At first glance, there’s little to distinguish the iXS Mahones from the rest of the bib tight herd. Stick your legs in them, though, and you immediately feel that, rather than the usual Roubaix fabric throughout, iXS have used a wind- and waterproof fabric down the front of the legs to ward off spray from the front tyre and trail.
The back of the legs and the bib section are made from good old brushed Roubaix in a fairly thin incarnation. That’s good in theory, with the fleecy legs contributing to ventilation and waterproof fronts keeping the weather out. But there are drawbacks. The main one is that the waterproof fabric isn’t that stretchy, so the tights don’t fit as closely as most.
There’s a distinctly baggy bit at the front of the bib, where iXS have done without a zip and had to leave a little extra fabric so you can get them on. The feel inside the waterproof material isn’t particularly soft either. They do keep your legs mostly dry, although a conventional thermal tight is more versatile.