Product Review by PBE Squad member, Dave Kerwood
Cycling is great because you can explore the sport how you wish – simply hopping on your bicycle and riding, or by utilizing the latest and greatest gear and tools to make your adventure-by-bike more comfortable, or even faster.
I am a believer that technical clothing will only give you marginal gains in performance, and that it can give you exponential gains in comfort and protection. In my experience, this has always been the truest with the cycling bib short.
The bib short is an important piece of kit, conversely making it one of the hardest to find the “right” one. For me – it’s the Gravel Bib Shorts by Varlo Sports
A couple things are non-negotiable for me when it comes to cycling bibs:
- The fit
- The utility (pockets!)
The fit:
These bibs have a tight fit, like very tight. Not the kind of tight that you feel when you’re trying to squeeze into a pair of jeans that might be a tad small, but rather a full body hug.
For my anatomy, I found the length of the leg to be just right, not
too long or too short. I generally like shorter, but I’m okay with
these. For the chamois/ pad, I would describe it as firm and thick. If
you ride bibs with a pad on the thinner side, you may find this takes
some getting used to. I did find this chamois to provide plenty of all-day support while gravel grinding in Bald Eagle State forest.
The utility:
Pockets, pockets, pockets!
As seen on the website here, these bibs feature multiple pockets for just about anything you can imagine. The pockets on the side of the bibs are spacious and cut so that your belongings will not fall out when pedaling.
Overall I am extremely happy with these bibs. We will see if they last a couple more thousand miles, I hope they do!
