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review

Specialized Pro Bib Shorts

9
£140.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Simply brilliant bib shorts, even at their top-shelf price
Weight: 
195g

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Specialized's SL Pro Bib Shorts are up there with the most comfortable bibs I've ever worn. They feel great and feature top-notch construction. Well worth every penny of their top-shelf £140 price tag.

I have a history of disagreement with bib shorts. More often than not there's something amiss – strap length, leg length, pad placement – that makes this most critical of cycling apparel fit borderline-penury after a few hours aboard. So when a pair of bibs arrive that are perfect in every way – for me – the act of review becomes one of repeated eager anticipation rather than dread. This was my experience with the Specialized SL Pros.

> Find your nearest dealer here

As with the matching top-end SL Pro jersey, Specialized does the SL Pro bib shorts in a 'Tall' option for Small, Medium and Large. With no 'Tall' body dimension guide it's very much up to you to try on the options: Specialized says 'Tall sizing offered with additional inseam and bib strap length for larger riders'.

Specialized Pro Bib Shorts - side.jpg

Starting at the bottom, the generous leg grippers with their silicone treatment stayed firmly in place. The length on my 6ft frame was between mid-thigh and top of the knee – perfect, as I don't like 'short' shorts. 

Specialized Pro Bib Shorts - gripper.jpg

The flatlock-stitched thigh and lower back panels fitted perfectly, the UV50-rated material in red being ever so slightly translucent so baselayers were visible underneath, but not modesty-defeating. Small reflective tabs are sewn into the rear of each thigh, and the lower back and bibstrap material is mesh for cooling/wicking.

Specialized Pro Bib Shorts - back.jpg

The bibs are supportive, with welded folded seams and a large cutout in the back to aid cooling. The front dips reasonably low to aid meeting calls of nature.

Specialized Pro Bib Shorts - straps front.jpg

The Body Geometry SL Pro Chamois features 'multi-density padding to strategically reduce pressure on soft tissue and nerves, leaving you comfortable for long stretches in the saddle'. What I found was, after hours in and out of the saddle, the pad felt sublime. No movement, no bunching, no pinching. No feeling of anything other than support, just where it's needed.

> Read our guide to the best cycling bib shorts

On a warm, muggy multi-hour redline training session, the SL Pro bibs let me get on with the suffering, the leg grippers staying put and I didn't once feel the need to get out of the saddle and adjust the pad.

This no-care experience was repeated on more relaxed rides of varying lengths and temperatures – I just could not fault the performance or fit of these bibs. Which makes for a short review, but hey – if they work perfectly across a range of rides, what more can you say? The rather in-your-face branding might put off some folks, but you'd be missing a potentially great fit and riding experience.

Verdict

Simply brilliant bib shorts, even at their top-shelf price

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Specialized SL Pro Bib Shorts

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?

Specialized says: We're not afraid to say that, when it comes to performance and comfort, our SL Pro Bib Shorts stack among the best in the business. They use the best available fabrics, a highly advanced chamois, and feature a level of fit that's second to none.

"Keeping with this no-expenses-spared theme, we scrutinized every detail of the SL Pro to ensure that it'll exceed the most demanding of expectations. And when it comes to high quality bib shorts, it all starts at the fabric. Of course, this meant that we utilized our ultra-soft and highly breathable VaporRize™ materials to provide the utmost in moisture management and support. In addition to this, we also implemented our Cold Fabric technology that reduces the surface temperature of the fabric, as well as a vent channel on the lower back that assists in increasing ventilation while also decreasing perspiration.

"Meanwhile, the fit has also been given a tremendous amount of detail. You'll find that it follows an articulated design in order to accommodate the movements and position of cycling. And to make sure that the fit holds, we designed the leg openings around a silicone infused fabric cuff that gently, yet firmly, holds the legs in place. Not only that, but the bib uppers feature a welded construction that's free from seams in order to eliminate unwanted friction, while also strongly holding the braces in place.

"At the chamois, we included a top of the line insert, the Body Geometry SL Pro. This chamois has padding with a multi-density design that varies the degree of support in perfect harmony with the body. And as a result, you'll find that it significantly reduces pressure on the soft tissue and nerves, creating a ride feel and degree of comfort that's nothing short of sublime."

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

VaporRize™ knit fabrics are soft, lightweight, and highly breathable, with an equal emphasis placed on moisture management in order to increase your comfort on long rides at high effort

Cold Fabric technology reduces surface temperatures on dark coloured fabrics to keep you cool without sacrificing style

Welded bib upper construction reduces the need for seams in order to reduce friction and dial-in the fit, while a centre back vent channel prevents moisture build-up at one of the most problematic points of perspiration

Articulated design ensures the perfect fit while in the riding position

Silicone infused fabric cuff provides a gently, secure hold on the legs in order to ensure the perfect, shift-free fit

Body Geometry SL Pro Chamois features multi-density padding to strategically reduce pressure on soft tissue and nerves, leaving you comfortable for long stretches in the saddle

Reflective elements increase your visibility to motorists in low-light conditions

Deflect® UV 50+ protects your skin from harmful, ultraviolet rays

10.5" inseam (size Medium)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Excellent – flatlocked seams and amazing leg grippers.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Can't fault them.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Over two months they have washed up perfectly.

Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10

Amazingly good for me.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
7/10

My hip at 94cm says upper-Small, my 84cm waist says beginning of Large. But Medium was perfect.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10

Light. Not an issue.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
10/10

Sublime. Can't fault them.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Not cheap at £140 RRP, but I'd say you're getting good value for money.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Washed up just fine.

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

Perfect. So comfortable, going hard-out or cruising.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The fit. The pad. The legs.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Only the branding, really. Bit shouty.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

The branding is a bit shouty for my taste, but otherwise there's little to fault here. They're nigh-on perfect for me.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 183cm  Weight: 72kg

I usually ride: Merida Ride 5000 Disc  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo-cross, club rides, general fitness riding, mountain biking, Dutch bike pootling

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

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3 comments

Avatar
pockstone | 7 years ago
2 likes

At 140 quid...probably.

Avatar
nowasps | 7 years ago
0 likes

Penury? Are you sure?

Avatar
KiwiMike replied to nowasps | 7 years ago
0 likes
nowasps wrote:

Penury? Are you sure?

 

PURGATORY. I meant purgatory. 

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