Adidas Supernova bib shorts

Adidas' Supernova bib shorts are designed for longer rides. While you might expect Good Things from a brand with heritage, the Supernova bib shorts don't quite deliver.

The Supernova shorts are part of the Adidas Formotion range, designed to follow the natural movement of sport for a better fit and a greater comfort in motion.

These bibs are made from a combination of nylon and Lycra tricot. The shoulder straps use a meshed version of this material for better breathability. The pad is a Cytech Endurance 2 seat pad. Naturally, the make's iconic stripes are incorporated in the design, on the sides of the legs, in reflective material. The hems on the thighs have gripper dots.

I found the pad itself to work very well, even on all-day rides. The overall feel of the shorts, however, I was less happy with. The fabric doesn't feel that nice against the skin; it feels like it belongs on much cheaper shorts. It's also really stretchy, so the seat pad can move around a bit, and I didn't get that feeling of support around the thighs I'm used to from other bib shorts in this price bracket.

I have wondered whether these are simply too big for me, and whether a size smaller would work better. Thing is though, they don't feel too big. It seems to me that they are like this by design.

A other issue is that the silicone gripper dots aren't strong enough to stop the stretchy fabric riding up the thighs. It's a niggle, rather than annoying.

Looks are subjective and all that, but these don't do it for me. I like a pair of black bib shorts without big logos. Much easier to colour co-ordinate with the rest of the wardrobe.

Just to put everything into a bit of perspective, these aren't awful, and it's not like I won't wear them ever again. It's just that they won't ever be first pick, and are likely to be worn underneath tights. That way, I don't have to feel self-conscious about wearing them, and good tights should stop things moving around quite so much and the legs riding up.

Verdict

Decent pad for all day comfort, but the fabric feels cheap and is too stretchy