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review

Giro Women's 3/4 Legging Pockets

7
£99.99

VERDICT:

7
10
Comfortable lightweight leggings with a good chamois but low-rise back
Weight: 
200g
Contact: 

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The Giro Women's 3/4 Legging Pockets are a quality pair of tights, if rather pricey, in the  just-below-the-knee style that's perennially popular with women riders.

Giro Womens 3-4 Legging Pockets - riding

The first thing I noticed about the Giro Women's 3/4 Legging Pockets was, well, the pockets, which are in a matt stretch woven fabric. Granted, pockets are useful, but if you put anything in these it would give a most unsightly bulge, and most women I know would prefer to keep as svelte a silhouette as possible and not draw attention to their thighs. There's no doubting you could easily carry all sorts in them, such as your phone, but I chose not to.

They are constructed from just a front and rear panel on each side (plus waistband), which keeps potentially irritating seams to a minimum. The silky Lycra fabric feels nicely supportive without being restrictive, and doesn't snag easily on Velcro. It's fairly thin though so these are definitely for milder days. The wide waistband is comfortable and sits low, below the belly button, so there's no digging in. However, it is not cut sufficiently high at the rear to cover your lower back, which I think is a drawback.

Giro Womens 3-4 Legging Pockets - pocket

Read more: Reviews of shorts and 3/4s on road.cc.

The legs reach to just below my knee (I'm not the model in the photos). I could pull them down to my calves but the lack of any hem gripper and the relative looseness of the material at the bottom of the legs meant they immediately rode up. Maybe if you have wide calves they might stay lower, but seeing as these are summer leggings the length isn't an issue anyway.

Giro Womens 3-4 Legging Pockets - pad

I was impressed by the triple density CyTech chamois. It has plenty of cushioning under the sit bones but isn't too thick in the middle, where I find padding just gets in the way and often increases rather than relieves pressure on your sensitive areas. It isn't too obtrusive either so you don't look or feel like you're walking around with a nappy on, and the front of the pad especially is discreetly sewn in. However, off the bike when walking around I felt I needed to keep pulling them up as the crotch slipped down a little. Once riding though there was no such problem.

As far as visibility goes, there is reflective piping on each outside seam reaching from the pocket to the hem, and the Giro logo on the left pocket is also reflective '' more useful if you're riding in the US or the Continent than the UK.

Giro Womens 3-4 Legging Pockets - back

All in all these are good tights, but for this kind of money I'd expect them to be perfect.

Verdict

Comfortable lightweight leggings with a good chamois but low-rise back

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Giro Women's 3/4 Legging Pockets

Size tested: Medium, Black

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?

Lightweight padded 3/4 cycle tights suitable for milder days from spring to autumn.

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

Comfort waist

Breathable mesh

Compression leg bands

Stretch woven side pockets

Miti® Lycra® 78% Polyamide / 22% Elastane

200g/m2

CyTech™ female specific chamois

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
6/10

Waist too low at back and leg hems ride up.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
9/10

Size Medium fitted me true to size.

Rate the product for weight:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
7/10
Rate the product for value:
 
3/10

£100 for a pair of 3/4 tights? Definitely at the pricier end of the spectrum and their shortcomings mean they don't justify the cost.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Machine wash 30 degrees.

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

The chamois was very comfortable and the fabric nicely supportive without being too tight.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The low, wide front waistband and soft fabric.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The back of the waist was too low.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Not at full price

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

Comfy tights but very expensive with a couple of niggles

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 43  Height: 170cm  Weight: 60kg

I usually ride: Marin Point Reyes 29er  My best bike is: Giant Anthem X1

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, mtb, Audax

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1 comments

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Simon E | 7 years ago
0 likes

I have to wonder what you get for something 3 times the price of Polaris 3 Quartz.

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