Rapha Core Cargo Bib Shorts

With extra pockets for food and essentials, supreme fit and comfort, at a price that doesn't break the bank quite as badly as the original Cargo Bib Shorts I tested last year, the new Rapha Core Cargo Bib Shorts are much easier to recommend.

• Pros: Extra pockets, comfortable
• Cons: I can't think of any

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Pockets galore

Let's deal with the pockets first because that's what you're here to find out: are they practical or pointless? The answer does depend on your requirements and the sort of riding you're doing, but I found them extremely useful and a bonus in many situations over regular shorts. Here's why.

Wearing the Core Cargo shorts gives you four extra pockets, to use either in conjunction with a regular three-pocket jersey or allowing you to wear a looser fitting top without pockets.

For really long rides, whether it's an audax or a long gravel quest where you need to carry lots more food and kit so as to ride unsupported, the extra pockets are immensely useful. As well as food, the mesh pockets legs pockets are useful for stashing warmers as you peel them off when the temperature (hopefully) rises.

Then, for off-road rides, whether on a gravel, cyclo-cross or mountain bike, I like being able to wear a looser fitting top, so the Core Cargo shorts provide the pocket space you normally get from a jersey for essentials like food, phone, keys, tools and other bits and bobs. You're also better off putting valuables in the rear Cargo pockets where they are less likely to eject on rough-and-tumble terrain compared to normal jersey pockets.

> Emergency essentials: 10 things to take on every ride

So they give you more options for carrying stuff on a ride. And I like that. Whether it's a banana, notepad, food or extra clothing. The rear two mesh pockets proved to be most useful in my experience, with the contents going unnoticed during a ride. I'm less sold on the mesh leg pockets, but for having food easily to hand they are brilliant. You can stash heavier items in there with no massive impact on comfort – it doesn't negatively affect your pedalling – but I tended to reserve them for food, money or small clothing items like arm warmers or a neck collar.

What about the rest of the shorts?

Moving on from the pockets, and the shorts are very well made with great attention to detail. There's no sense that these are an inferior product to the more expensive Cargo shorts I tested last year. The fit is nigh-on perfect thanks to well-shaped panels and just enough stretch in the Lycra fabric.

The wide laser-cut band hem design, popular across the industry, works a treat providing a seamless irritation-free fit around the legs.

The bib straps are generously wide and stretchy and sit on the shoulders nicely, and there's a big opening in the back panel to let your baselayer do its job of wicking sweat and keeping you dry.

Inside is the same padded insert used on the regular Core shorts and throughout Rapha's Classic range.

Some say it's not as comfortable as the posher padded insert on the more expensive Pro Team shorts but I've been swapping between these shorts and Rapha's high-end shorts and to be honest, when I'm on the bike I can't detect any sense that they're lacking in comfort.

So they're good then?

Rapha has played a blinder with the Core range. Yes, it's still not exactly cheap, but just like Shimano's 105 groupset is every bit as good as Dura-Ace, so too the Core range is as good as Pro Team, and it's hard to really justify spending more.

At £110 they're an extra tenner over the plain regular Core shorts, but the four additional pockets might just sway it for you. I can certainly see a lot of people saying 'why do I need pockets?' and for them the regular Core shorts will suffice, but if you're doing very long rides on and/or off-road, then the extra storage might just come in handy. I know it does for me.

There aren't many road-specific rivals if you're looking for bib shorts with extra pockets. Sportful's new Super Giara bib shorts are £115 and provide three mesh pockets; we haven't tested those yet but we've just been sent some so we'll see how they compare in due course.

Specialized's RBX Pro Bib Shorts are another untested option (which you can currently find discounted from £130 to £78). They have a total of five extra pockets, three on the back and two on the legs.

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

In summary then, just as I concluded with the original Cargo shorts last year, the addition of pockets might seem like a gimmick but once you start using them you quickly realise they're actually really useful. I can certainly see a lot of clothing brands looking to add a couple of rear pockets instead of those pointless radio pockets you get on some pro-inspired bib shorts.

Verdict

Very comfortable, great fitting bib shorts with useful extra pockets