Wearwell Revival Bib Shorts

UK brand Wearwell doesn't look to have skimped on the quality when it comes to these Revival Collection Bib Shorts. The fabrics feel soft and durable and the Cytech pad is pretty good on the comfort front. There are a lot of good shorts on the market for less, though, so do they do enough to get picked over the competition?

• Pros: Well made, good quality fabric
• Cons: Pricey, pad doesn't have the wow factor of some I've tested

According to its website, Wearwell has been around as a company in various guises since the end of the 19th century (established 1889) with this latest iteration of the brand being launched just last year.

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The Revivals are the only pair of bib shorts in Wearwell's lineup so far and it's not a bad start.

The main parts of the shorts section are made from an 80% polyester/20% Lycra mix from specialist Miti, and it offers plenty of support for your muscles without restricting movement.

It's very soft to the touch and feels a bit thicker between your fingers than that used on a lot of shorts, so durability shouldn't be an issue. All of the stitching looks to be tight and tidy too.

The fit is definitely on the performance side of things, with multiple panels making for a close cut when you are on the bike. The side panels of the legs have plenty of stretch to accommodate pretty much any thigh diameter, all held in place by the silicone grippers at the bottom.

The bib section uses a fine mesh fabric to cover your back and does a decent job of keeping you cool when paired with a lightweight baselayer and summer jersey. You even get a little pocket that you could use to stash an mp3 player as I'm guessing most of us don't ride around with a race radio linked to our team car.

For the pad Wearwell has turned to Cytech, which owns the likes of Elastic Interface, maker of a massive amount of chamois pads for a lot of the big brands, Berenis and Bikepad.

The pad found in the Revivals uses plenty of channels and varying density foam sections to create a comfortable place to sit while avoiding numbness. It does a good job; I certainly didn't suffer any discomfort and it's pretty good when it comes to bulk, or lack of it, too.

The only thing I would say is that lately I've been riding in quite a few pairs of shorts that have done away with this channelled design and just gone for a simple one-piece pad. The KISS Air found in the Castelli Velocissimo IV bib shorts is one and, as good as the Wearwell's is, it doesn't match that sublime comfort.

Those Castellis are £28 cheaper too, costing £100, which I said in the review I didn't think was excessive, especially when it comes to quality and that comfort.

> Buyer's Guide: 22 of the best cycling bib shorts

I've also tested the Northwave Extreme 3 bibs which have a very similar and very comfortable smooth pad design, and they cost just £89.99.

While I can understand that Wearwell will be moving a much smaller amount of stock and will probably have a much higher, small batch production cost, you can see that they don't quite offer the same value for money.

Overall, I think the Wearwells are a very good pair of shorts, and very well made, but they are up against some equally good but cheaper competition.

Verdict

A very good all-round pair of bibs but there are cheaper – and, subjectively, more comfortable – out there from the big brands