Santini Aero Race Mens Bib Shorts

The Santini Aero Race bib shorts prioritise comfort over outright speed, with an excellent pad, superb straps and a supportive fit that works well for long training rides. The fit around the lower leg feels slightly less race-focused than the name suggests.

Design

Santini pitches the Aero Race as a lightweight performance bib short designed for fast riding and racing. Although I didn’t race in them, testing included chaingangs, long endurance rides and high-intensity interval sessions. Like saddles shorts are quite an individual thing, so if you’re in the market for a pair it’s worth also checking out our guide to the best cycling bibshorts.

Pad

The Aero Race uses Santini’s C3 chamois, which sits at the top end of the brand’s pad range and is also used across its premium endurance and race-focused shorts.

On the bike, it delivers a very comfortable and stable feel over longer rides. It’s not an overly thick or bulky pad, but instead uses multi-density foam with gel inserts to provide support where it’s needed, particularly around the sit bones.

I found it worked well across multiple five-hour steady efforts and interval sessions, where it was comfortable without feeling overly soft. It also coped well with heat and long rides, without the pad becoming saturated.

Materials

Santini doesn’t quote a recommended temperature range, but I tested the Aero Race bib shorts in temperatures from 15–25℃. The leg fabric is noticeably lighter and thinner than many bib shorts I’ve used, and they generally felt comfortable in warm conditions.

The shorts use an Italian-made fabric with a 71% recycled polyamide and 29% elastane blend. There’s plenty of stretch through the material and the fit around the thighs is lightly compressive without feeling restrictive. The fabric also dried quickly during rides and after washing.

They’re also made in Italy, and overall the finish and construction feel to be of excellent quality.

Fit

The fit is one of the more interesting aspects of the Aero Race shorts, and not entirely what I expected from the name. Through the upper part of the shorts they feel quite narrow and close-fitting, giving a secure, race-like feel around the hips and upper thigh.

This contrasts slightly with the lower leg, which feels a touch more generous. The result is a slightly unusual shape on the bike, snug and supportive at the top, but with less compression and a looser feel further down the leg than I would ideally expect from a race-focused short.

The leg length is on the longer side, sitting well down the thigh and giving plenty of coverage. That works fine in terms of comfort and stability, but combined with the slightly more relaxed lower-leg fit, it doesn’t deliver quite the fully “locked-in” race feel the Aero branding might suggest.

That said, the shorts remain stable even during harder efforts, and there’s no noticeable movement or adjustment required once riding.

The leg grippers do their job well, holding everything securely in place without any irritation.

Straps

The straps are a real highlight, being wide, soft and extremely light in use. They provided good support, but they are so light you don’t even notice they are there. Easily some of the best I’ve tested.

The shorts come up quite high at the front and have quite a compressive fit around the stomach. I haven’t worn these on truly hot days, but I would worry the fit might feel a bit warm when the weather gets really hot.

I typically prefer a lower cut; however, these retained enough stretch that it made a mid-ride comfort break easy enough.

Aero

As with all aero shorts, any real aerodynamic advantage is impossible to measure outside of controlled testing, so this is based purely on ride feel and fit.

While they feel fast and supportive on the bike, the fit is slightly less aggressively compressive than some dedicated race shorts, particularly through the lower leg.

Sizing

On the size guide, I was between a medium and large. I tested the large, and they are in line with the size guide. They are a “Sleek” fit, and if you are between sizes I’d consider the smaller size. I’ve reviewed quite a few pairs of Santini shorts and the sizing is a little variable; these were perhaps a touch too big, but other models in a medium have been too small.

The shorts come in eight sizes from XS to 4XL, covering a broad range of sizes so you should be able to find a size that suits you.

I have worn these a lot during the test period, and they still look as good as new. I suspect the white straps will discolour over time.

There’s a small Santini logo on the back and leg, but they are subtle.

The Aero Race shorts are available in four colours. I tested the black, which looked good.

Value

At £220, these shorts are towards the top end in price of the shorts we’ve reviewed at road.cc.

You can spend more, such as the Velocio Men’s Luxe Bib Shorts, which made Iwein feel like a cycling god and cost £229.

The Castelli Free Aero Race S bib shorts received a very good review and are priced at £199. Just please don’t buy the white ones.

I’ve just reviewed the Castelli Espresso 2, which were excellent and are a bit cheaper at £185.

If you are looking to spend a bit less, the Galibier Equipe 3 Aero Bib Shorts are only £73 and got 9/10 from Paul earlier this year.

Overall

The Santini Aero Race bib shorts are a comfortable premium option with an excellent pad, superb straps and lightweight fabrics. The fit is secure through the upper section, but the lower leg feels slightly looser than expected for an “Aero Race” short, while the high front won’t suit everyone.

At £220, they face very strong competition, but they remain a good option for riders prioritising long-ride comfort over an aggressive race fit.