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review

Rapha Women's Brevet Bib Shorts

8
£180.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Extremely comfortable bib shorts, beautifully made, just a little on the pricey side
Weight: 
188g
Contact: 

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The Women's Brevet Bib Shorts are another high quality, well designed garment from Rapha that will have some up in arms about cost and others accepting that you have to pay for the good looks and performance.

Whether or not you like the way they look, they really do put in an excellent performance, providing comfort and support for at least eight hours in the saddle.

> Buy these online here

The longest I've ridden in them is 86 miles, on the second day of the Dulux Trade London Revolution – after riding 101 miles the day before. A pretty good test for comfort, I'd say. And not all the roads were especially smooth... I felt cosseted right from the off, and had no discomfort at all, at any time on the ride.

Rapha Women's Brevet Bib Shorts - riding.jpg

Finding the right pad for your posterior might be as subjective as finding a comfortable saddle, but I have never had a problem with a Rapha chamois. Quite the opposite. The shape, depth and firmness all work perfectly for me. Rapha doesn't list that it's a Cytech pad in the Brevets – as used in, I think, the few Rapha shorts and tights I've worn over the years – but it's every bit as comfortable.

Rapha Women's Brevet Bib Shorts - pad.jpg

Moving on from the pad, the shorts section it's sewn into is formed with unobtrusive, non-irritating flatlock seams. The Lycra – 74% nylon, 26% elastane – is quite stiff feeling; elastic but at the same time quite dense compared with lighter fabrics. It feels compressive, in a good way, although – oddly – the leg opening hangs slightly loose when off the bike. On the bike it sits comfortably and doesn't move while pedalling, but it's a lightly-holding, silicone-tape-lined hem not a tightly-squeezing, sausage-shape-causing elasticated one.

Rapha Women's Brevet Bib Shorts - gripper.jpg

It feels to me like Rapha's clothing collections have changed size slightly in the last few years, fitting more tightly than those I still have from longer ago (so no, it's not just me changing size/middle age spread). These are the same; they're slightly less stretchy in the bib than, for example, the no-longer-made Classic 3/4 bibs (a real favourite of mine), but they are pretty similar to the Classic Bib Shorts of three or four years ago. (As a note, my husband has a pair of the men's Brevets and had to size up to the XXLs to get the bib section to fit comfortably, and had exactly the same experience as me with the hems.)

Rapha Women's Brevet Bib Shorts - straps front.jpg

Although the mesh bib section is attached to the shorts with an oversewn but not flatlock stitched seam, it's perfectly comfortable. The bib is substantial enough that you can dispense with a baselayer on warmer days, Rapha advises; I've tried it with and without and got on fine both ways. The only slight discomfort came from the large 'Made in Italy' label – before I cut it off. Rapha kit normally has the label sewn in or printed on, and I hate having to cut off labels: snip too close and you risk cutting into the seam; don't cut close enough and you're left with an annoying sticky-out bit.

> Cycling shorts – everything you need to know

I digress. What else would you like to know? I haven't overheated in these – the mesh bib section deals with any heat build-up. It's really soft-feeling too, and your skin is protected from the zip by a baffle behind it and a garage up top (which also protects your jersey).

Rapha Women's Brevet Bib Shorts - back full.jpg

The reflective logo and block pattern on the legs is, to my mind, a stylish way to add an element of safety (if it's too discreet for you, the blue version of these shorts has the Rapha logo on a bright pink block). Having it on both legs means it's useful home and abroad.

Rapha Women's Brevet Bib Shorts - side.jpg

Is £180 too much to spend on a pair of bib shorts? You can certainly pay less – only the thermal Souplesse bibs in Rapha's women's collection are more expensive, by a tenner, and its Core bib shorts are £100 and share the same pad (you can read a review of the £80 non-bib ones here). There are choices other than Rapha, of course, like the rather more in-yer-face Alé Graphics PRR Arcobalenos, if the pad suits, which are almost half the price. Closer to the Brevets, at £150, the Assos T.laalalaiShorts_s7 are also worth a look – though you'd have to fork out extra for your baselayer...

But if you want the fab feeling fabric, the baselayer-replacing bib section, the quality, and the looks, £180 gets you a very good pair of shorts that your bottom will thank you for.

Verdict

Extremely comfortable bib shorts, beautifully made, just a little on the pricey side

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Rapha Women's Brevet 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?

Rapha says: "Supportive and comfortable cycling bib shorts with reflective features designed for the rigours of all-day riding."

And continues: "The Women's Brevet Bib Shorts are designed with durability in mind.

"Cut from a dense and supportive yarn that is both soft and breathable, the leg panels are cut for a perfect on-bike fit. Carefully positioned flatlocked seams ensure all-day comfort and a silicone leg gripper holds the shorts in place.

"A full, open-mesh, striped zipped upper is both light and soft, and in milder weather does away with the need for a base layer. Structured to keep you cool and supported, the upper has bonded seams to prevent hot spots and rubbing, along with a small valuables pocket on the rear.

"The chamois pad, also found in our Women's Classic Bib Shorts, is lightweight, breathable and designed specifically for women riders.

"Reflective logos on the leg offers much needed visibility, and also ensures the Brevet Bib Shorts pair beautifully with other garments from the Brevet collection."

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

Rapha lists these features/details:

FEATURES

Breathable, open-mesh upper for comfort in a wide range of temperatures

Quick-drying chamois pad

Silicon leg gripper

Reflective logos on each leg

Valuables pocket on rear of upper

FABRIC

74% nylon

26% Elastane

CARE INSTRUCTIONS

Machine wash cool 30C

Wash with like colours

Do not bleach or dry clean

Do not tumble dry

Do not iron

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Forgettably comfortable.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Other Rapha kit I've used over the years has lasted really well – and of course if anything goes wrong: 'Rapha offers a free repair service where a crash or accident has damaged a garment or a failure has occurred even after significant usage.'

Rate the product for fit:
 
7/10

The leg openings struck me as a little loose when off the bike; on the bike they're fine and don't move, despite not being the tightest.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
7/10

The latest Rapha kit seems to come up a bit smaller on me than it used to; not change-sizes different, just a little tighter.

Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

Forget-you're-wearing-it comfort.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Rapha kit doesn't come cheap, and £180 for some bib shorts is a lot – but they are excellent quality and extremely comfortable.

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

Easy, in the wash at 30, and they come out just fine.

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

Superbly. Comfortable pad, bibs, legs... and they look great.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Pad comfort, leg length, looks.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Apart from the price, very little; the leg opening seems a little loose when off the bike, but is fine on, and a bit more stretch to the bib would add to the comfort, I think.

Did you enjoy using the product? Absolutely

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes – I have.

Use this box to explain your score

I'd hesitate to call these exceptional in this world of excellent cycling kit. They're getting on for it, and in terms of comfort and quality I'm not sure I could fault them. What holds me back from giving them a higher score is the slightly restrictive sizing – just a little more stretch/length in the bib would be good, and maybe a very slightly closer-fitting leg opening.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 51  Height: 169cm  Weight: size 10-12

I usually ride: Vitus Venon  My best bike is: Paulus Quiros

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, sportives, general fitness riding

Tass is our production pedant, who boldly goes hunting for split infinitives, rogue apostrophes and other things up with which she will not put. She joined road.cc in 2015 but first began working on bike magazines way back in 1991 as production editor on Mountain Biking UK, then deputy editor of MTB Pro, before changing allegiance to road cycling as senior production editor on Cycling Plus. She's ridden off-road but much prefers on, hasn't done half the touring she'd like to, and loves paper maps.

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5 comments

Avatar
simpsonjida | 6 years ago
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simpsonjida | 6 years ago
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Nice post.
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Russell Orgazoid | 6 years ago
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A lot pricey more like.

Avatar
ChainedToTheWheel replied to Russell Orgazoid | 6 years ago
1 like
Plasterer's Radio wrote:

A lot pricey more like.

True dat, but if they are anything like the men's Brevet bib shorts, which I have, then if I had to pick one pair to use forevermore it would be them.

Avatar
Johnnystorm replied to ChainedToTheWheel | 6 years ago
0 likes
ChainedToTheWheel wrote:
Plasterer's Radio wrote:

A lot pricey more like.

True dat, but if they are anything like the men's Brevet bib shorts, which I have, then if I had to pick one pair to use forevermore it would be them.

Yep. Best shorts I've ever had. Worth every penny.

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