Velocio Women’s Luxe Bib Short

The Velocio Women’s Luxe Bib Short lives up to the name: a gorgeous, high-end pair of cycling shorts that will keep you comfortable on long days in the saddle. They use a cross-over design at the rear to create an easy-pee solution, although it can be pretty tricky to use. They’re not cheap, either – though they do still compare well with other high-end options.

> Buy now: Velocio Women’s Luxe Bib Short for £218 from Velocio

The shorts have a buttery-soft feel, which I really like. I also think the Deep Lichen colour is attractive – I’m a big fan of straying away from black at the moment, although they are, of course, available in black, as well as Black Olive and Sulphur.

I also like that they are available in sizes XXS to 3XL, encouraging greater diversity in cycling. I tested a size medium, which is what I would normally go for, and found them a fine fit. I’m a UK size 10 to 12 in bottoms and have very wide hips. The shorts are also nice and long, which was great for me, but I do have very long thighs so for others they might feel a little too long.

The softness of these shorts is utterly dreamy; from the moment I put them on I was super impressed with how the material felt. They don’t bunch up at all, and offered a good amount of compression without being restrictive on the abdomen.

Gripper at the bottom of the legs ensured the shorts stayed put all day and in the rain, which was fab.

I did find that the bib straps at the back could get tangled when putting them on, as they cross over one another, but it wasn’t too much of an issue. You just have to be mindful when pulling the shorts up to get the bib straps in the right position.

Not so easy-pee

The cross-over design is there to make mid-ride pee-breaks easier, but it just didn’t work as conveniently as I’d hoped. I found they were really tricky to pull over my bottom and down my thighs far enough to squat down. It felt like the material might snap, plus it was very uncomfortable as it pulled so much around my legs when I’d ‘assumed the position’.

They were also particularly difficult to pull down when it was hot and my skin was sweaty – I found the shorts basically stuck to my skin. That said, I do have long thighs and a large bottom, and I used the shorts during the heatwave when my skin was sticky. They might work a lot better for people not built the same as me.

Chamois and comfort

The longest I wore these bibs for was eight hours, and I have to say, they didn’t falter in comfort one bit. I didn’t find I was sore in the saddle at all.

The ‘multi-density’ Cytech chamois has a noticeably thicker section of padding in both the sit bone and undercarriage areas, designed with long rides in mind.

The zig-zag stitch used for the chamois was completely unnoticeable, and the padding great for all positions on the saddle. It’s not too bulky, and in fact felt pretty spot on.

Something I did notice, which doesn’t bother me but might be an element others care about, is, being colourful, the shorts did faintly show sweat patches. Now, I take the same approach as Daniel Ricciardo in that ‘athletes sweat’, but if it bothers you, you might prefer to opt for black (and possibly not the bright yellow Sulphur).

Value

There’s no escaping that £218 is a lot of money for a pair of bib shorts. But how do they compare with similar products on the market right now?

Okay, the Gorewear Spinshift Bib Shorts Women’s, which also offer a convenient pee-break solution, cost ‘just’ £124.99. But Suvi loved the Assos UMA GTV bib shorts, and they’re now £235, and Emily thought Rapha’s Women’s Pro Team Bib Shorts were excellent, and they’re £240 – with no easy-pee solution.

You can read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling shorts here.

Conclusion

All in all, I really liked these bib shorts and I was really impressed with them. The FlyFree feature didn’t work amazingly for me but, like Emily when reviewing the Raphas, I’m really not too bothered by that – I’m happy to unzip my jersey and so on to make things easier.

I was just so impressed by the comfort these shorts offered, even on the longest of rides and toughest of training sessions. I also appreciate that the price is high, but they are made in Italy with high-quality French fabrics, which I think really should be taken into consideration when trying to be more ethical/eco-conscious regarding purchases.

Overall, I fully understand these won’t be within everyone’s budget, but if you can afford them, or find them in a sale, they are a great option to consider.

> Buy now: Velocio Women’s Luxe Bib Short for £218 from Velocio

Verdict

Buttery-soft high-end bib shorts for all-day comfort, and made in Italy, but be warned, the price reflects that

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