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review

Hincapie Sportswear Men's Equipe Bibshort

8
£99.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Good fitting and durable bibshort with a very comfortable chamois plus the compressive material worked for me
Weight: 
180g
Contact: 
www.hincapie.com

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The Hincapie Sportswear Men's Equipe Bibshort is a compressive, sporty short that does a very good job.

Rather than just sticking his name on another manufacturer's clothing range. American pro George Hincapie set up Hincapie Sportswear with his brother. He probably needs something to keep him busy now he's retiring after his 17th straight Tour de France.

It's a proper family affair too, with the factory run by his aunt and uncle in his father's native Columbia. The main focus of the company is manufacturing cycling kit for clubs, federations and charity concerns, but they do also have their own Hincapie branded range.

Pricewise it's fairly mid range with these Equipe bibs at £100 - up to the George Signature model at £180.

The whole range is very much technology based in terms of fabrics; basically it's the same materials and pattern as the BMC Racing Team. If it's good enough for tour riders to spend all day in it should be good enough for the rest of us.

Pull the shorts on and you can feel the compressive nature of the AT2 Tour Power Lycra encasing your legs.

Use of compression garments during sport as opposed to recovery is intended to stabilize muscles, therefore reducing fatigue; beneficial if the surfaces you're riding on aren't the smoothest.

The pressure provided by the Equipe bibs isn't as powerful as a good fitting pair of compression shorts but is enough to feel the effect. Tiredness in the muscle does seem to be offset for a little while longer.

The overall fit is one for the racing position with a high back and lowish bib front which above all else makes pee stops a more comfortable affair.

The bibs are mesh for heat transfer, and wide straps mean they're comfortable thanks to spreading the pressure across your shoulders.

The leg grippers don't need to apply much pressure to keep the bottom of the shorts in position which is another plus in the comfort stakes.

As for the chamois, which is often the most important bit, it's seamless and anatomically designed for your bits with foam inserts and relief channels. Padded, but not overly so, it's comfortable on long distance rides and I had no numbness on easy rides or full intensity efforts.

The Equipes are available in three colours and a size range of S to XXL. If the sun decides to make an appearance the material is 50 SPF+ to keep UVA & B rays at bay.

Overall the Hincapie Equipes are a good quality bib short. The material seems durable and nothing indicates that that is going to change.

The cloth and fit is very similar to the Castelli Velocissimo we tested this time last year and if they are anything to go by you'll have no issues with longevity.

Verdict

Good fitting and durable bibshort with a very comfortable chamois plus the compressive material worked for me.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Hincapie Sportswear Men's Equipe Bibshort

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?

"The Equipes are race ready for any distance or challenge."

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

Durable, 225g AT2 Tour™ Lycra® Power provides compressive support to stabilize muscles and reduce fatigue

 

Lightweight AT2 Transition™ Lycra® moves and conforms to the body for the perfect fit

Textured DimpleTek™ speed fabric reduces air resistance over the fabric surface for an aerodynamic advantage

 

SPF 50+ by construction for superior UVA/UVB protection

 

Soft, aerating power stretch Diamond Mesh™ upper dries quickly to help regulate temperature

 

Sleek DimpleTek™ comfort leg band

 

Seamless, anatomical, multi-density Hincapie Team Chamois with perforated foam inserts and center relief channel moves with the rider

 

Same material, fabric and pattern worn by the BMC Racing Team

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Looks good, as you'd expect for a £100 pair of shorts.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

A good performance fit and the compression material adds a nice touch.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Looking good so far and no reason why that'd change.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

Very comfortable shorts and chamois.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

They are worth it, just.

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

Very good, when you're in the saddle you want comfort and performance, the Equipe's deliver on both.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The compression properties of the material.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

If they were a touch cheaper they'd be more competitive.

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: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 34  Height: 180cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Genesis Flyer  My best bike is: Ribble Gran Fondo

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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