Bib shorts are not necessarily just the attire of Tour de France riders, they’ve become more popular among commuters, tourers and road cyclists.
The DHB brand is sold exclusively by Wiggle, and we regularly review their products as they tend to be of a strong standard and at the same time remaining affordable.
What’s the point?
Many have wondered this before – why bother having the bib part of the short at all? What’s wrong with shorts that you know, go round your waist like any other pair of shorts, cycling or fashion?
There are three main reasons why people choose bib shorts.
1. There is no waistband
Waistbands can be uncomfortable, especially in the saddle in a forward leaning position. With bib shorts you don’t have any uncomfortable elastic cutting in to your waist.
2. You don’t end up showing off your bum
Whilst you may think your bum looks fabulous, and I’m sure you’re right, other cyclists around you might not appreciate seeing part of it before they’ve had their first cup of tea of the day.
The higher back on bib shorts, along with the straps that go over your shoulders mean there’s no unnecessary exposing of yourself.
3. Maximum comfort
You minimise chafing, tugging and general discomfort.
There are of course some downsides. For a start, you may not particularly like the look. Also, going for a pee is a bit of a pain. Cyclists all have their own techniques for getting around this, but I’ll let you Google that from home!
DHB sent us a free pair of the dhb Blok Fluoro bib shorts to review. They look a little bit like this:
Pros
At £49.99, the Blok Fluoro bib shorts are affordable, meaning that you’re not risking a lot of cash if you’re uncertain you’ll find them comfortable. But I’m fairly sure you will do – it is nice not to have the elastic clamped to your waist, even on just a short commute, but if like me you enjoy longer rides at the weekends, then you’ll enjoy these shorts then too.
Furthermore, the shorts look good, the bib part of the shorts, going over each shoulder, are comfortable and not large enough to make you feel like you’re wearing an extra layer. Finally, the fluorescent yellow on the bottom of the shorts, and on the dhb logo on the rear, does its job perfectly. And we all know that as a cyclist commuting in London you can never have too much fluorescent yellow about you.
Some brands sell bib shorts for ridiculous amounts of money, often simply for the reason that “they’re what the pros wear”. There’s no reason they should cost that much, and the dhb shorts are as good a pair as I’ve owned.
5/5
- Comfortable
- Affordable
- Durable
– can’t wait to hear how some cyclists get around ” going for a pee”?!?
Well, I know how men do it! Although some bib shorts have too much material on the abs/ chest region which makes it a bit more difficult to answer the call.
And I wouldn’t google that at work with the resulting images….
Personally, I use normal shorts for rides up to about 10miles or so and anything over that wear bib shorts during the warmer weather and bib longer bib tights for colder weather.
I did take a bit of convincing a few years ago but bib shorts/tights are far more comfortable than normal shorts on longer distances as the shorts really are kept in the right place for maximum comfort…and to be honest the DHB range is bloomin’ good value for money, I sue them all the time on the London commute.
Are they suitable for women cyclists (general bib shorts and these ones specifically)? I’m trying to imagine how they co-ordinate with a bra….
I Fiona
Women’s bib shorts come in various different styles to get around both bra and pee-ing issues.
Hincapie make good bibs that have a clasp that meets in the middle of the chest…. many others have a clip (one half each clip on each bib strap) that joins together to keep the straps in place. However, if I’m honest it’s never been a problem.. the straps are stretchy and usually just sit over your chest. If you try on a few pairs, you’ll find some with straps that work.
In terms of going for a toilet break, (I know you didnt ask, but someone else did), Gore have the best solution with a zip around the waist. Hincapie have the clasp again (the chest clip undoes, and goes over your head..), and Pearl Izumi have a come up with the idea of having the top half of the bibs ‘tuck in’. Lots of great ideas from various brands!
Michelle
Great feedback, thanks!
fiona,
Bib shorts for women are designed differently from those for men.
Apparently the anatomy of men and women in the pad and thoracic regions is different.
Or so medical experts assure me.
C
Don’t for one minute think that any of the flouro on these will raise the probability of you being seen. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/47281/ for a paper on it. In daylight, you are at your most conspicuous when contrasting with your back-ground, at night, wear reflectives. Reflectives are actually work better with no lights, but, I doubt you’ll get that past the “well it must be true” brigade.
As for bib shorts, very comfy on any journey of significance! Can’t recommend them enough. I got a number of the Ride London Prudential jobbas, which are dhb, in a sale at wiggle. Perfect!