Coming in at a penny under £60, the Ride Tech Bibshorts would, at first glance, seem to represent good value for money. Like DHB and Madison, Ride are produced by one of the larger cycling distributors who are starting to produce their own-label clothing.
Sadly, like the Madison shorts we looked at recently they are not there yet in terms of quality or comfort.
Without wishing to come across as too harsh, these are the most uncomfortable pair of shorts I've ever used and that includes the 1992 Giordana shorts from my youth.
As you pull them from their packet they look pretty good, a smart black bib-short, a splash of contrasting piping, a soft cuff to the leg, everything seems in order. However, for me, that's where the good times ended.
As soon a I put them on the cursing started. The pad felt like it was a piece of rough cardboard caressing my gooch, which I can assure you is not at all comfortable. The fabric may feature "cutting edge materials [their words not mine] and innovative ideas" but that translated for me into a poor fit and disappointing aesthetics with excess material in small folds at the front. This was confirmed by my wife who also thought they looked particularly poor on me.
No matter I thought, pulling the pad out of my butt, I'm sure that it will get better on the bike. It didn't. Well maybe that's too harsh again. As long as I stayed seated and didn't stand up they were ok. However the moment I stood up, they were all up in my nether regions once again sanding my bits. Horrible.
Ok, thought I. I'll wash them to soften that pad up, that'll do it. Wrong. (repeated 3 times just in case).
I don't know what went wrong with these shorts, because they have all the usuals of bib shorts: a bit of reflection, flatlock stitching, a CYTEC pad, even a radio pocket for good measure - but in this case it's just not very good at all.
Not shorts I'll be wearing again.
Verdict
Surprisingly uncomfortable shorts
road.cc test report
Make and model: Ride Tech Bibshorts
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?
Nominally a good price for competent bib shorts, £60 is where the market gets serious, but these are not fit for purpose.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Ride say that it features the usual pre-requisites of bib shorts such as; UV Protection
-Reflective Decals
-Custom Silicon Gripper
-Ergonomic Cut
-High wicking Fabric
-Flatlock Stitching
-CYTEC Proformance Pad
-Team Radio Pocket
-Compression Fabric
but none of it adds up to make a nice pineal product.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
7/10
it works, no loose threads etc and nothing has broken.
Rate the product for performance:
1/10
the worst shorts I've ever used. uncomfortable to wear off and on the bike.
Rate the product for durability:
10/10
Why excellent? They will never be worn so they'll never wear out.
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
1/10
Like sandpaper inserted into a pair of pants.
Rate the product for value:
2/10
At £60 they should be a decent item; sadly they are not.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
They are designed to be ridden. They are not comfortable to be riding in. No good for commutes or rides where you have to stand up at any time!
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Nothing.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Wearing these shorts is like have your balls licked by an aggressive lion.
Did you enjoy using the product? No.
Would you consider buying the product? No.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? No.
Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?
Back to the drawing board I think for Ride in this iteration.
Age: 37 Height: 176cm Weight:
I usually ride: Rapide RC4, Raleigh SP Race, Hoffman BMX My best bike is: Rapide RC4
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, touring, sportives, general fitness riding, Adventure-packing, crossing-countries
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10 comments
Yup, definitely don't google guiche.......
Oh for fuck's sake why didn't I listen to you?
Any reason that the star-rating graphic has changed from showing about half a star to showing about one and a half stars ? (Neither of which was the overall rating strangely...)
Is it slowly zeroing in on the true value ?
I love the fact that we had a 10/10 and a 1/10 on the same day. Now I wonder if a 0/10 is possible?
Is this the lowest rated product ever reviewed? It sounds like they've done a pretty impressive job all round.
Can I have my lion back?
About this lion...can you tell us more?
I believe Gooch is actually spelt Guiche, and in defence of road.cc reviewing 'branded rubbish' I like to know which brands are rubbish and worth avoiding so I don't have to find that bit out for myself.
Good review, may be quite harsh, but sounds like it's well reasoned.
Great to know. Graham Guiche
Pro tip: Do not google Guiche
so *cutting edge* was a pretty accurate description...just the wrong interpretation