Hincapie Sportswear Men's Equipe Bibshort

The Hincapie Sportswear Men's Equipe Bibshort is a compressive, sporty short that does a very good job.

Rather than just sticking his name on another manufacturer's clothing range. American pro George Hincapie set up Hincapie Sportswear with his brother. He probably needs something to keep him busy now he's retiring after his 17th straight Tour de France.

It's a proper family affair too, with the factory run by his aunt and uncle in his father's native Columbia. The main focus of the company is manufacturing cycling kit for clubs, federations and charity concerns, but they do also have their own Hincapie branded range.

Pricewise it's fairly mid range with these Equipe bibs at £100 - up to the George Signature model at £180.

The whole range is very much technology based in terms of fabrics; basically it's the same materials and pattern as the BMC Racing Team. If it's good enough for tour riders to spend all day in it should be good enough for the rest of us.

Pull the shorts on and you can feel the compressive nature of the AT2 Tour Power Lycra encasing your legs.

Use of compression garments during sport as opposed to recovery is intended to stabilize muscles, therefore reducing fatigue; beneficial if the surfaces you're riding on aren't the smoothest.

The pressure provided by the Equipe bibs isn't as powerful as a good fitting pair of compression shorts but is enough to feel the effect. Tiredness in the muscle does seem to be offset for a little while longer.

The overall fit is one for the racing position with a high back and lowish bib front which above all else makes pee stops a more comfortable affair.

The bibs are mesh for heat transfer, and wide straps mean they're comfortable thanks to spreading the pressure across your shoulders.

The leg grippers don't need to apply much pressure to keep the bottom of the shorts in position which is another plus in the comfort stakes.

As for the chamois, which is often the most important bit, it's seamless and anatomically designed for your bits with foam inserts and relief channels. Padded, but not overly so, it's comfortable on long distance rides and I had no numbness on easy rides or full intensity efforts.

The Equipes are available in three colours and a size range of S to XXL. If the sun decides to make an appearance the material is 50 SPF+ to keep UVA & B rays at bay.

Overall the Hincapie Equipes are a good quality bib short. The material seems durable and nothing indicates that that is going to change.

The cloth and fit is very similar to the Castelli Velocissimo we tested this time last year and if they are anything to go by you'll have no issues with longevity.

Verdict

Good fitting and durable bibshort with a very comfortable chamois plus the compressive material worked for me.