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Storck Bib Tight Winter - Pro

7
£199.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Premium-quality tights with windproof warmth, but expensive
Weight: 
340g
Contact: 
www.storckcyclinggear.co.uk

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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These Storck Bib Tight Winters come with windproof and water resistant panels and several other neat features, although they're certainly an expensive option.

So, those windproof/water resistant panels are the ones that go over your knees and your quads – the most exposed areas. They're fleece backed and stretchy so they're perfectly comfortable as you pedal. Most of the rest of the lowers are made from a fabric called Notorious which has a fleecy, ribbed inner surface that holds a lot of warm air around your legs.

You get a double layer of fabric through the crotch area, the layer next to your skin being a polypropylene Everdry material that, as the name suggests, dries out quickly when you sweat to prevent the buildup of moisture. It's similar to those fabrics you get inside swim shorts. The bib section doesn't hold very much moisture either, and it's super-stretchy so you get a comfortable, secure fit.

Unlike anyone else we know of, Storck use different sizes and densities of seat pad, depending on the size of the tights. The thought is that a larger rider is going to put more pressure on the saddle – which seems a reasonable enough assumption to me.

The seat pad actually looks pretty plain compared to some of the elaborate multi-contoured constructions you get these days. It's not mega-thick but I can't argue with the performance; it kept me comfortable over my long weekend rides so no complaints on that front. It's perforated and the micro cloth that sits next to your skin dries fast so that even if you get sweaty you don't then get damp and cold.

What other little features can I tell you about? Well, reflective ankle zippers allow you to get them on and off easily. The zip pulls lock into place rather than rattling around and driving you nuts. An elasticated band inside the hem stops the ankles from riding up – I thought they might because I'm tall and skinny, but it really wasn't a problem. There's a reflective logo on the butt too.

One other thing that's certainly worth mentioning is that the seams are... what's the opposite of prominent? Not prominent. And like a lot of people who know what they're doing, Storck have made sure there are none in that area behind your knees where they can rub, so you don't get any of that.

In terms of warmth, I've been using these in complete comfort when the weather has been anywhere from about 4°C up to around 11-12°C. Anything below that and I tend to go for tights with a completely windproof front, but I'm a delicate flower, me. Other people will be warm enough a few degrees colder.

Verdict

Premium-quality tights with windproof warmth, but expensive.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Storck Bib Tight Winter - Pro

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?

Storck say, "COMBITECH bib tight with ultra ergonomic cut. Proportional, anti-bacterial,hand sewn premium padding. 100% windproof and water repellent elements in exposed areas. Double layered areas with Everdry®. AA+ Premium Material with enhanced functionality, due to build in semi-compression effect.

AA+

Our most luxurious materials of choice. Quality and functionality way beyond your expectations with some added technical bling.

Proportional padding

Our Seat pads are different, innovative and unique. We could have gone to various suppliers and chosen seat pads from their catalogue, in any size, density and with numerous questionable 3D or 4D features. In true Storck ideology, we just followed our own idea of a perfect pad and asked the best Italian supplier to help us to create it. No fancy details, just different sizes and densities for different pant sizes, and therefore rider weights. What's our secret of unrivalled comfort you can expect from each of our pants? A very cosy and costly micro cloth material on top, durable,breathable, quick drying high tech padding beneath and some experienced hands to cut and sew it together. Yes, our pads are handmade luxury products.... and you can feel it!

Fabrics

16% Polypropylene hollow fiber

1% Carbon

12% Elastane

34% Nylon / Polyamid

37% Polyester Coolmax"

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

Storck say, "Pro line products have fabrics with an important percentage of micro-polyamide and elastane that gives superior thermic, compression and comfort benefits. Combined with a polypropylene layer such as the Storck Bib Tight Winter Pro or with a polypropylene baselayer like the Storck Baselayer long sleeve jersey, it emphasises and exaggerates the fabric features the utmost, meaning the maximum amount of moisture is transported away from your body giving you unbeatable rider comfort."

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

There are a couple of pulled threads on the Everdry fabric - although this is an inner layer so you can't see them when on.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

Tights with windproof panels always cost more than standard. These are certainly premium quality - but they're still expensive.

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

Superbly comfortable.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

High level of comfort. Good windproofing that doesn't make you feel sweaty when riding hard.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

A few pulled elastic threads on the inner Everdry fabric.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.

Would you consider buying the product? Certainly, if they were cheaper.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 190cm  Weight: 75kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding,

 

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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