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review

Sportful Gruppetto Classic bib shorts

9
£85.00

VERDICT:

9
10
An impressively comfortable bib short with great fit and looks
Weight: 
169g
Contact: 
www.sportful.it

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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Like the previously tested Gruppetto Team Jersey, these £85 Classic bib shorts are made from the same fabrics and cut to the same shape as the kit the Saxo Bank team wear, which means you're getting proper race fit clothing, but without the garish logos, and at a decent price.

They're made from the same Aeroflow Compress and Lycra Power material that Sportful use in their more expensive Bodyfit Pro shorts. That makes these shorts very good value. It's an excellent fabric with just the right degree of stretch, they claim compression benefits but in reality that means they're just a snug well-fitted pair of shorts.

The shorts are well shaped and the various panels ensure they not only wrap closely around the legs and hips, but do so without any concession to comfort. This will make them appeal to racers, and performance minded cyclists who prefer their clothing tight fitting. The sizing is fairly standard (size medium pictured above) but some may find it worth sizing up. As ever, it's always preferable to try before you buy.

Sportful have placed the flatlock stitches so they're not in the air flow, to improve aerodynamics. I found it impossible to detect any increase in performance that such a small design feature could ever hope to contribute, but if you believe in marginal gains...

A much more noticeable feature is the seamless leg openings. We're seeing quite a few clothing manufacturers move away from stitched hems lined with silicone gripper tape. These rely on the stretch and compression quality of the fabric, and the result is greater comfort and no hint of the shorts sliding up the legs.

The bib straps are mesh lined and wide enough to distribute the pressure evenly across the shoulders. A large rear mesh panel aids ventilation, and there's a small race radio pocket towards the bottom. Unless you're racing, it's an unnecessary feature, though you could use it to store an MP3 player perhaps.

Without doubt the most important part of the shorts is the bit you can't see, the padded insert. Sportful produce a range of their own inserts, picking the third-tier BodyFitPro pad for theses shorts. Sportful describe it as their most comfortable long distance pad, and I would agree with that. It is perfectly shaped and has variable thickness padding so there is more cushioning where you need it more, and less where you don't need it.

Verdict

An impressively comfortable bib short with great fit and looks

road.cc test report

Make and model: Sportful Gruppetto Classic bib shorts

Size tested: Size medium

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Gruppetto is all about the Pro Team look, less the sponsor's logos but keeping the material technology, fit and cut the same. This short is constructed using AeroFlow Compress for smooth aerodynamics and muscle support.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

ace short for maximum aerodynamics and comfort

Legs in AeroFlow Compress for smooth aerodynamics and muscle support

Bodyfit Pro Seat

All flatlock stitching placed out of the air flow for maximum aerodynamics.

Seamless leg opening

Radio pocket on mesh bibs

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Excellent construction

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Very good performance indeed, the fit is excellent and the padded insert is top-notch

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

They've been getting loads of miles and lots of racing, and they look box fresh still

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10

The pad is ideal for longer distance rides

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

For a short that packs so much excellent design, I consider them good value for money

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

A short designed with professional cyclists in mind but without the sponsors logos and affordable price

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Size, fit and pad

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

There's really nothing to dislike

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

An excellent bib short

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 31  Height: 180  Weight: 67

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo cross, commuting, touring, mtb,

 

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes

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3 comments

Avatar
lc1981 | 11 years ago
0 likes

Does anyone know where I can buy a pair of these? The few places that sell them online seem to be out of stock in all but very small or very big sizes.

Avatar
hippy69 | 11 years ago
0 likes

forgetting the obvious typo, got to agree with tester. Been wearing these shorts since the early spring, kept me tres comfortable in all the right places riding the dragon ride. They fit like a glove, but importantly still look good as new!

All in all, great looks, great value.

Avatar
nowasps | 11 years ago
0 likes

" ..there is less cushioning where you need it more, and less where you don't need it."

Don't want a pair of these then...  39

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