Chapeau Club Bibshorts

New for the 2016 season, the Club Bibshorts from Chapeau are really rather good. Designed for the all-rounder with a comfortable pad, soft fabrics, plus a keen eye for detailing and quality control, the Clubs sit comfortably within their price range.

Chapeau hasn’t scrimped when it comes to fitting a decent pad, choosing a Bastogne HP from Elastic Interface, the company that supplies the majority of pads to the world’s shorts manufacturers.

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The Bastogne HP is designed primarily for long distance usage, offering plenty of padding for absorbing road bumps without being too soft or causing any bunching. The pad is completely flat; where others have sections of varying density foam separated by channels, the Bastogne HP runs seamlessly – or channel-lessly – from one section to the next, undetectable by eye, but you can feel it. Whether this is why the shorts are so comfortable is hard to tell, but the whole pad just feels ‘right’. There is a central channel to promote blood supply and reduce numbness, but that’s it.

Thanks to the supportive padding the Clubs are just as happy on short, hard blasts of an hour or so as longer rides. With minimal padding at the front, again you get no bunching or excess material when crouched low in the saddle. It certainly seems a well thought out design.

With the majority of bib shorts being laser cut these days, the number of panels has increased dramatically to create a fit and shape contoured to the rider. The Clubs take full advantage of this, along with a stretchy, borderline-compressive Lycra material which gives a very close fit, moving with you as you pedal, in or out of the saddle.

The bibs use varying degrees of mesh for breathability and it is noticeable how cool they are on a hot day when paired with a mesh baselayer and a summer jersey. The bibs aren’t as restrictive as the lower part of the shorts, so the straps never feel tight when sitting up in the saddle or stretching out in a racing tuck.

The leg grippers are covered with very tiny silicone dots and once they are in position they stay put. The bottom of both legs use contrasting black and white patterns to match the opposing logos on each thigh; it’s a nice touch, which gives the Clubs a more expensive look.

When you are laying out £100 on a pair of shorts, attention to detail and finish has to be pretty much spot on, and the Chapeaus don’t disappoint. The stitching looks neat and tidy throughout, with just the odd stray thread end here – it would be nice to see them trimmed at the point of quality control but it’s far from a deal breaker.

Neat little reflective tags and logos are a nice touch, as is the label sewn into the outside of the bib strap where it isn’t going to irritate.

The material is said to be pilling and abrasion-resistant, and it’s showing strong signs of this in use so far, so durability shouldn’t be an issue.

Value? Well, it depends how much you can justify laying out on a pair of shorts, but I reckon the Clubs are right on the money for what I’d expect at this price. When you add up the build quality, comfort and fit, there isn’t really a lot to count against them.

> Read our guide to the best cycling bib shorts here

Overall Chapeau has designed a very good pair of bib shorts that suit a range of riding styles. They deliver in fit and comfort, plus tick all the boxes in the style stakes too.

Verdict

Excellent bib shorts for long distance rides, and they have that classic, boutique brand look about them

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