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review

Pactimo Summit Raptor bib shorts

9
£125.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Pretty much the best all round bibs I've tested, this level of comfort and performance usually costs a lot more
Weight: 
250g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Summit line is Pactimo's top end range and after living with these Raptor bibshorts for the past few weeks I can vouch they are very top end and while they're not cheap you would usually expect to pay a lot more for this level of quality and performance.

Colorado based Pactimo have their own factory in China and specialise in custom clothing - they made the original roadcc jerseys - but if you don't want club kit everything is also available in their standard retail range.

The tech spec on the Raptors is impressive, longer than some bike specifications I've seen. Kicking things off is the Raptor material by Swiss company Eschler that has a patterned, almost scaly effect to it which if nothing else certainly looks cool. It uses a nylon outer (66%) which offers great abrasion resistance with 14% Lycra added to create the elasticity giving a mild compression feeling to it.

It's treated with Coldblack, a finishing technology that makes dark fabrics reflect heat rather than absorbing it, keeping the rider cooler in the long run. Unfortunately it hasn't been hot enough to really test it here but the Louis Garneau Course jersey and shorts tested last year used the same stuff and it worked wonders in the sunshine.

The inner lining is polyester (20%) which Pactimo call Flash. Polyester is an inherently hydrophobic material so acts a barrier against moisture being absorbed from the air keeping you dry as you ride.

Loads of technology can't make up for a poor fit though and thankfully with the Raptors it doesn't have to. The cut of the Raptors is pre-shaped which coupled with the supportive characteristics of the material mean they are supremely comfortable and move with you as you stand to climb or crouch on the drops. In fact Pactimo offer a polite warning that bibshorts using their Silhouette Engineering (yep, engineered shorts) will feel odd when you first put them on as they won't feel comfortable until you are on the bike.

The legs stay where they are thanks to 3in wide bands and silicone grippers. Others like Castelli have been using this style of gripper for a while and it's so much more comfortable than elastic.

Cytech provide the Elastic Interface Endurance Anatomic Carbonium chamois, the same that is used in some of Rapha's models plus quite a few others and it's very comfortable even though the padding is quite thick. It's firm enough to stay in position though which is the key, keeping the central channel in place to relieve any perineal pressure.

Pactimo also get high marks for build quality thanks to tight neat stitching of the flatlocked seams and the all round solid feel to the bibshorts. Plenty of miles on various saddles has seen no wear to the Raptor material or the stitching on the inner leg or chamois area. I can't see them wearing out in a hurry.

Overall the Raptors are quite literally beautiful to wear, really comfortable and supportive no matter how long you are in the saddle. The £125 price tag is easily justifiable against some of the more expensive opposition in terms of fit, comfort and all round build quality. Just putting them on makes you feel up for going out for a ride.

Verdict

Pretty much the best all round bibs I've tested, this level of comfort and performance usually costs a lot more

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Pactimo Summer Raptor Bibshorts

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"Whether 5 hours in the mountains or grinding it out on the flats, the Summit Raptor Bib Short will provide the finest bib short experience you've ever had." is what Pactimo reckon about the Summit Raptor and I must admit I tend to agree.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

*Raptor™ fabric from Schoeller-Eschler with Flash coldblack® technology

*Cytech Elastic Interface™ Endurance Anatomic Carbonium chamois

*Silhouette™ Engineering to provide a superlative fit

*Italian double turned leg band with silicon gripper

*Flatlock stitching

*Sizing S-2XL

*Womens version available

*Custom design options

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

You get what you pay for and even a little bit more in this instance.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Brilliantly comfortable bibs which are ideal for big ride comfort.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Just how good they feel on the bike.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing to dislike really.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Yes.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 35  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: Whatever needs testing or Genesis Flyer, fixed of course!  My best bike is: Kinesis T2 with full Centaur Red

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

 

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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22 comments

Avatar
skaterboy | 9 years ago
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Back in stock, discount code also still works!

Avatar
edster99 | 9 years ago
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Finally got mine delivered today (2 weeks  7 ) and look good. A little bit smaller in M than the Craft bibs I wear quite a bit.

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adrianoconnor | 9 years ago
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Ah well, there goes that impulse purchase. Tried to order on the UK site, but they're out of stock. Not obvious, but when you click the 'colour' option it says 'Please login to be notified when this product is back in stock'.

They do look good, but I suspect my first bib shorts will be Castelli or Santini (in the end-of-season sales).

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to adrianoconnor | 9 years ago
0 likes
adrianoconnor wrote:

Ah well, there goes that impulse purchase. Tried to order on the UK site, but they're out of stock. Not obvious, but when you click the 'colour' option it says 'Please login to be notified when this product is back in stock'.

They do look good, but I suspect my first bib shorts will be Castelli or Santini (in the end-of-season sales).

The Summit Pro (next one down) is available.. twenty quid cheaper on RRP and Pactimo have a sale on at the moment linked to the TdF. Code changes each time the yellow jersey does and is valid for a day - gets you 40% off. The current code is NIBALI and expires midnight tomorrow IIRC.

Avatar
koko56 | 9 years ago
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Did my first ride in these shorts today and not bad. The pad is quite thick, a bit softer than expected and also very generously sized so my sitbones are on the pad with no problems.

Only did 50k, but overall the shorts do feel quite solidly made and not bad at all for £62.50. But really need a longer ride to fully get a feel for them.

Delivery was very quick too - ordered 26th Sat, arrived 28th Mon!

Avatar
richcc | 9 years ago
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Having got my Strava miles in and got the code I ordered shorts and jersey. Both arrived yesterday and just been out for a quick ride out. Quality and fit are great. Very nice kit. Even better value at half price.

Avatar
koko56 | 9 years ago
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Have a Pactimo Jersey with one of their arty designs and I'm very fond of it ^^.

Like the sound of these shorts but must ask how is the pad placement? My rear end is perhaps a bit bigger than usual so what happens is that my sitbones end op on the tapering part of the pad instead of the wider more rearward bit. This also pulls the padding back from "scranus" so less padding when in the drops/faux aero. Just had to send back some otherwise nice Sportful shorts - really good pad but just was not in the right place for me.  7

Thanks for any advice.

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richcc | 9 years ago
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Thanks for that link to the Strava discount and the British store. Just ordered half price shorts and jersey - nice £102 saving. (Realised if used my wife's logic there  3 )

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powenb | 9 years ago
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I have one of their jerseys and have been looking at these, but are the legs longer than the average short?
Can't be compromising those tan lines now!  16

Avatar
stuke replied to powenb | 9 years ago
0 likes
powenb wrote:

I have one of their jerseys and have been looking at these, but are the legs longer than the average short?
Can't be compromising those tan lines now!  16

A touch longer than Castelli or DHB etc, maybe 10-15mm. They look longer in the photos as they hadn't been ridden in. Once you start pedalling they settle into position.

Avatar
powenb replied to stuke | 9 years ago
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Thanks very much Stu.

Much appreciated.

Avatar
BikeJon replied to stuke | 9 years ago
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stuke wrote:
powenb wrote:

I have one of their jerseys and have been looking at these, but are the legs longer than the average short?
Can't be compromising those tan lines now!  16

A touch longer than Castelli or DHB etc, maybe 10-15mm. They look longer in the photos as they hadn't been ridden in. Once you start pedalling they settle into position.

What size did you test, Stu? I'm 181cm and 77kgs so almost the same as you.

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adrianoconnor replied to BikeJon | 9 years ago
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BikeJon wrote:

What size did you test, Stu? I'm 181cm and 77kgs so almost the same as you.

Toward the top of the blue box it says he was testing size medium. I'm also a similar build (182cm/78KG, 31in waist), and I'm a medium in just about every brand out there that I've tried so far, though obviously that's a rule just waiting to be proven by exception...

If I can work out how this 50% discount for riding 350 miles thing works, I'll be quite tempted to grab a pair. But not for £120. I've never actually ridden in bib shorts, because I've always been happy with regular shorts, but I'm more and more tempted to get a pair to see what the fuss is about -- they're clearly by far the popular choice now.

[Just had a look at their site, and it was easy enough to get the discount code]

Avatar
edster99 | 9 years ago
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I've ordered from the UK shop, and it accepts the discount code, so the final price inc 2nd class delivery is £62.50. If they are as good as advertised / reviewed, could be a bargain!

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fukawitribe replied to edster99 | 9 years ago
0 likes
edster99 wrote:

I've ordered from the UK shop, and it accepts the discount code

Cracking, cheers for update.

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McVittees replied to edster99 | 9 years ago
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edster99 wrote:

I've ordered from the UK shop, and it accepts the discount code, so the final price inc 2nd class delivery is £62.50.

Now that IS what I call 'mid-range'!  16

Avatar
Alex222 | 9 years ago
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I picked up a Pactimo soft shell at the London Bike Show. Was so impressed with the quality I have now bought two short sleeve jerseys and a gilet. Really is top stuff, but I have only bought with discount codes or from the outlet to keep the price more reasonable.

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sean1 | 9 years ago
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£125 !!!! Mid Range!

Get over to Ribble for some excellent value Lusso bib shorts for £40 to £50.

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McVittees | 9 years ago
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£125 shorts are considered 'mid-range', hmm...it's subjective I know, but really I'd say mid range is a fair few quid less than that...

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fukawitribe | 9 years ago
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Love me Pactimo stuff, but no Summit gear yet. For those that might have done 350 miles in June (loosely, see link for more details), Pactimo are offering 50% off the Summit line which has got to be a bit of a bargain. Have a butchers at the rules here...

http://www.vamovo.com/pactimo-the-summit-experience/

..at least, I hope it's still possible to add stuff.

Avatar
edster99 replied to fukawitribe | 9 years ago
0 likes
fukawitribe wrote:

Love me Pactimo stuff, but no Summit gear yet. For those that might have done 350 miles in June (loosely, see link for more details), Pactimo are offering 50% off the Summit line which has got to be a bit of a bargain. Have a butchers at the rules here...

http://www.vamovo.com/pactimo-the-summit-experience/

..at least, I hope it's still possible to add stuff.

I added my rides from strava from this month - boom! instant discount code.
Just wondering about actually buying them and the whole shipping from the US malarky...

[EDIT] By default, they don't ship abroad. I've mailed them about it. any news, I will follow up here.

Avatar
fukawitribe replied to edster99 | 9 years ago
0 likes
edster99 wrote:

I added my rides from strava from this month - boom! instant discount code.

Nice one !

edster99 wrote:

Just wondering about actually buying them and the whole shipping from the US malarky...

[EDIT] By default, they don't ship abroad. I've mailed them about it. any news, I will follow up here.

I seem to remember I had to go through the UK store (not obvious from the website) to be able to order to the UK.

http://www.pactimo.com/shop/uk/

..although not sure how that ties up with the discount. Be good to hear what they tell you. Cheers.

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