Lusso Pro Gel Bib Shorts

The Pro Gel bib shorts from Manchester brand Lusso offer decent comfort which is good for rides of several hours, with goes-with-anything black styling and a competitive price tag.

Italian name notwithstanding, Lusso is based in the north of the UK and – unusually – does all of its manufacture here in the UK too. The company makes a range of bib shorts all of which are under £100, and these, the Pro Gel bibs, are its second most affordable at £65. Constructed from Italian CoolTech fabric, these are your classic all-black bibs with only subtle branding, so likely to appeal to traditionalists in that respect.

Bib shorts are there to do a job, and that job is to keep you comfortable in the saddle. The key component for that to happen is the pad, made here from HD foam and gel and with a micro-fibre surface material. It's not branded and I'll be honest and say that I had modest expectations of it, but was pleasantly surprised. Lusso says that the pad is 14mm thick, which would be unusually thick, but I think it's closer to 10mm. It's a fairly conventional shape with a pressure-relieving channel down the centre, but it's in the right place and I found on rides of five hours or so that it kept me comfortable and without any real complaints.

The bib straps are made from a very breathable Coolmesh fabric and are wide enough to avoid digging into the shoulders. My only criticism of them is that the stitched seams are quite chunky – I prefer straps which are either laser cut or bonded as this makes for less bulk and less chance of skin irritation.

The CoolTech fabric is a little bit shiny and a bit less sleek than more premium fabrics, but in use is generally pretty comfortable. The label is coy about exactly what it's made of, describing it as simply "100% synthetics". On warmer days, I found it a little bit sweaty – I think this is an area where you can differentiate from more expensive shorts – but it wasn't really a big issue.

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The leg openings use a 32mm-wide band of laser-cut Lycra which is embedded with lightly grippy silicone across the whole of the inner surface. It's an approach used more and more to replace the narrower silicone strips seen in the past, and here it is comfortable and without any constriction on the thighs.

The only branding on the outside is two Lusso "L" logos, one on the right thigh and a reflective one on the rear. Past experience is that these may not remain in place for that many washes, although at the time of writing they are still there.

If you're in the market for some new bibs and want to be able to ride longer distances in comfort, then I'd certainly recommend considering these. At this price point, I would also be looking at dhb or these from Sportful as quality alternatives, but the Lussos can hold their own particularly if you're riding all day.

Verdict

Excellent comfort at a very reasonable price; recommended if you like the traditional look