Kalf Flux Print Men’s Bib Short

Kalf has stuck with its highly rated design formula of performance fit, good chamois and great value to create these excellent Flux Print bib shorts, with subtle colour tweaks to match them to the Flux Print jersey.

• Pros: Cut, performance, comfort, design, value
• Cons: None

Exclusive-to-Evans Cycles brand Kalf emerged last year with its debut range of jerseys and bib shorts, which I reviewed, commenting especially on their very good performance and quality for a very reasonable asking price.

> Find your nearest Evans store here

The Flux Print bib shorts largely mirror the Flux Chevrons of last year in all but name and some colour tweaks.

To save repeating myself verbatim from that review last year, let's go over the highlights briefly. An Elastic Interface Flux chamois provides good high-density padding for century rides, the leg grippers are textured in the distinctive chevron design that doesn't result in chafing, and the legs are cut slightly higher than most models – perfect for summer use.

Flatlock stitching throughout is high quality, resilient and well positioned to improve comfort, and the design continues to feature Kalf's distinctive iridescent branding.

The bib section is the same too, with plenty of elasticity and a crossover design that distributes tension very nicely across the shoulders without cutting inwards.

In fact, there's lots of elasticity throughout the entire construction while remaining supportive, helping boost their performance-orientated feel.

So what's changed? Essentially, the colour. The bib section features a more subtle blue chevron design on the inside of the straps, while the thin hems that protrude the bottom of the legs are navy blue too (in place of the coral of the Chevron bibs). As a result, you could argue that the new design can match more subtly with other pieces of kit – it certainly does with both the green Flux Chevron jersey I reviewed last year and this year's matching purple Flux Print jersey (full review to come).

Given the similarities in construction, it's reasonable to assume quality will be the same as with the Chevrons, and I've still got no complaints with those. They've lasted really well into this summer with fairly regular use in warm weather. In this job, you get exposed to lots of kit, but it's testament to their quality that they sit alongside other bib shorts from the likes Rapha and Castelli in my wardrobe.

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

Happily, unlike the jersey range that has seen a price increase, the bib shorts continue to cost £85, which still represents excellent value given the performance they provide. And, with the experience of wearing the Chevron bib shorts before them, I can vouch for their durabilty: they're going to last for longer than one season – there's no downside in resilience and quality that I can see.

Verdict

At this price, the level of quality and performance is astonishing