Terry Cyclo Brief

Terry have produced the Bridget Jones of cycling briefs. Big 'n' comfy boy shorts for girls, with a light pad.

Cycling can be very confusing. Leggings are called tights, which men wear too, capri pants are called knickers and you don't wear underwear under any of it. These are cycling briefs, designed to be worn under something else that doesn't have its own pad/liner. This could be any of the above, or non-cycle-specific jeans or trousers.

The Terry briefs have a minimal pad, which cuts out using them for all day rides. They are best used to put a little comfort between you and your saddle when you don't want to end up looking like you are wearing a nappy. The pad is made of a couple of millimetres of covered foam, and this was enough to protect my delicates from the seams of my jeans when riding around town.

Although the pad is designed to be minimal, I felt it was let down by the finish - the sewing left exposed foam showing all around the edge. I was concerned that with more extensive use this foam would start to be picked away by wearing and washing. The stitching also meant that the back corners of the pad had a tendency to flip over when being pulled on and off. I found the edge of the pad particularly noticeable at the back when first worn.

Mostly made of a single layer of soft nylon, with a stretchy two-centimetre wide waistband, the briefs feature a mesh panel down each side and along the back. This improved ventilation but I would have liked to see the mesh extend further down at the back to improve airflow to my lower back, as the briefs do sit very high up the back.

The briefs are made to sit just below your tummy button and come up very high at the back to give total bottom coverage. This they did well, although I had requested a size larger than my street size, this was not at all necessary - the benefits of American versus continental sizing. They are available in size XS to XL and I would advise buying true to size or even one below if you are in between sizes.

The negative of the briefs sitting so high was that they showed over the top of all but the highest waisted garments, both cycle-specific and street. I valued the comfort, though so just ensured my choice of top was long rather than stopping at the waist. As the briefs are designed for low milage/urban jaunts where you are likely to wearing something more akin to jeans than to lycra, this is something to consider when dressing.

Verdict

Full coverage ladies' briefs which make any clothing choice bike ready.