Women’s Bib Shorts Reviews: Designed with Nature Calls in Mind

When I first started cycling, the first performance clothing purchase I made was a pair of cycling shoes because I wanted the biggest bang for my buck. With those shoes and associated pedals, I increased mileage while wearing my workout clothes, gym shorts or track pants with a t-shirt with short or long sleeves. Then I developed a saddle sore that caused a lot of trouble. From then on I realized that cycling shorts are an important piece of performance cycling equipment.

Shorts have come a long way with pad and fabric technology that offers comfort over long hours of wear in varying conditions. Even a waistband design is much better than simple elastic and drawstring. Bib shorts include the suspender ‘bib’ eliminating any waistline constriction allowing more comfort and at the same time eliminating sagging shorts. Sagging short not only shows your butt crack, but also allows the pad to shift which reduces optimal performance, and in the worst case, hooks up on your saddle as you change positions. We have a bibshorts review from a few years back. This time we review some women’s bib shorts, focusing on convenience systems.

When Nature Calls

The demerit of bib shorts is that suspenders make relieving yourself considerably less convenient. For men, peeing is only a minor inconvenience. Beyond that, you have to remove your jersey to remove the suspenders. For women, the latter is true even to pee. For that reason, many women I’ve talked to dislike bibs unless they’re only doing a one-hour race.

Several cycling clothing companies specifically address this woman’s bib short suspender problem. I was curious to see how effective these systems are, so I solicited some samples graciously provided by a few companies. I also solicited an experienced but skeptical test rider to give me her assessment. She is not a wearer of bib shorts specifically because of the perceived inconvenience of the nature call.

There are three systems available:

1. Fastened drop panel
2. Fastened suspenders
3. Wide-set stretchy suspenders

Van Rysel Quick Zip Women’s

Van Rysel is a performance cycling brand of Decathlon of France, one of the largest sports retailers in Europe. The company briefly had a presence in North America, but for now, it is only online for North Americans. This year, Decathlon sponsors a World Tour team called Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, so there’s a lot of pressure to produce top-end products.

The Van Rysel Quick Zip is a noble attempt to provide all the advantages of a bib short with convenience for women, but has some curious design choices. Unique to the Van Rysel Quick Zip shorts is a full bodice instead of just suspenders. The bodice is a mildly stretchy mesh. Our test rider wondered why this was necessary and found this certainly makes wearing the bib shorts less comfortable. Not to mention they are more difficult to put on.

Quick Zip

The shorts are a 6-panel design with a firm pad that is in the right position. A twin slider, medium weight, non-separating coil zipper is across the back of the shorts, curving to the front of each thigh. This zipper secures the drop-down rear panel. Coil zippers have a side with the coil exposed, while the other side is covered by fabric tape. The Van Reysel Quick Zip Shorts use a reverse-use coil which gives the shorts a smooth look, somewhat hiding the zipper. However, this places the exposed coil towards the wearer. The zipper does not have an additional flap behind it. Our test rider said the zipper is noticeable, particularly where it curves towards the front of the shorts at the top of each thigh, right where the leg bends at the hip. This is distracting and becomes irritating on longer rides.

In use, the Quick Zip rear panel is easy to undo, but more complicated to pull up and re-zip. Two hands are required to pull the fabric together and an amount of force is put on the coil zipper to pull the panel closed from the front. We can imagine a zipper failure would be embarrassingly disastrous.

The Van Rysel Quick Zip Women’s shorts use a pad that looks and feels almost the same as the men’s version from our thermal bib short review.

Our test rider did not complain about the pad of the shorts at all. Perhaps that is because the other design quirks are distracting. She said that she would not choose these shorts because of the discomfort of the zipper where it curves around the front of the thighs, the discomfort and inconvenience of the bodice, and the perceived unreliability of the zipper-closed drop flap. The point is moot since Decathlon discontinued the Van Rysel Quick Zip women’s bib shorts. Limited stock is still available online. They are conversation-worthy due to the creative attempt to address a problem with bib shorts for women.

GoreWear Women’s Spinshift Cargo Bibshorts

GoreWear is a clothing company owned by the textile manufacturer GoreTex. They produce an extensive line of cycling clothing that changes every year. I saw that GoreWear’s new Spinshift line includes a women’s bib short, so we reached out for a sample.

The GoreWear Spinshift women’s cargo bib shorts are a unique 3-panel design with a mesh waistband with small mesh pockets on each side. Each leg is a single fabric panel attached to a seamless middle panel that goes from front to back.  The main cargo pockets are mesh panels on the thighs, the left with a flap over the top. There is no leg band, hem, or seam at the leg opening, only some small silicone grippers on the inner side of the fabric. This gives the shorts a smooth look and contributes to the overall comfort of these shorts. The one-piece stretch pad is medium firm, has three segments, and has proper placement.

Magnetic Clasp

The suspender system is a Y-back elastic sewn to the mesh waistband in front and connected by a magnetic clasp at the back.

In use, the magnetic snap clasp is not complicated, nor is it difficult to reach. A flick releases the clasp, but it never comes undone on its own, even if you are the sort who on hot days rides with the jersey unzipped, flapping in the wind like a cape.

Refastening the suspender requires two hands, something our test rider did not find complicated. The elastic of the suspenders draws the loose end up your back with the release, so you need to be flexible to re-fasten it. Refastening the suspenders might be difficult if you do not have the flexibility to reach behind your lower mid-back.

The magnetic snap clasp self-aligns and draws itself closed. This requires no force to clasp, only alignment, and is key to making these easy to use. Our test rider liked these shorts. She found the fit and pad quite comfortable.  She found the releasable strap system easy to use. She reiterated that if the wearer has a flexibility problem such as frozen shoulder syndrome and cannot reach their lower back, this system will not work.

Pactimo Women’s Range Cargo Bib Shorts

Pactimo is a 20-year-old Colorado company that started with custom clothing for cycling teams.  I’ve raced with a couple of teams with Pactimo custom kits. Several years ago, Pactimo made the Cyclocross Magazine kit.

Pactimo has expanded beyond custom clothing, but that remains a core part of the business. Notably, Pactimo has its Clip&Pit™ technology for the women’s bib short line to make nature break with bib shorts a non-issue for women. Our friends at Pactimo sent a sample of the system in the form of their Range Cargo bib shorts for women. The Clip&Pit™ system is not universal across Pactimo’s women’s bib shorts line.

The Range Cargo bib shorts use a textured fabric Pactimo calls Cerami-K in a 6-panel design. The bottom of the shorts has a leg band stitched on with a raw bottom edge and silicon grip dots on the inside face. A color-matched mesh pocket is on each thigh. The front waistband is integral to the suspenders and is made of stretchy spandex fabric with raw edges. The back band has two layers of spandex but with no attachment to the suspenders. The suspenders have a piece at the top across the back to keep them from falling off your shoulders, and a sternum strap across the front with a plastic clip fastener.

Pactimo Clip&Pit™

Pactimo’s Clip&Pit™ system relies on the suspender’s elastic stretch and the wide attachment position. A wide rear attachment over the outer hip allows easy movement forward to the shorts when pushing them down. The suspenders must be elastic enough to hold the shorts in place, but easy to pull down and forward.

The Pactimo Clip&Pit™ system works easily thanks to the spandex suspenders and their attachment points. This system made our test rider most accepting of bib shorts over standard shorts without bib straps. She found the sternum strap unnecessary with the cross piece at the top back, but women with different anatomy may find it helps keep the suspenders in place.

The fabric texture of the Pactimo Range shorts lends it a heavier, stiffer hand than standard spandex. The inner fabric face is smooth. Our tester said it does not fold or bind, and she rather liked the compression and support the fabric seems to give. She liked the appearance, and commented that the fabric weight and texture, along with the color and cargo pockets, give the shorts a jeans-like appearance.

The Pactimo Range insert is a one-piece stretch with three segments similar to the Gore insert in some ways. Our test rider told us the pad is in the right position, and has a good density and support making it very comfortable on longer rides. The features of the Pactimo Range Cargo Bib Shorts make them a favorite. She likes the ease of the Clip&Pit™ system for nature breaks.

Ornot Drop-Tail Bib

Ornot is a small cycling clothes company based in San Francisco. Uniquely, Ornot is a climate-neutral certified brand, with almost entirely U.S. manufacturing of certified and traceable recycled or natural fiber fabrics. Ornot is local to me so I asked if they could send a sample of their drop-tail bib to add to this review.

Stock is low for the Ornot Drop-Tail bib shorts, so they sent the Women’s Lightweight Drop-Tail bib tights as an example of their drop-tail system. The design is similar to the Ornot Drop Tail Cargo Bib Short without the thigh pockets and with a full leg cover.  There is a 4-panel design with a 5th panel across the back with no separate waistband.  The suspenders are wide, stretchy woven elastic. The attachment of the suspenders at the front and rear of the hip crest is very similar to the Pactimo Cli&Pit™ system. A cross piece is high across the back to hold the suspender straps on the shoulders.

Suspenders set wide at the hips make it easy to push your shorts down and forward as you bend. The elastic straps are stretchy enough but certainly firmer than the Pactimo spandex suspenders. According to our tester, that does not change functionality.

Thankfully, coastal summer weather is sometimes cool and foggy, so riding with these lightweight tights with a UPF 50+ rated fabric is not burdensome. Ornot recommends these tights for rides 50-75 degrees F. We thought this could be a good garment for shoulder season training rides perhaps 50-65 degrees F. The pad is a single piece with firm padding at various thicknesses where needed. The pad surface is a soft stretch material.

Operationally, the Ornot DropTail system works like the Pactimo Clip&Pit™. You push the shorts down and forward against the stretch of the suspenders as you sit. Our test rider noted a bit more effort in comparison due to the greater elasticity of the straps. She feels the pad is well-placed and comfortable, similar to the others in this review.

Verdict

Our test rider is not completely converted to bib shorts but understands why some riders prefer them over cycling shorts with a standard waistband. The inconvenience of a nature break when wearing shorts with suspenders under your jersey is adequately addressed with thoughtful design. The systems demonstrated by the examples in our review show that companies emphasize women’s cycling wear.

Of these systems, those with stretchy, well-positioned suspenders offer simplicity that puts them on top for our test rider. All else being equal for shorts performance, the Pactimo Clip&Pit™ is the winner thanks to the softer, stretchier bib straps that make pushing the shorts down a bit easier. Of course, the Ornot works similarly well. The GoreWear Spinshift’s detachable suspender system works without too much complication, but does require two hands behind your back to close the clasp. Those with flexibility issues or injuries will not easily be able to reclasp the suspender.

Van Rysel’s zippered flap system is the most novel. It opens easily, but closes with additional effort. The zippers irritate the front of the thighs a bit, especially the longer the ride is.

Other big cycling brands have products addressing the need for convenience with women’s bib shorts. Castelli Unlimited Cargo W Bibshort has drop-tail bib construction similar to the Pactimo and Ornot examples, and the Rapha Detachable uses a system like the Gore Spinshift Women’s Cargo Bibshorts.

Interestingly, only Ornot is completely committed to their women’s drop-tail design. Every other company in our review also has women’s bib shorts without these novel designs to address convenience. According to Ryan White, Head of Products at Pactimo, feedback from both the custom sales team at Pactimo, as well as customer-athletes, indicates a strong demand for a traditional bib short design at the higher end.