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review
£99.99
VERDICT:
Staying warm, dry and comfortable all for under £100. That's a lot of tights and technology in one package
Weight:
0g
Contact:
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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Santini's Storm 365 winter bib tights certainly deliver on their promise of keeping you both warm and dry on winter rides building on the company's long record of delivering good technical cycling clothing.
In 1965 Pietro Santini took over a knitwear factory from his sisters and fuelled by a passion for cycling and racing, began producing specialist cycling clothing.
Almost 50 years later, Santini are still at it. They still retain their original philosophy as their range has expanded.
Tights or bib tights are designed to keep you warm when the temperature drops. Generally offering greater insulation due to the thicker fabric used. The Santini BeHot winter bib tights are a mix of materials and technology packaged into one set of tights aimed at beating winter.
Santini have used their latest technology to keep you protected from the cold. The BeHot fabric does this but also generates heat. Up to 4 degrees c, it does this as your body moves. As you exercise, the movement of your legs stretches and compresses the fabric and the fibres generate heat.
This coupled with the insulation to reduce heat loss keep your legs toasty but without overheating if you wear the BeHot's when it's cold or wet. The mix of 80% nylon and 20% elastane make for a comfortable, stretchy set of tights. If that weren't enough, Santini have added there Acquazero finish to the BeHot tights to provide a water-resistant covering.
To ensure the rider sits comfortably the tights are equipped with a GIT chamois. This stands for Gel Intech or original twist gel core chamois. It's a silicone gel that absorbs shocks by constantly adjusting it's shape before returning to it's original shape. Two layers of foam provide anti-shock padding. It also has antibacterial microfibres, designed to prevent chafing and irritation. Perfect for the endurance or long distance rider.
The Santini 365 Storm tights or BeHot are surprisingly effective. I've used them at 0c and they provided plenty of warmth in such fresh conditions. When it's been warmer but wetter you don't get that feeling of having soggy legs.
Getting the tights on is a little bit of a squeeze I prefer that to being too baggy. The fit is snug, with the ankle placement secured neither by a foot strap or a zippered fastner. Once you have pulled them on they do have a nice secure fit. The shoulder straps are not mesh as you'd expect on winter tights, the only ventilated section is in the middle of the back.
At the front, there is a small zip to assist with comfort breaks and make the whole process of taking the Santini tights on and off a little easier. The zip is easy to use and can be kept in place by folding the zip fastner down when it is housed in it's protective cover. Around the backside of the tights and down the front of the legs, a reflective piping has been added to offer some extra visibility.
Overall, the BeHot technology used in the Santini tights works to good effect. You not only stay warm(er) but you remain dry in all but the heaviest downpours on the evidence of use recently in testing conditions.
Verdict
Staying warm, dry and comfortable all for under £100. That's a lot of tights and technology in one package
road.cc test report
Make and model: Santini 365 Storm Bib Tights
Size tested: Large
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?
For regular riders or hardy commuters who want more protection against the elements, the Santini BeHot tights work a treat. Safe to say I was a little sceptical as to how successfully they would work but I have been won over. They are impressive in cold or wet conditions or both if you are unluckier enough to be out on days like that.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Santini have used their latest technology to keep you protected from the cold. The BeHot fabric does this but also generates heat. Up to 4 degrees c, it does this as your body moves. As you exercise, the movement of your legs stretches and compresses the fabric and the fibres generate heat.
This coupled with the insulation to reduce heat loss keep your legs toasty but without overheating if you where the BeHot's when it's cold or wet. To assist with this the mix of 80% nylon and 20% elastane make for a comfortable, stretchy set of tights. If that weren't enough, Santini have added there Acquazero finish to the BeHot tights to provide a water-resistant covering.
To ensure the rider sits comfortably the tights are equipped with a GIT chamois. This stands for Gel Intech or original twist gel core chamois. It's a silicone gel that absorbs shocks by constantly adjusting it's shape before returning to it's original shape. Two layers of foam provide anti-shock padding. It also has antibacterial microfibres, designed to prevent chafing and irritation. Perfect for the endurance or long distance rider.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
The BeHot tights are sturdy enough to cope with regular use and washes. The seams are well made so there is irritation. The pad is well attached and remains in place no matter how much you as a rider move around.
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Given the claims on performance it would be reasonable for the user to be a little sceptical. Offering protection from the cold and being water resistant are decent claims but to increase warmth slightly through exertion is quite another. There certainly is no doubting the BeHot tights do keep you warm on cool or cold days without causing overheating. As a bonus the water resistance has coped well with the showery conditions of late.
Rate the product for durability:
9/10
As mentioned in the review, the tights have been used copiously and washed equally as often without showing any signs of fatigue.
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
9/10
The Santini's aren't the lightest tights you can buy but they are for autumn/winter riding. The protection offered from the cold is enough to justify this very slight penalty.
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
7/10
At times I did find the pad a bit narrow at the front. The rear of the pad is sufficient to offer plenty of comfort but at times the front section was guilty of cutting in to the top of the thigh. Not on every ride so it pays to make sure you have everything aligned before heading out.
Rate the product for value:
9/10
Compared to other products you are getting a lot of technology and protection for your money. Coupled to the performance is the durability and all this for under £100.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The BeHot tights have performed well and under pressure from the elements. At this time of year when the conditions can be more demanding they have been a very useful addition to the wardrobe.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Keeping me warm and dry, these two factors in wet, cold riding conditions cannot be under-estimated.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
A slight concern with the chamois. It feels a little too narrow at the front which can lead to discomfort but make sure everything is in place before you head out.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, staying dry and warm is recommended.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
The BeHot tights from Santini are worthy of consideration if you're looking for some long bib tights for the winter. Keeping you warm with the chance of getting warmer whilst staying dry are very big plus points. I had a slight concern about the narrowness of the chamois at the front, but you might not, plus even with that concern I would still strongly consider buying them.
About the tester
Age: 45 Height: 178cm Weight: 80kg
I usually ride: Currently riding a Pinnacle Evaporite Three My best bike is: As above
I've been riding for: Under 5 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, sportives, mtb, Not yet but looking to dip my toe in the world of TT
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7 comments
£100 is a lot of money. I'd want reassurance that the product will last and retain it's properties for at least 5 years before buying.
As long as you don't mind waiting for a review for so long that the products are no longer available to buy, I'm sure we could operate like this.
Would love to see the peer-reviewed science behind a fabric that can apparently generate 'up to 4ºC' simply by being stretched.
From their website: "Most tights simply insulate you from the cold but, thanks to the Heat Generating Technology of the BeHOT fabric, we have created a pair of tights that not only insulate but also generates additional heat – up to 4 degrees C – as your body moves.
The appliance of science has allowed us to achieve this in two ways: firstly, as you exercise the movement of your legs stretches and compresses the BeHOT fabric and its fibres generate heat. Secondly, the insulation property of the fabric results in less heat loss – entropy – than other fabrics. Of course, all this is achieved with maximum breathability that maximizes comfort."
Firstly, where is the 4ºC measured? at the skin? over what area? If your legs cover approx. 0.2m2, raising an area that large by 4ºC would seem to me to require a massive amount of energy - far more than could be generated by rubbing some fibres together.
And this heat is coming from your own legs in the form of chemical potential converted into kinetic energy through the act of flexing and contracting the leg muscles. Nothing else is moving those fibres against each other.
Now If Santini have invented a magic fabric that can make the tights *feel* like it's 4º warmer than other tights - super. OK. I'd get that. But the idea that the tights themselves are generating 4ºC worth of heat?
Next you'll be telling us that Father Christmas doesn't exist.
Actually, I read it as "up to 4 degrees they generate heat" (but it doesn't state how much heat) - i.e. over 4 degrees and they don't generate heat. I didn't read it as they generate 4 degrees. That is patently absurd.
"we have created a pair of tights that ... generates additional heat – up to 4 degrees C – as your body moves"
That's pretty clear to me. An insulating effect works regardless of the external temperature - wearing a Roubaix fabric will make you toasty at 4º, uncomfortable at 14º and unbearably hot at 24º.
It obviously isn't clear if we both read it differently. From the text:
"The BeHot fabric does this but also generates heat. Up to 4 degrees c, it does this as your body moves."
The full stop is the key. Then again, I'm a proofreader and get to read plenty of nonsense, so who am I to judge?
Agreed - if that full stop was included in Santini's original claim. Hence why I went to their website and got the quote "we have created a pair of tights that ... generates additional heat – up to 4 degrees C – as your body moves". Caven no doubt will have taken that info to incorporate into the review - we all check out the manufacturer's sites to get an insight into the tech - but in this case it's changed in translation. Going back to the source, it appears that Santini are claiming to create an additional 4º of warmth. I'm calling Taurean effluent on this one.