Gore Wear Torrent Bib Shorts+ Mens

The Gore Torrent Bib Shorts+ feature a Windstopper front panel to protect your private parts on cool days and chilly descents. Overall they're excellent with a very comfortable pad, a great fit and a subtly stylish look, though they're arguably a bit niche – I found them useful in a pretty narrow temperature range between 12-17 degrees.

Earlier this year we tested the Gore Ardent Bib Shorts+, and at a glance they're virtually identical to these. Both feature a Gore Windstopper Cup for groin protection, both are designed to be breathable in warmer weather, and both have a close fit for enhanced comfort and aerodynamics. This Torrent version is £50 cheaper, too, so what gives?

There are several key differences that aren't immediately obvious, and the Torrents have longer legs and flat hems rather than raw cut. Most crucially though, the pad is different. These use Gore's Advanced chamois, which is slightly thinner than the Expert in the more expensive Ardents, and in theory lighter and more breathable.

Although Gore says this is a medium density pad, it seems pretty thick and comfortable to me. For what it's worth, it's made by Elastic Interface – I'm not sure why Gore doesn't shout about this as Elastic Interface pads always seem highly rated.

This one feels virtually identical to the long-distance Elastic Interface pad in my Albion ABR1 bib shorts, which are similarly excellent for comfort – easily up to 100 miles. It doesn't interfere and in fact, you don't really notice it, unlike some chunkier designs.

According to Gore, the Torrent bibs weigh in at just 120g versus 198g for the Ardents, but on the road.cc scales of truth this pair of Torrents read 185g. Meanwhile the Ardents we tested were 215g, also in a size Large. That's only a 30g difference – a lot less than the 78g Gore claims.

I like the longer legs of the Torrent shorts, and the flat hems work just fine with no chafing. That goes for the rest of the bib shorts too.

They're cut close, probably veering more towards race fit than sporty, and there's a very generous silicone gripper on the inside of the leg which prevents the hems riding up.

There's a small reflective Gore logo on the back, and a single stripe around each leg. You can choose from either black and white or blue and white.

The bib section is entirely made of mesh, so there's plenty of breathability there, and aside from the very small section of Windstopper material the fabric is all quite light. The straps are a good length (even for longer torsos) and reasonably wide, and there are no seams to dig in to your shoulders – they're comfortable.

I did find that because the material is quite thin the straps wanted to twist themselves into a tizzy every time I put them over my shoulders, which required a bit of fiddling, but it's not a deal breaker by any means.

In general they breathe very well, though as Steve noted in his review of the Ardent Bib Shorts+, you do tend to get a little sweatier in the groin area than with regular shorts.

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Gore says 'Rapid cooling down on descents is a problem for cyclists so we have employed a Gore Windstopper cup in the groin area to protect from wind chill and ensure excellent moisture management.'

Personally, I've never had an issue with a chilly wi... bits, unless the temperature is really low, but everyone is different and perhaps you do. I'd say these might be best suited to days where it's between 12-17 degrees. Anything above – especially if you're doing a lot of long, steep climbs – and you might find these overkill. And anything below you might not want to wear shorts in the first place.

In that respect, then, they're perhaps a bit niche, but then again cycling is full of niches. It's nice to have the option should you need it.

Value

At £99.99 these feel fairly price for the quality, fit and performance, but whether they're good value or not will very much depend on just how often you find them necessary. They're probably just a little too warm to work as all-rounders, and ideally you'll need other options for properly hot weather.

We've reviewed loads of other bib shorts on road.cc, and plenty for less than these. The Orro Pyro Line Bibshorts are £30 less at £69.99, for instance, and also have good long legs, a bit of a compressive fit, a very comfy pad and a warmish fabric that's best suited to mild days.

Spend a penny (literally, not figuratively) more than the Gores cost and you get the Blackmore Bib Shorts, which were highly rated by Stef, although the front seems to come up quite high for wee stops (okay, literally as well). The pad isn't Elastic Interface, but was still a hit with the tester.

There are several other bib shorts recently reviewed that are well over the £200 mark, but personally I think Gore offers a very high quality product for the £100 asking price.

Overall

The pad is brilliant, the fit is great and these shorts feel built to last. The Windstopper cup is a good idea too, and will undoubtedly help keep away chills at speed, but the downside is the extra warmth limits the Torrent bibs to the milder days of summer.

Verdict

Excellent summer(ish) bib shorts with a great pad, but best suited to milder days