The Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II are effective, practical and comfortable. They’re well made, priced about right and they’re as adept on a short commute as they are on all-day rides and rough gravel adventures, thanks to an excellent multi-density chamois.
> Buy now: Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II for £145 from Le Col
I have bib shorts for different uses – my dailies, my mucky set and my best shorts saved for special events. The Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II are very much in the everyday category, designed to be good at everything without specialising in any one area.
They sit one level below Le Col’s pro level bib shorts, and come without the higher-end performance elements that those shorts have. The Sports are made with more panels, the chamois is designed to be used in various riding positions and prioritise comfort over an aero fit.
Fit
While the fit isn’t as aggressive as you’ll find on racing bibs, they’re not baggy and they don’t cause any excess drag.
As you’d expect from a set of everyday shorts at this price, they’re not as compressive as a pair of higher-end bib, but instead they’re made up of four panels on each leg, which results in a good fit.
The material is stretchy too, the panelling allowing a full range of movement when you’re pedalling, and it copes well with your various lumps and bumps.
They didn’t ride up during use either, thanks to the effective silicone grippers around the inside of the hems – and even when I was sweaty they stayed in place.
Chamois
As with any bib shorts, the most important element for comfort is the chamois. This chamois differs from those Le Col uses in its pro-level shorts, as it’s designed to be used in various positions rather than the aggressive position of its higher-end shorts.
This comes in the form of a pad with different densities and thicknesses across it, allowing you to shift more easily in the saddle while still maintaining comfort and support. With the kind of riding that 99% of us do, this suits them well, letting you sit up more when you’re climbing or shifting a little after hours in the saddle.
The chamois wasn’t just comfortable on long road rides, I found it worked equally well on rough gravel-riding excursions.
Upper
The top of the shorts is made from a mesh material that has a bit of stretch to it, but not quite as much as you would expect from bib short straps. This does make them a little more awkward to put on than some other pairs, but it doesn’t make too much of a difference.
They also wick well and I found that I could comfortably wear them either by themselves or with an under layer, and they were still breathable and comfortable even when it was particularly hot.
One slight issue is that the mesh continues fairly high up, which made it a little trickier to take a nature break.
Value
The £145 RRP is about what I’d expect in terms of their features and overall quality – they’re very comfortable but without more performance-orientated features such as compression material.
Isadore’s Signature Bib Shorts are £20 dearer and have a similar construction and quality, but with some added storage too.
The Santini Karma Evo Delta bib shorts are £20 cheaper and constructed from a similar number of panels, though Sam found that the legs were a little longer than expected.
Our bib shorts buyer’s guide covers our top choices at a wide range of prices.
Conclusion
The Le Col Bib Shorts II are more than capable as a pair of everyday shorts – not just in terms of their price, but in how long they’re likely to last, their construction and their excellent multi-density chamois. The higher mesh makes nature breaks a little trickier, but that’s about the only down side.
> Buy now: Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II for £145 from Le Col
Verdict
A well-made and reliable set of everyday bib shorts that are comfortable on commutes, big days out and gravel rides
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road.cc test report
Make and model: Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II
Size tested: Large
Tell us what the product is for
Designed to perform at speed, with the added durability and versatility to handle the everyday grind.
The Sport Bib Shorts II takes the performance technology found in our pro-level collection and distill [sic] it into a short that’s more suited to training rides, sportives and everyday outings.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Four-way stretch
Quick-drying
Compressive fit
15-25°C Suitable temperature range
UPF 50+ Sun protection
A well-made pair of bib shorts that have strong stitching and a great choice of material.
They were comfortable on long rides, didn’t restrict movement and were impressive at wicking away sweat.
The stitching on the shorts is strong and with logos either printed on the material or stitched, they’re not going to degrade with time either.
Nice close fit, but with excellent stretch that didn’t restrict movement.
The large size I tried fitted as I would have expected from a pair of European bib shorts.
The chamois is very comfortable for longer and rougher rides, with variable foam density and thickness throughout, so there isn’t any chafing either.
At £145 the price is about what I’d expect for shorts of this quality.
How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?
Simple – I chucked them in at 30°C and dried them on the line without issue.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well, I found them comfortable for longer rides and they came across as robust, with effective material and strong material used throughout.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The chamois – it’s particularly effective.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The mesh is higher than on some shorts, which makes nature breaks more difficult than they could be.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
These are a good pair of bib shorts with a high-quality chamois that’s comfortable for long-distance riding, and the price is right.
About the tester
Age: 35
I usually ride: CAAD13 My best bike is: Cannondale Supersix Evo
I’ve been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,
3 thoughts on “Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II”
I feel it’s worth mentioning
I feel it’s worth mentioning that, even if £145 RRP is considered about right for these shorts, nobody should ever pay that given the almost permanent discounting / availability of discount codes for Le Col via Strava.
Got these at 60% off. Has
Got these at 60% off. Has anyone ever paid retial price with Lecol.? Bib too high so cant pee on a ride, so these are just for turbo.
To echo, reviewing these at
To echo, reviewing these at £145 makes no sense. Le col are decent for £80 or so bib shorts, which is the most anyone has ever paid for them. I’ve got a couple of spare pairs from where the stitching has gone around the pad. Thought it was great of them to send me some new ones for this ‘unique issue with no other reports’ until you ask around and realise almost everyone has experienced the same issue. IOW, quality ok at that price point, but laughable at £145.
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