Sportful Luna Bib Tight

Sportful's Luna Bib Tights offer superb comfort and performance in cold, dry weather. They're also a good price for the quality, coming in cheaper than the other women's tights recently tested here at road.cc – even dhb's Aerons are a fiver more at RRP, though Wiggle currently has them on sale for less. The Lunas are not at all rain repellent, though, despite having 'Thermodrytex Plus' technology in their make-up, and you do get cold if the heavens open.

• Pros: Lightweight, excellent warmth and breathability
• Cons: No rain repellency, understated visibility

As with many bib tights, the design is quite plain – you can barely even see the Sportful logo on the calf of the left leg. The reflective detail is a bit lacking though: simply a bum and thigh logo, plus two tabs stitched into the seams of the lower legs which are effective, provided they sit above any overshoes/socks – not always the case if you have high-reaching ones.

There are no zips at the ankle but Sportful has managed to incorporate just enough elasticity to avoid the annoying battle of dragging the leg end over the heel – and that's even with my size 8 trotters! There is a wide silicone strip to hold the tights in place too.

When on, the tights feel really lightweight and thin – for the simple reason that they are. At 242g they're a little lighter than the dhbs mentioned above and Rapha's Core bib tights, and quite a bit lighter than others out there.

They are in no way restrictive or overtight in any one area, as some winter tights can be, so your movement on the bike is just as if you have a pair of lightweight leg warmers and shorts on. The bib is pretty standard and I had no quibbles with the fit.

The 'Princess Pad' (ahem) isn't so different from Sportful's top of the range Infinity Pad; the same construction but with one less layer and a different top cloth. It certainly does the job; I suspect the extra layer in the Infinity version is appreciated for rides in excess of four hours but this one gave me no trouble on four-hour rides. It's not too bulky or rigid either.

I was doubtful about the ability of such lightweight tights to keep me warm when the temperatures really dropped, but I shouldn't have been. Sportful cites a temperature range of 5-15°C, but long rides at just above freezing, 1-2°C, were not an issue, and this is from someone who feels the cold and, by others' standards, likes to overdress. With a varied pace they kept me perfectly warm while not allowing me to overheat. They have been great in temperatures up to about 7°C, although pressing on in anything above that I started to overheat a little, so I'm not sure I'd wholeheartedly agree with Sportful's suggested range.

The tights' biggest downside is their sponge-like reaction to rain. According to Sportful's website they feature Thermodrytex Plus technology – which incorporates a 'water repellent silicone finish' to provide 'some water repellency' – but I found there was very little resistance to rain, and because they are so thin, as soon as they got wet there was no real protection from wind chill or just the cold air flowing over the legs.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best winter bib tights and trousers

On cold, dry days though, if you want to stay warm in kit that doesn't feel excessively bulky then the Luna tights are definitely worth investing in.

Verdict

Simple design, comfortable fit and super performance in the dry – but not so good in the rain