Zero RH Powerlogic Olympic bib tights

These Powerlogic Olympic bib tights are the top tights in the range from Italian company Zero RH, and they're most notable for the unusual bib section that holds them in place.

The lower sections – both the black and the white panels – are made from what Zero RH call Icedry Gold 200 fabric, which is essentially a brush-backed nylon/elastane roubaix. It’s warm, breathable and quick drying, like most, although the high price doesn’t get you any windproof panels or double layers to provide extra protection from the cold.

The build quality is very good throughout. Most of the seams are flat stitched to minimise the possibility of chafing, the ankles come with high-end elasticated grippers, and you get excellent self-locking zips down there with reflective trim.

The anatomically shaped seatpad is decent quality too. It’s not the most high tech offering from Cytech’s Endurance range but the foam kept us comfy enough as we chalked up the big winter miles, and you get a decent amount of stretch in all directions. The surface fabric shifts moisture away from your body well and a central channel improves airflow to keep the atmosphere pleasant enough.

The most unusual feature of these tights is the “anallergic” (non-allergic) upper. Rather than standard roubaix or mesh straps over the shoulders, you get a harness-type arrangement with straps extending around the sides too. The straps are much narrower than normal, some sections very stretchy, some less so.

As with most other tights, there’s no adjustment to bib-section sizing, but there’s enough stretch here that we doubt you’ll need any. This design works fine to hold everything in place comfortably and securely. I wouldn’t say it’s any better on those scores than a standard arrangement, though. I’ve never had any trouble with a traditional design. To me, it’s just different rather than a step forward.

I’ve used these plenty over the past couple of months in all but the coldest weather. When the temperature has dropped below about 5°C I’ve put them to one side because I don’t find them warm enough, and gone for longs with windproof panels instead – although you might have an internal thermostat that’s set differently. They started to show signs of wear below the sit bones a bit earlier than I'd usually expect, and the white panels are no longer as white as they were but, that aside, they’re still looking good.

The thing is, though, that these are expensive. They’re well made tights with some good features, but they don’t do anything in terms of their technical performance that would make us want to spend this kind of cash.

Verdict

Well-made winter tights, but we're struggling with the price