha Core Bib Shorts
£110
Sizes XXS-XL
Colours Black/White, Dark Navy/White
● The bibs use a high-density weave for the main body panels to help enhance modesty and durability. The wide, white bib straps have a cut-out across the centre of the back, sit flush and in just the right place. Rapha’s women’s-specific Classic chamois features areas of differing density and a soft upper and worked well for everyday rides (big-mile munchers may want more padding). The fairly long legs have a 4.5cm-wide strip of elastic backed with low-profile silicone dots that kept them in place with no skin irritation nor sausage leg effect. While they may not have the level of compression support that the premium performance Pro Team bib range offers, they’re still put together in a way that’s both comfortable and – to my eye – stylish. Branding is minimal and these feel high quality for the money, but they don’t have an easy-pee design, so you have to ditch your jersey to go pee (Rapha’s Detachable Bib Shorts cost over twice the price).
Verdict A wonderfully comfortable bib at a sensible price that just lacks an easy-pee design
02 Specialized Prime Bib Shorts
£130
Sizes XS-XL
Colours Black
● The matte-black material is soft against the skin on these decent-value bibs and offers good compression without feeling restrictive, while the waist panel sculpts supportively around the middle, unlike many other women’s bibs. The soft, subtly shaped Elastic Interface women’s-specific chamois is excellent, with a multi-density design and ventilation channels. The straps are a wide, stretchy microfibre and include HookUP, Specialized’s pee-break-friendly design with a magnetic clasp. This works really well, so long as you have decent shoulder dexterity to reattach the mid-back clasp. The legs are secured with a 4.5cm-wide elastic hem and silicone strips. However, the grippers on these shorterthan-average shorts clamped in around a meatier part of my thighs to give a sausage-leg effect. Of course, this may not affect everyone, but I do find a raw edge on leg hems more flattering.
Verdict Promising, high-quality bib shorts at a reasonable price but could have an improved leg hem
03 Gore Spinshift Bib Shorts
£139.98
Sizes 4-6 to 20-22
Colours Black, Orbit blue
● The main area is made from panels of a recycled Polyamide/Elastane blend and the bib straps join at the upper back, and can be detached from the waistband with an easyto-use magnetic clip, ready for pee breaks. The women’s-specific chamois, developed with Elastic Interface, has thicker padding in the form of raised chevrons in the saddle area and a more minimal edge. The chevrons took a little getting used to and I did feel a little sore after riding, but these things are subjective. The legs have a raw hem, backed with a line of silicone crosses to keep them in place, which worked excellently (but I didn’t like the white logos on the thighs). Overall, the bibs felt secure rather than constrictive, although the waistband did occasionally dig in a little. The bib portion is minimal and works well, but the upper back area did get pretty sweaty. If in doubt, try sizing down as the 8-10 size fitted my size 12 frame perfectly. A Cargo version with pockets costs £20 more.
Verdict Great easy-pee design, fabric and leg hems but not the most comfortable and odd sizing
04 Pearl Izumi Attack Air Bib Shorts
£143.48
Sizes XS-XXL
Colours Black, Twilight gradient, Dark ink glow
● This version of the Attack shorts is for the hottest summer rides. The main body features Pearl Izumi’s ‘In-R-Cool’ thermoregulation tech that’s claimed to be triggered by sweat, and did wick moisture well. Up top, the bibs are largely seam-free.
The bib straps sat smoothly against the chest and shoulders, with the chest clip easy to use and unobtrusive. It’s a neat drop-seat design, too, with its lower back panel simply stretchier than the rest of the fabric. Pearl Izumi’s women’s-specific ‘Levitate Plus’ chamois is designed for comfort on longer rides and I found it supportive without being overly thick. The shorts are shorter than most, though the comfortable raw leg hem is kept perfectly in place thanks to silicone gripper dashes. The main fabric has a bit of a sheen to it, though, and caused a rhythmic squeaking on each pedal stroke during harder efforts! I’d definitely go up a size from usual in these.
Verdict Summer bibs with a great chamois and features, but they do size up quite small and short
05 Endura Pro SL Bibshorts
£159.99
Sizes XS-XL
Colours Black
● These shorts with a multi-panel cut and a laser-cut raw leg hem backed by silicone gripper strips have an interesting upper half. Wide microfibre bib straps cross over at the upper back and join a front mesh panel that works a bit like a base layer. The stretchy straps join the shorts at the sides of the lower back, with the shorts fabric overlapping in a v-shape in the middle so that you can pull down the shorts to pee. It’s fuss-free and functions well, but the overlapping fabric made me sweaty on hotter/higher-intensity rides. While I loved the long leg length, the shorts material offers less support than some, particularly around the abdomen. The multi-density women’s-specific chamois with an antimicrobial treatment felt very wide at first, though it did soften a little after a few wears, and the padding wasn’t huge. These were true to size but the material became a bit baggy around the hips and bum after a few washes, and dug in a tad at my armpits.
Verdict A clever design with the baselayer and easy-pee function, but needs further refinement
06 Castelli Espresso DT Bibshort
£160
Sizes XS–XL
Colours Black, blue, grey, mocha, red, green
● Contoured panels make up the legs and waist and there’s a raw leg hem backed with strips of silicone gripper. Up top, wide, super-stretchy microfibre bib straps can cross over at the back or front and are easy to pull down for pee stops. The Castelli Progetto X2 Air Donna women’s-specific, mid-thickness chamois has a soft upper and variable-density design, and was comfortable during short and mid-length rides, but less so on rides over four hours. The luxuriously soft, stretchy material wicked sweat well, while flat-locked seams and raw leg hems upped comfort too. A mesh-lined pocket sits at the centre of the lower back, but I’m not sure I’d use it much. The branding’s nicely subtle and there are reflective tabs on the backs of the legs. The size Medium suited my UK size 12 frame. These flattering bibs are set to become a staple of my summer cycling wardrobe for all but the longest of rides.
Verdict A fantastically comfortable and practical option for women on short to mid-length rides