It's possible to pay £200 for a pair of cycling shorts, but equally it’s possible to get a pair of good quality, great value bibs for not much more than £40. And these are made in Italy by one of the country’s well respected clothing brands, as part of their Base Cyclewear range.
While they’re not going to compete in the luxury stakes with Campagnolo, Santini or Castelli, these are incredibly similar to the Nalini shorts in pro team colours.
The grippers work just as well, and the antibacterial chamois has exactly the same profile – quite wide at the back but without having too much padding.
One difference is that the area of mesh on these stretches all the way around to the front, instead of just having mesh braces and back.
While the material is a little shinier than on most of the more expensive shorts, and the gripper a little less smooth on your skin, the fit is good and we didn’t find ourselves sliding around on the saddle. Cool, lightweight shorts that represent excellent value.