Road bibshorts

No matter how dropped your chainstays are for extra compliance, how optimised the pressure in your 32mm tubeless tyres is or how pinpoint accurate your last laser-guided bike fit was, you can’t fully enjoy your riding unless you’re wearing a decent pair of bibshorts that cushion your sit bones effectively and don’t rub your groin or dig into your shoulders. The right bibshorts will also allow you to stay cool and will wick moisture from the areas where heat builds up.

Those are the basic requirements of a pair of cycling bibshorts, but there are other important things you’ll need to consider before spending the £100+ that you can often expect to pay. For example, women’s-specific bibshorts will usually come with a comfort break system and it’s definitely worth investigating which type is right for you.

Some shorts claim to offer compression – whether or not that works for you, a good, skintight fit is essential for keeping the chamois or pad in place.

Likewise, leg grippers need to be sticky enough to keep your short legs from riding up, or the legs themselves need to be long and tapered enough (if you go for that cut) that they stay in place by themselves.

And finally, although beauty is in the eye of the beholder, everybody wants to wear cycling shorts that look good and are flattering.

We’ve reviewed five pairs of women’s and five pairs of men’s bibshorts. As ever we’ve rated them for performance versus price and scored them out of five.

Café du Cycliste Adeline Fade £209

Weight 191g

Café du Cycliste has dared to break the black cycling shorts mould with the Adeline Fade shorts. They’re available in Denim Blue and Denim Black and use a washed denim effect material that’s designed to fade slightly through the first few wears and washes, rather like an old pair of jeans. But be warned, this fabric doesn’t conceal sweat as well as black Lycra does.

The bib section is constructed from