Could these recycled shorts make you go faster on your bike? Pro rider Dan Bigham thinks so

Can a pair of shorts made out of recycled inner tubes improve your aerodynamic efficiency on the bike? That's the claim being made by the charity Cycle of Good.

“Five years ago, this innovative, Staffordshire based charity set out on a mission to transform the unsustainable and ecologically damaging synthetic dominating habits of the cycle industry by providing high-performance recycled alternatives,” they told us.

Managing director Vince Owens said: ”We’re thrilled to be launching what we hope to be the first in a long line of fully recycled performance cyclewear.

“We have invested millions of pounds and years of our lives in intensive R&D, alongside our Swiss partner, Olaf Priol.

“We are now finally able to share our aerodynamically designed, imbalance correcting, gender-neutral, cycle shorts.

“We’re so confident in their design that if you don’t beat your PB by at least 25 per cent on the first wearing, we will offer a full refund.”

Hand-crafted in Malawi, the shorts are fully made from recycled inner tubes.

According to the company, “they feature a unique air-flow® system, whereby cyclists can use their bicycle pump to inflate the seat area of the shorts through two cleverly positioned valves.

“This not only improves comfort but corrects an imbalanced cadence as each cheek can be balanced to an even pressure.”

Owens said: “We expected just a marginal gain but just couldn’t believe the performance results; we’ve seen our riders improve their times by up to 52.5 per cent and not only that, they report fewer muscle strains and shortened recovery times over distances of 200km.”

If that sounds too good to be true, Cycle of Good enlisted UCI Continental Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling rider Dan Bigham and his colleagues at WattShop in Newcastle Under Lyme to road-test the shorts.

“I have never seen so little aero drag. As soon as I slipped the shorts on, I knew they were good”, Bigham said.

“The genius addition is the air-flow® system, I didn’t even know that I had uneven buttocks before I added the additional air. From now on I will wear nothing else. I also love the fact that they are saving the planet and eradicating poverty at the same time. That has to be a Cycle of Good!”

The shorts are being launched today – find out more here.