Over the spring and summer, I tested eight different bib shorts as part of a group test.
The shorts all cost between £65/$90 and £110/$134 and came from a mix of budget-oriented and well-established clothing brands.
While it’s possible to spend upwards of £300/$365 on bib shorts, this range of price points represents what most cyclists will realistically be spending.
When I started cycling seriously in 2013, I remember £150/$180 representing the pinnacle for premium options.
Oh, how times have changed.
That bib shorts can now cost as much as £300 is shocking and not something many of us can afford (at least not at full RRP).
In my testing, each pair of shorts was subjected to a mixture of short and long rides on both road and gravel. Each pair was tested on at least one ride of 100km or longer, with some getting treated to centuries.
From fit-dependent flaws to washing machine woes, here are seven things I learned.
Always try for size
As with any piece of clothing, I’d highly recommend trying shorts on for size before purchase, or ensuring there's a straightforward returns policy if you're ordering online.
I typically take a size large in most brands and I was fortunate this carried through to the majority of the shorts I tested.
Even so, the fit of some of the shorts didn’t fully work for me. If I had been spending my own money, this would have been beneficial because it would have ruled out some of the shorts.
The pad didn’t sit in the right place on some options – it was one of the flaws of the Rapha Core and Dhb Aeron 2.0, both of which I’d have preferred to come a little further up the back. I also found the Sportful Neo bib shorts a little baggy underneath the pad.
The Specialized Men’s RBX bib shorts were an odd fit in general – tight around the pad, but more forgiving around the legs and even looser at the straps. Like the Rapha shorts, I wish the pad extended further at the rear and that it were wider to offer more coverage.
Then, the Van Rysel Road Cycling Racer 2s were all over the place – baggy just underneath the crotch, tight on the bib straps and legs, and the pad was the wrong shape for my anatomy. It didn’t help that they shrank after the first wash (more on that later).
When the fit was right, it really made a difference, and by trying shorts on for size you stand a much greater chance of finding the perfect pair for you.
Check the seam locations
A badly placed seam can ruin an otherwise good pair of shorts. Cheaper shorts tend to use less exotic fabrics, resulting in the need for more seams to hold everything together and bring down costs.
Take the time to check how close seams are to the pad to avoid any discomfort.
On the Rapha Core and Van Rysel Road Cycling Racer 2 shorts, I could feel the left seam on the inside of the upper thigh pressing into my groin. This caused some discomfort on longer rides, particularly when out of the saddle.
The issue was even worse on the Specialized Men’s RBX bib shorts because the seam is positioned even closer to the pad.
Of course, everyone’s build is different and a seam that irritated me may be fine for you, but it once again proves trying shorts before buying is critical.
There’s no room for rubbish bib straps or leg grippers
That cycling shorts should have comfortable bib straps and leg grippers should be a given. Luckily, all of the shorts tested were sound in this department.
However, speaking from experience, poor-quality bib straps can dig into a baselayer or skin, or the leg gripper can leave an unwanted mark. Any good review should assess this, so it’s worth reading whether the tester had a good experience in this department before you buy.
The elasticity of the leg grippers can also degrade over time. This isn’t something you can tell until you’ve ridden in the shorts, and it proved a problem on the Specialized Men’s RBX bib shorts after only four rides. This is why we test bib shorts extensively to highlight any possible faults.
Different saddles can produce different results
The performance of any pair of bib shorts will be influenced by the saddle you combine them with.
A well-fitting saddle is just as important as a quality pair of bib shorts. You’ll be uncomfortable if you pair even the best bib shorts with a poor perch.
I made sure to test each pair on at least two different saddles to get an idea of how they work with each, with all bar one seeing three or four different models.
All of the saddles were tested on my favourite road bike saddle – the Specialized Power Pro Elaston – and the excellent Fabric Scoop for gravel riding.
Many of the shorts also got paired with a flyweight 127g Bjōrn Setka I’m testing on my Pinarello GAN K Disk.
This 3D-printed saddle is much firmer than my two favourites and it was interesting that my most comfortable ride on the otherwise disappointing Specialized Men’s RBX shorts was with this saddle. The narrower profile of the saddle seemed to better suit the chamois’ shape.
Finally, many of the shorts were tested with the Forza Stratos on a Ridley Helium Disc that was in for review at the same time as this group test. This was a new saddle to me, so it was interesting to see how the shorts fared.
It's worth spending time finding the best saddle for you to take one element out of the equation in finding a suitable pair of shorts.
Be careful with the washing machine
I’m always very diligent in reading the label on cycle clothing. Unless stated otherwise, I wash cycling clothing at 30 degrees without fabric softener and pair like colours together.
Three of the bib short pads tested changed significantly after washing – an issue I have never experienced in all my years of cycling.
The Elastic Interface pad noticeably changed properties on both the Dhb Aeron 2.0 and Van Rysel Road Cycling Racer 2. The pad felt firmer in some areas of the shorts than others and subsequent rides were uncomfortable.
Dhb said this shouldn’t have happened and sent a second pair for re-test. They didn’t degrade, although I still found the pad unsatisfactory.
The own-branded pad on the Alé Strada also softened after a few washes, but this didn’t seem to have an impact on performance or overall comfort. It was the only aspect that held the shorts back from scoring top marks.
Although many brands recommend washing their shorts before the first use, I decided my first ride in all of the shorts would be before I'd washed them to see if the properties changed. I’m glad I did, otherwise I wouldn’t have picked up on my findings above.
In fact, I got on reasonably well on my first ride with the Van Rysel shorts and I wouldn’t have had this positive aspect to add to the review if I hadn’t done so.
Because this is an unknown element when buying a new pair of shorts, I’d highly recommend choosing a brand with a generous returns policy in case this happens to you.
Cycling kit has improved
For the most part, I would say the quality of cycling kit at this price point has improved in my 11 years of cycling.
We’ve all bought a duff pair of shorts once or twice, but the quality that can be purchased at this price point is impressive.
Both the Castelli Competizione (4.5 stars) and Alé Strada (4 stars) prove it's possible to make a brilliant product at a lower cost. I will happily continue to use both of these for years.
Spend more cash if long distance is your jam
After spending the best part of four months in low-budget bib shorts, I must admit it felt revelatory putting on a higher-end pair afterwards.
My current favourite Assos Mille GTC Kiespanzer C2 bib shorts had never felt so good when I switched to them during a bikepacking trip on The Pictish Trail. The material seemed much more luxurious against my skin and the pad felt perfectly suited to my anatomy, to the point I forgot I was wearing them.
I wore them for three days straight at one point when wild camping in the remote Scottish Highlands. I think this would be asking too much of even the best-in-test Castelli shorts.
While three of the shorts were uncomfortable on rides over any distance, my limit on the Sportful Neo and Altura Endurance bib shorts was the three- and four-hour mark respectively. I was happy to ride in the Rapha, Castelli and Alé shorts for six hours.
If your rides are under three hours, there isn’t much of a benefit to spending more money when you can get perfectly acceptable levels of comfort at this price point.
However, if you know you’re going to be riding longer distances, there is undoubtedly a significantly reduced chance of buying a dud if you spend more money. The difference between shorts costing £80 to £110 and a premium option is stark.
