Altura Nightvision Waist Tight

The Altura Nightvision DWR Waist Tights are a decent choice if you want protection from the elements without the bother of full bib tights. They are warm, come with a decent pad, plenty of reflectives and even a water-repellent coating. Just be aware that they come up a little small around the waist.

• Pros: Comfortable pad; waist stays put
• Cons: Waist sizes come up small compared to chart

The main reason I wear bib tights or bib shorts is that I like them to stay put whether I am in or out of the saddle. Some pairs of waist shorts I've had in the past didn't have that secure a waist; the Alturas are better in that respect, but they do come up a little snug.

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Using Altura's size guide, my waist measurement sits between small and the medium, and my height is bang on the medium, which is what I'm testing here. (It's not me in the photos.)

To keep the waist snug, the elastic is quite taut, which makes the tights a bit of a struggle to get up over the tops of your legs and backside. Once on they didn't feel too bad, but for a little bit of extra comfort I'd probably go up to the large size. It's an extra 2in in width, but the overall height barely changes.

For length I can't fault them. The silicone ankle grippers keep the legs in place, and with no excess fabric to speak of there was no bunching behind the knees. I have quite large thighs, and there were no issues with the tights fitting there either.

The material Altura uses is relatively lightweight but has a fleece backing, to trap body heat and keep you warm. I'd say the tights are good for temperatures from around 7-12°C, and should it be raining they also have a DWR (durable water repellent) coating which sees rain, from moderate showers to prolonged drizzle, bead off the surface. It doesn't keep you dry forever, but for changeable conditions it is ideal.

As they're part of Altura's Nightvision range, you get plenty of reflectives, which on this option are blue during daylight hours but appear silver come darkness and light is applied.

You get a good covering on each thigh at the front, and both calves at the rear.

Pad-wise, Altura's Comp 3D chamois is pretty good. It's quite firm, without a huge amount of padding, but I got on fine with it, even on long rides. The stitching around the outside feels soft and I certainly didn't suffer any irritation from it.

Priced at £64.99 the Nightvisions are a tenner cheaper than the 7Mesh Seymour Tights, which Mike reckoned were very good. Those don't have a pad and are designed to be put on over your bib shorts for extra protection, so a little different to the Alturas, but they do also come with a DWR coating.

> Buyer's Guide: 33 of the best winter bib tights and trousers

The Alturas are the same money as the dhb Classic Thermal tights, the non-bib version of these that I found to be very good.

Conclusion

Overall, the Alturas are comfortable and come with a decent pad. The only issue I found was a slightly tight waist – you might need to go up a size for a better fit.

Verdict

Decent all-round package for winter riding if you don't want bibs, but check the sizing