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review

MAAP Team Bib Evo

9
£190.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Absolute quality, from the performance of the fabric through to the comfort of the pad, if you don't mind paying for it
Exceptional comfort
High quality finish
Excellent fabric choice
A big outlay
Weight: 
200g
Contact: 
road.cc Recommends

This product has been selected to feature in road.cc recommends. That means it's not just scored well, but we think it stands out as special. Go to road.cc recommends

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The new Team Bib Evo from Australian brand MAAP are very much the pinnacle of how a pair of shorts should feel and perform. The fabric delivers excellent levels of stretch and movement with equal amounts of compression which give a cosseting experience, while the 3D pad is sublime. All of this comes at quite a price, though.

On its website, MAAP doesn't disclose the name of the fabric it's used for the main shorts section of the Team Evo, just saying that it is engineered for optimal stretch, recovery and shape retention, and that it has a composition of 80% polyamide and 20% elastane.

> Buy these online here

It also has Bluesign certification, like many other of MAAP's products. Bluesign ensures that goods are made from materials produced only using chemicals and processes that are safe for people and the environment. Air and water emissions from the manufacturing processes are also entirely clean.

The fabric has a DWR (durable water repellent) coating, but while road spray and drizzle do bead off, it doesn't fare that well against anything harder. To be fair, if it's warm enough to wear shorts then getting wet isn't really an issue in my book.

2021 MAAP Team Bib Evo - legs back.jpg

Performance-wise, I really can't fault it. It has a compressive quality, which you can feel when putting the shorts on – I basically had to inch them up my thighs.

Once in place it feels like they come up small, especially compared to others in the range, such as the Team Thermal bib tights I reviewed back in November. Once fully on, though, and in position on the bike, I found the sizing and shape to work really well.

2021 MAAP Team Bib Evo - leg logo and cuff.jpg

They deliver the close fit you want to stop any unwanted bunching of the fabric, along with support for your muscles from the stretchy and compressive material.

2021 MAAP Team Bib Evo - legs front.jpg

Length in the legs and the upper body was absolutely fine, and when stretched out onto the hoods or drops, the width of the straps spreads the load, reducing pressure points.

2021 MAAP Team Bib Evo - straps front.jpg

The multi-panel design keeps seams away from where they could cause irritation and also creates a pair of shorts that just move perfectly with you while you're riding, whether in or out of the saddle.

Wide, elasticated grippers with a silicone imprint at the hem keeps the legs in place, and just like the straps, do away with any pressure points.

2021 MAAP Team Bib Evo - back detail.jpg

The pad is made exclusively for MAAP by Elastic Interface, a brand favoured by many of the top clothing manufacturers.

Its shape is created by thermoforming – adding heat to the material before moulding it to create its final shape – and you are left with a pad of varying depths of foam. The thicker sections are designed to lie beneath the sit bones, while the rest is much thinner, including at the front where it provides just a small amount of protection but the amount of material is kept to a minimum to avoid bunching.

2021 MAAP Team Bib Evo - chamois.jpg

The pad is very breathable, too, as is the main fabric used in the shorts and the mesh material used for the back section.

2021 MAAP Team Bib Evo - straps back.jpg

Overall quality is very high indeed; there is the odd stray thread end here and there, but generally all of the stitching is very neat and tidy. One place I always look out for wear and tear is the stitching around the pad – contact from the saddle can damage this quite quickly on some shorts, even after just a couple of rides – but no signs of that here.

> Buyer’s Guide: 38 of the best cycling bib shorts

MAAP offers the Team Evos in a range of colours. This navy blue and the black option come with white or colour-coordinated straps and logos, and there is also an 'Olive Drab' (green) version – Emma tested the women's version.

Bringing value back into the equation puts the Tea Evos up against some tough opposition, but even at £190 they still put up a good fight against some of the best out there.

George rated the Castelli Premio Black bib shorts very highly, praising the fabric, the comfortable pad and the compression qualities. All things that the MAAPs share, but the Castellis are £220.

I recently tested the Rapha Classic bib shorts, which I liked a lot. They're a bit cheaper at £170, but the MAAPs have the edge over them in every respect.

I'd also say they perform slightly better than the Hydra Tech Pro Strada21 bib tights that Jamie recently tested, which cost £184.

Conclusion

Yes, they are a lot of money, but up against the opposition they perform very well indeed. If you want an excellent fitting pair of shorts with a top-notch pad and good breathable performance then you won't go far wrong with the Team Bib Evo.

Verdict

Absolute quality, from the performance of the fabric through to the comfort of the pad, if you don't mind paying for it

road.cc test report

Make and model: MAAP Team Bib Evo

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

MAAP says, "Redefine your performance with our new Team Bib Evo, a bold evolution of our most popular bib. The all new 3D Thermo Moulded multi-layer chamois ensures ultimate comfort for long days on the bike, while laser cut perforations provide maximum breathability no matter the conditions. Ergonomically designed with a male-specific cut and optimal stretch to move seamlessly from training to racing. Experience the fourth generation, now."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

MAAP lists:

Main body fabric engineered for optimal stretch, recovery and shape retention

Anti pilling and high abrasion resistance

Non see through function [fabric won't thin over time]

Moisture wicking and highly breathable

DWR coating

All fabrics are Bluesign approved and made in Italy

High airflow back mesh panel with bound edge

Seamless elastic bib brace straps

Reflective print transfers

Elastic leg hem band with printed silicone gripper

UPF50+ sun protection factor

All new Proprietary 3D Thermo Moulded multi density chamois, manufactured by Elastic Interface® - OEKO-TEX® certified

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

They feel like they come up small when you first put them on, but get on the bike and the fit is spot on.

Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

MAAP recommends a cool wash and by doing that I have had no problems.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

An excellent pair of performance bib shorts that'll give you hours of comfort on the road or away from it.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

I like the mixture of compression and stretch in the fabric.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I'm not a huge a fan of the price...

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Castellis mentioned in the review are £30 more, and while the Strada21 and Rapha Classic shorts are cheaper by a bit, the MAAPs win out on performance and comfort, just.

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

Performance-wise they really can't be faulted, and although I did consider dropping the score to 8 overall because of the price, comparing them to similar high-scoring but more expensive shorts, I couldn't really justify it.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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