Santini Unico Bib Tights

The Santini Unico bib tights are not-quite-full-length bottoms that are great for autumn, winter and spring riding in the UK. Only the very coldest – or wettest – days will have you reaching for something else.

Santini describes these bibs as a seven-eighths length. So, they’re longer than a standard three-quarter bib and they don’t come all the way down to your ankles. For me, they’re a great length: for a fair bit of the year I’ll ride in shorts and knee warmers, and these Unico bibs are a similar length to that, without the obligatory stop after a few miles to rearrange the shorts/warmer interface because they’ve come unstuck.

For any ride where you’re not in summer gear and you’re not digging around for your heated insoles, they’re more or less perfect.

The fabric is a ‘high-performance Italian microfibre’ and it’s like a thin Roubaix fabric, trapping a bit of air on the inside for some insulation without being bulky. Again, for a lot of UK riding they feel just about right: you could wear these in low-double-digit temperatures without overheating. They’re not quite long enough – on me, anyway – that even with a long sock or a long overshoe you won’t have any exposed skin, so they’re good to low single digits, after which you’d probably opt for a full length bib.

I’ve worn these on a number of cold rides including a 200km audax that was about the coldest conditions I’ve ridden in the UK: below zero for six of the ten hours of riding. Okay, I wouldn’t have chosen them for that if I didn’t have them to test. But they were just about okay, so any normal ride above freezing is going to be fine.

Any normal, dry ride anyway… these bibs don’t have any kind of DWR coating on them so they’re not great in heavy rain. They’re okay, because the fabric has a bit of depth and still manages to insulate a bit when it’s wet, but given that these are winter tights it’s a shame there’s no attempt to make them water resistant. DWR treatments vary in their effectiveness, but even the less good ones are better than nothing.

Fit & sizing

The fabric is pretty stretchy: I’m wearing a size XL and with Santini’s famously Italian sizing I might normally opt for a 2XL (I’m 1.90m / 100kg) but the XLs accommodate me just fine. Santini says the bibs provide ‘light compression’ and I’d say that’s fair: they feel supportive without being restrictive.

The laser-cut braces sit flush against your skin and are comfortable even without a baselayer, and the waist extends reasonably high at the front, which is what you want from colder-weather bibs.

The back panel offers a bit of insulation but the breathable fabric and open design mean it doesn’t get clammy when you’re working hard.

There’s an oil-sheen-reflective Santini logo on the leg for a bit of extra visibility after dark. It’s on the left leg so it won’t be quite as visible in the UK as it would in mainland Europe, but it’s nice to have.

Pad

The Unico bibs get Santini’s C3 seat pad which is a five-layer model with gel inserts, designed for long rides. Santini says it’s produced using ‘an innovative process called Carving’, which is presumably not the same carving that’s been with us since paleolithic times, but anyway… I found it a comfy pad. It’s not especially bulky, and even on longer rides it gives a good level of support.

I’ve done up to the aforementioned 200km (12 hours, 10 in the saddle) in these and had no issues at all; the compressive fit of the tights means the pad stays put and doesn’t wander or rub.

The various layers are perforated to encourage airflow through the pad, and I didn’t find these bibs too sweaty even when I was riding in temperatures at the upper end of what they’re designed for. You can wash them on a normal cycle, and I have, several times, with no issues. The fabric looks as good as new, with no obvious wear in contact areas.

Value & conclusion

At £190 this is a premium pair of bibs, going up against the likes of Castelli’s Espresso and Albion’s Three Season tights. Probably the best full-length bibs out there at the moment are the Gorewear Spinshift Thermos at £144.99, which you can still get, even though Gore is getting out of the clothing market now. Check out more options in our guide to the best winter bib tights.

Lots of good options then, but none of them are quite these; I’m not sure I know of any other seven-eighths bibs. They have a lot going for them if you don’t like the faff of knee warmers (I certainly don’t) and you either have a pair of full bibs for the really rotten days or you just don’t bother going out then. They’re really good for a lot of UK-conditions riding.

Verdict

Very comfortable almost-tights that work well in UK conditions (except rain)

All the deals displayed on our review pages are pulled from a constantly updating database feed of the best affiliate deals available. The criteria for deciding on what are the best deals is who is offering the lowest, delivered price. In most cases we will be showing the very best deal available online, but sometimes you may be able to find an item cheaper. If you can please feel free to post a link in the comments box below. To find out more about affiliate links on road.cc click here.