Winter bibtights
If you plan to carry on cycling through the winter, you need to kit yourself out for the hard yards in inhospitable weather. Watopia it ain’t. So a decent pair of bibtights is absolutely essential. Make that a few pairs if you’re doing winter properly.
So, if you’re starting your base miles in November when it’s usually well above 5°C, a more basic type of bib tight will suffice, one that’s made from the traditional fleece-backed synthetic ‘Roubaix’ fabric. These will trap in warmth, but won’t keep out any serious weather. Usually a lower price will reflect this.
For more challenging conditions in December, January and February, you need to think harder about wind resistance, water resistance, insulation and breathability. Brands have drafted in technical fabrics for this, but it starts to get more complicated not only in terms of the construction of deeperwinter tights, with fabrics placed where they can perform most effectively, but also with brands’ varying approaches.
“A decent pair of bibs is essential in winter”
Some have zips at the cuffs or up the front of the bibs, some have proprietary ventilation features, some have durable water repellent coatings and for women’s tights, it’s also worth investigating how the comfort-break mechanism works, or if there is one at all.
Often manufacturers will assign a target temperature range to their tights, so that’s a good jumping-off point.
We’ve tested four women’s tights and four men’s. We’ve tried to cover all the winter temperatures and have tested tights at various price points, so we hope there’s a pair here for most types of riding and
