Lusso Synergy Bib Shorts

New for 2019, the Lusso Synergy Bib Shorts are a competitive price, and the nicely understated design – with added splashes of colour to the inside of the straps and pad – makes for a good looking pair. However, for me they do have a few issues around comfort, and the quality isn't quite as high as I'd expect.

• Pros: Decent price, great breathability
• Cons: Rigid pad makes getting comfortable difficult

> Buy these online here

Material

The shorts are made predominantly of two Italian fabrics. Hurricane makes up the front panels, allowing breathability and movement thanks to its high elasticity. It works well for temperature control.

The Speed Plus fabric is used for the side and rear panels and features a textured surface allowing compression, sensory performance and 'technical performance'. Sounds like a bit of marketing speech to me, but the feel is great.

Coolmesh fabric in the middle back allows more breathability and reduces sweating.

One issue in their construction is an excess of material around the pad when off the bike, which seems more exaggerated than other bibs I've worn. I thought it was just poor sizing on my part, but when looking at catalogue images it still seems to be evident. It does stretch out when on the bike, but is a bit irritating off it. 

Pad

The TeoSport Armadillo pad is said to offer '6h+ comfort and a rapid drying anti-bacterial surface', but for me it seems very rigid compared to others I've ridden in, preventing it from moulding to your form. On longer road rides it was fine if I could find a comfortable position and stick with it, but any riding that involved movement in and out of the saddle proved more problematic.

Off the bike, although of less importance, it was also less comfortable than others. I had hoped it would soften up, but it didn't in the month of testing.

A positive is that the flat seams surrounding the pad caused no irritation at all, including when on the trails and moving around.

Leg grip

The 75mm leg gripper has just the right level of grip on your skin without being overly tacky and difficult to move. The band provides yet more breathability, while the elasticity caused no leg pressure.

A minor downside if you ride with leg or knee warmers is that the grippers aren't tight enough as a last defence if they're falling down. Granted, this is more the fault of the leg warmer than the shorts themselves.

Straps

The soft-feel straps are a nice feature. No seams on the outer edges of the 45mm-wide straps make for an almost weightless feel on your shoulders.

It's a shame the inner seams between the fabrics are so large by comparison. They didn't cause irritation as such, more just noticeable compression in a few locations. These same seams looked good from the outside, bar a few thread ends that had pulled through.

Value

Although towards the lower end of the scale for bibs shorts, the Lusso Synergy Bib shorts still have some strong opposition out there. For example, the ever popular dhb Aeron bib shorts are cheaper at £75 and Stu was impressed with their quality, comfort and performance.

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

As I've said, pad comfort is subjective and the TeoSport used here would put me off choosing the Synergy shorts. If you like to stick to the same position in the saddle then you might get on better with it – in which case they could be worth a look as a good alternative to the higher spec and expensive bib shorts on the market.

Verdict

Some comfort and minor quality issues detract from an otherwise decent pair of bib shorts