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review

Sugoi Icon bib shorts

9
£89.99

VERDICT:

9
10
Fit is spot on, ensuring plenty of niggle free, comfortable miles
Weight: 
225g
Contact: 
www.sugoi.com

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 Sugoi Icon bib shorts deliver on all fronts in a fit-and-forget way. For long hours in the saddle, that's just what you want.

Most of the fabric used on the Icon bibs is Sugoi's so-called 'Mobil Mesh' fabric, a lightweight and relatively open lycra-spandex mix. This openness makes them very airy indeed, great for hot summer days of the sort that leave you covered in salt marks. The fabric also lends the Icons a sort of silvery sheen when worn, which looks great. The bib straps themselves are made from a more traditional mesh material to further improve ventilation.

Fit wise, the Icons manage to find the perfect balance between compression and suppleness such that you simply forget that you're even wearing them at all. A full strip of silicon round the bottom of each leg keeps them firmly locked in place with no movement whatsoever. Those with hairy legs might find the tacky silicon a little much, but I had no issues with irritation during the test period.

The strength of the leg grippers allows Sugoi to be a bit more generous with the fit around the tops of the thighs and the glutes. By no means are they baggy, but you don't feel constricted at all as can sometimes happen with more compressive shorts. In use, the result is a pair of bibs that feel just as good at mile 60 as when they were first put on.

The Formula FX pad used in the Icons is a superb multi-density number, with perforations to improve ventilation and a distinct lack of potentially chaffing seams. But a good pad is useless if it's incorrectly positioned or if it moves around on the bike. Here again, the Sugoi fit is spot on with the denser portions positioned right where they are needed – under your sit bones. The inherent stretch in the pad material allows it to conform to your body and move with you instead of against you.

The Sugoi sizing itself seems to be quite standard, as I usually take a medium and these fit me well in that size (the Sugoi website does feature a sizing guide). I found the legs to be on the long side which was a plus point for me as I usually struggle to find bibs long enough due to my lanky physique (climber's legs I keep telling myself). The only small bugbear I had with these was the high cut of the front panel (it reaches over my belly button) which made relieving oneself on the bike more difficult than it needed to be.

Verdict

Fit is spot on, ensuring plenty of niggle free, comfortable miles.

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Sugoi Icon 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?

A summer bib short for those looking for comfort on long rides.

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

-Mobil Mesh upper bib is highly breathable, lightweight and designed to stay in place

-No inseam to reduce under-chamois bulk

-Sublimated Graphic

-10 panel body contour fit

-Flat seams for increased comfort

-Formula FX pad

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

From the moment you pick them up, you know that these are quality bibs. The stitching is all perfect and the fabric feels suitably lightweight and techy.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

The stand out aspect of these bibs is their excellent fit. Everything stays put during the course of a ride making the last miles just as comfortable as the first.

All the flatlock stitches have remained intact despite plenty of use and washing maching cycles. The colour hasn't faded either.

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

Yes, these are proper summer bibs.

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

With regards bibshorts, comfort is performance and in that, these Icons excel.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

For the performance the Icons off good value for money even if they're not cheap in absolute terms.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Dialled fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

High cut at the front makes quick toilet stops a little trickier.

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: 21  Height: 190cm  Weight: 69kg

I usually ride: Canondale EVO Red  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Semi pro

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, mtb,

 

For 5 years, racing was my life and I went all the way from a newbie bonking after 40 miles, to a full-timer plying my trade on the Belgian kermesse scene. Unfortunately, the pro dream wasn't meant to be and these days, you're more likely to find me bimbling about country lanes and sleeping in a bush on the side of the road.

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