Le Col HC Bib Shorts

Le Col's HC bib shorts form the bottom half of an excellent kit set with the HC jersey, and while their cost is on a par with the high level of performance, the design means that you'll probably only want to buy them with the jersey.

Pros: Performance feel and cut, quality chamois

Cons: Quite expensive, needs to be matched with very expensive jersey

Why? You've heard of the saying, 'bib shorts should be black', right? Well, while I don't like to blindly perpetuate cycling's fabled unwritten rules, the fact is that this one – on a style point at least – is fairly justified.

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Black bib shorts go with just about anything (you can even mix and match brands without too much fuss), but those that are styled like the HC bib shorts usually need a matching counterpart to look decent when out on a ride.

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Now, this may or may not bother you, so I'll leave that point there. It's just as well, because the HC bib shorts are right up there in the top tier in terms of performance – which, if nothing else, makes the expensive matching jersey worth a second look.

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The Chamois is an Italian Dolomiti model that performs brilliantly for long stints in the saddle. The longest I went was 120km, and I felt like I could have gone another 120km more without much trouble, such was the comfort. It features graded pressure points for those important areas, and the surface is covered in a soft almost fleece-like textile that keeps friction down to a minimum against the skin.

Arguably it's not the most breathable or cool chamois around – there are no perforations in the construction – but I never really had a problem with this in typical UK summer weather.

The overall construction featuring a higher-than-usual density of Lycra also means that the bib shorts excel in cool UK summer temperatures too. They wouldn't be my first choice in a heatwave or on the continent, for example, but the added luxury feel is perfect for the UK's ever-changing weather.

The fit is excellent too, with just enough compression around the legs to ensure a performance feel without feeling restricted, and there's plenty of flexibility in the fabric if you happen to be carrying some serious-sized quads and glutes. I'm not (alas), but those who do will find space to accommodate them here, while rakes won't be burdened with excess fabric.

The legs are held in place by textured gripper nodules that run up the leg (along the 'hex' pattern), with additional nodules around the hem in the traditional spot too. It's a slightly unusual solution to have grippers up the side of the leg, like the jersey that has the same feature on the arms, but it's very comfortable indeed.

Those legs ignore the current trend of bib shorts that extend to just above the knee – these run to a nice mid-point between the knee and mid-thigh, which (for my money at least) is perfect.

Up top, the bib section is a single-piece stretchy band with a light mesh back. Le Col has done a great job of ensuring that the stretchiness of the bands is flexible enough that it can mould to the shape of those with long torsos without adding any undue stress on the shoulders. They give the impression that they're cut a little longer than your typical bib section, but as far as I can tell they not – indicating that they'll fit to size too.

Quality is undoubtedly good too. Flatlock seams seem high quality, while the bib shorts return perfectly from a 40 degree wash despite the 30 degree recommendations.

The bottom line is that these are excellent bib shorts with no real weaknesses on the quality or performance front. In my personal opinion, they only really match with the HC jersey or jerseys of the same colour, which is a shame because that will limit their appeal, especially given the cost.

However, if you want a new high-performance premium kit set this summer, you can do far worse than look at the HC collection from Le Col.

Verdict

Bib shorts from the top shelf, but the blue colour means it'll be difficult to mix them with other favoured jerseys.