Bioracer Epic Women's Bibshorts Black

The race-fit Bioracer Epic Women's Bibshorts are well priced and feature a Bibzip designed to help with comfort breaks. This doesn't compromise their performance, but it does come at a cost to the shorts' aesthetics and breathability, and I felt the Wave chamois was overly large.

> Buy now: Bioracer Epic Women's Bibshorts for £104.67 from Bioracer

The most distinctive feature of Bioracer's Epic Women's Bibshorts is the 'BibZip', which runs from the top of the chamois to halfway up your back and is designed to make bathroom stops easier.

For a pretty substantially sized zip, I was initially wary of how comfortable it would be, but I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't notice it when I was riding and it didn't compromise performance.

The fabric of the shorts is reinforced around the zip and there is a generous zip guard to stop the zip rubbing on your lower back. However, for shorts marketed for use in temperatures above 20°C, this extra material did result in my back being sweatier than usual even though it never got that warm during testing.

The BibZip in action

Once unzipped, you can pull the shorts down while still leaving the bib straps in place. However, I did find this took a bit of practice before I got the hang of it.

It's designed to work best when squatting down as low as possible to minimise the strain on the surrounding fabric, which works best for an outdoor nature stop. I found it less convenient when using a standard toilet because I needed to squat low to get enough stretch to pull the shorts down.

The Epic Women's Bibshorts are shorts designed for racing and personally, a comfort break feature isn't something I would look for in performance-oriented shorts.

Materials

The material of the legs is highly stretchy and breathable, with integrated leg grippers. They are compressive without being tight and the grippers proved effective, staying in place well without digging in.

The back panel of the shorts, where the zip is located, is made of a different material to the legs. Because of the large zip, this area has considerably less stretch than I'm used to in a pair of bib shorts. As a result, putting them on does require a bit more effort than with standard bib shorts, as I had to ensure I'd moved enough material up the legs. However, once on and properly positioned, they were comfortable – apart from being sweaty.

The wide bib straps are made from a mesh fabric to help enhance ventilation, and the fit of the shorts was great. However, when using the comfort break feature, I had to ensure I squatted close to the ground to avoid putting too much stress on the straps since there wasn't much excess material.

One small niggle is that the care instruction label is overly large. Yes, you would cut this out after trying them on the first time, but you don't notice the label at first, as the black label blends into the material of the shorts.

The Epic Women's Bibshorts are available in five sizes from XS to XL and I tested a 2/S according to the label in the shorts, as Bioracer's size chart recommends for me.

Pad

The shorts feature Bioracer's Wave pad, which is large with minimal padding at the front. Bioracer claims that the 3D anatomically preformed pad will mould to your body, providing benefits such as 'better pressure distribution, less friction, and more stability'.

However, it's important to note that there isn't a single design of seat pad that works best for everyone. Personally, because of its substantial size I didn't find the chamois particularly comfortable on rides longer than 90 minutes.

Value

Systems for comfort breaks are quite personal and may not be a priority for everyone, and while I wouldn't necessarily look for shorts featuring one, I can see their value.

It's difficult to find bib shorts around £100 any more, particularly ones featuring a comfort break feature. However, Velocio's Women's Foundation bib shorts that Anna reviewed are a fraction cheaper at £100, and they also feature an easy-pee design that she found practical and effective.

There are some decent cheaper options though, if a full-coverage bib doesn't bother you. Lara thought the Madison's Sportive bibs were comfortable, effective and easy to use for comfort breaks.

Our best cycling bib shorts buyer's guide covers our favourite women's and men's shorts.

Overall

Bioracer's Epic Women's Bibshorts are reasonably priced and while I can see the positives of the comfort break feature, I think it compromises the aesthetics. I really like the sleek design of the front of the shorts but it's a shame the substantial zip shows below your jersey at the back. If I was considering a comfort break feature on a pair of performance-oriented shorts, I'd prefer a more discreet solution.

> Buy now: Bioracer Epic Women's Bibshorts for £104.67 from Bioracer

Verdict

Performance-oriented bibs at an affordable price – and with a comfort break solution