Velocio Men’s Luxe Thermal Bib Tights

The Velocio Men’s Luxe Thermal Bib Tights are sensational for long winter training rides. The fit is impeccable, the feel against your legs is next-level, and they look just right. Build quality is also brilliant, and while the entry fee is high, you’ll get many years of warmth and comfort in return.

> Buy now: Velocio Men’s Luxe Thermal Bib Tights for £176 from velodrom.cc

Born in New England (owned by SRAM since 2022) and with its garments made in Europe (in this instance, Albania), Velocio is fast emerging as one of the top players in the premium cycle clothing space, and with good reason – its products, insofar as I can see, are top notch.

Case in point is these Luxe Thermal Bib Tights, which sit between Velocio’s regular Luxe bib tight – designed for spring and autumn – and the full-on Zero bib tight, which is intended for the kind of super cold conditions where you’d really rather just jump on the turbo trainer.

But for those crisp and, ideally, mostly dry winter days that are 5-10 degrees, the Luxe bib tights are just the thing for keeping you warm and comfortable. They’re available in three really pleasing colours – Black, Black Olive, and Nightshade, and there’s a plentiful range of sizes available: XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL, and 4XL.

Construction

The tights feature a Thermoroubaix Fleece lined fabric with a wind-blocking section at the nether regions (a mix of 48% polyamide, 28% polyester and 24% elastane – Velocio doesn’t state whether these are recycled), with flatlock stitching and what the brand says is a ‘compressive construction’. The back panel is made from mesh, which is pretty typical, and helps dispense with excessive back sweat. A durable water repellent (DWR) coating also helps fend off light rain and general winter road grime.

Handy for longer road or gravel rides, the Luxe Thermal Bib Tights also include something we’re seeing more and more these days: large mesh pockets on either side of the legs for extra storage. In each side, you can easily stow a decent size phone (in my case an iPhone 14) as well as a variety of other snacks and other bits. They’re tight to the leg, but accessing them on the move is straightforward.

The headliner of any good pair of bibs is the chamois pad, and in the case of Velocio’s tights it’s not the Elastic Interface pad that I would expect at this sort of level. Instead, there’s a proprietary multi-density pad, which although not made by my favourite premium pad brand, feels just as good (more on that later).

Despite the somewhat sporty pretensions of these tights, Velocio certainly hasn’t skimped on visibility. While they don’t feature huge commute-friendly chevrons all over the place, there are several small reflective Velocio logos: one at the rear and either side. Critically, Velocio has also placed large non-insulated reflective panels at the lower rear section of each leg. Not only do they look quite stylish, their position means they really ping out when a beam of light hits you from behind, and the movement from your legs should get you extra attention (hopefully in a good way).

Size and fit

Sizing is about what you’d expect from an international clothing brand. The large I had on test was just right for me: figure hugging in all the right places (more so due to the compressive fabric), long enough in the legs, and with plenty of room in the straps without being tight across the shoulders. The straps are a generous width, which helps further.

My physiology: 1.94m with a 91cm inside leg and a weight of about 81kg (on a non-mince pie day) with a slim, muscular (if I do say so myself) build means that Velocio’s sizing guide puts me in a medium or large at my height and weight. I do think a medium would have been pushing it.

If you’re on the shorter side, you’ll definitely want to pay attention to the size chart – you may end up with the right level of tightness, but the legs could be a touch too long. If you’re 1.72m or under and over 73kg, then apparently Velocio doesn’t offer a size to fit you…

Comfort

After the initial wash and a couple of ‘breaking-in’ rides, as recommended by Velocio, I can quite confidently say these are the most comfortable winter bib tights I’ve ever worn.

First up: that compression construction. It’s spot on. It’s the kind of tightness that feels like a nice hug rather than being smothered, and the soft feel of the interior fabric and the overall warmth on offer completes the package. Despite the figure-hugging feel, there is however plenty of stretch on offer, so you can really move about on the bike without feeling restricted.

As I mentioned previously, I’d recommend a temperature range of 5-10 degrees. In this weather you’ll want to ride all day, and you certainly can thanks to that brilliant bum pad. It’s as comfortable as any Elastic Interface pad I’ve used and the lack of bulk means it doesn’t interfere with your undercarriage. In freezing weather you certainly could use these tights – more so if you’re riding hard and likely to be producing more heat. They’re pretty substantial, but there’s no wind-proofing (aside from the crotch area).

Bathroom breaks on long rides are no problem. The front panel isn’t all that high and with all that stretch you can pull down to the required height with ease.

As well as several of my favourite local day loops, such was my pleasure riding with these bib tights that on one occasion I, perhaps unwisely, chose to wear them on a very hard hour-long training session on my indoor trainer. Suffice to say my legs were pretty warm by the halfway point (I’d normally wear my summer bib shorts), but at no point did they get sweaty or uncomfortable, which I guess is a testament to the garment’s great breathability despite the decent level of insulation.

While I didn’t get a chance to test the water repellent coating, other than spilling a coffee on my leg post-ride (which by the way beaded off superbly), it seems to be effective at keeping the tights clean. After a day’s ride on some of the worst salt-and-mud-slick roads I’ve ever seen, on a road bike with no mudguards, the tights were still looking remarkably fresh at the end.

Value

Can £205 ever be considered good value for money in the context of a pair of winter bib tights? I guess it depends how much you value your riding time during the colder months. For me, I have to get outside at least once a week, and while in summer clothing feels like a tactical exercise, in the winter it’s crucial to survival.

> Best winter bib tights for cycling 2026 — keep your legs toasty through the winter

I’ve tested some really good winter tights, including Albion’s Three Season Tights (now £195), and they were really rather good. But in my opinion, the Velocio Luxe Thermal Bib Tights are a cut above these and they’re only a tenner pricier.

They’re also cheaper than the Assos Mille GT Hashoogi Winter Bib Tights S11 which Matt tested, and you get some water resistance.

While not quite in the same premium space as either of these offerings, Gorewear’s Swiftride Thermo Bib Tights are good value at £115 given they allow you to ride in the winter in warmth and with a reasonable amount of comfort, so long as you can do without some of the extra finesse.

Conclusion

The Velocio Men’s Luxe Thermal Bib Tights are about as good as it gets and while certainly a decent investment, they actually look like a decent price compared to some of the really high-end options from the likes of Assos, which can be over a hundred pounds more expensive. Overall, they tick all the boxes and then some. They’re warm, comfy, good-looking and, most importantly, they just feel so good, and if anything can help to encourage you to get out on a cold day, then it’s definitely worth it.

Verdict

Luxury winter tights that (almost) make cold weather a joy

> Buy now: Velocio Men’s Luxe Thermal Bib Tights for £176 from velodrom.cc

All the deals displayed on our review pages are pulled from a constantly updating database feed of the best affiliate deals available. The criteria for deciding on what are the best deals is who is offering the lowest, delivered price. In most cases we will be showing the very best deal available online, but sometimes you may be able to find an item cheaper. If you can please feel free to post a link in the comments box below. To find out more about affiliate links on road.cc click here.