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review

Primal Dawn Men's Bib Knickers

9
£75.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Absolutely brilliant pair of 3/4s in all aspects, especially comfort
Weight: 
268g

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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The Primal Dawn Men's Bib Knickers are a real masterclass in how to create a simple, quality product at a very good price. Multiple panels for a great fit, high quality fabric and a highly comfortable pad make for a pair of 3/4-length tights that can be worn for hours.

  • Pros: Excellent fit, comfortable pad for all types of riding
  • Cons: Very little

The Dawns use a material called Traverso, a brushed-back fabric that is composed of 90% polyester and 10% spandex. It's warm, very warm... even in the 3-4°C early morning temperatures I've been riding in. Primal gives a range of use from -7°C to 24°C which is plausible at the bottom end, though I reckon you'll be pretty uncomfortable with anything above about 17-18°C – that's shorts weather!

> Buy these online here

The fabric has a decent weight to it and offers a close fit without being compressive, just sitting nicely balanced between the two. It is very soft against the skin, especially with that brushed finish on the inside.

Primal Dawn Mens Bib knickers - back.jpg

There are multiple panels of fabric sewn together to create the tights below the waist, and this really does give you a full range of movement. When you are sat in the saddle there is no bunching anywhere thanks to little details like the small panel behind each knee.

Primal Dawn Mens Bib knickers - riding.jpg

Helping the calf grippers stay in place are silicone strips and they do a really good job – I never felt them ride up.

Primal Dawn Mens Bib knickers - cuff.jpg

The bibs are made from a lighter weight mesh fabric with the straps being nice and wide to avoid any kind of pressure points. You get a full back panel for warmth and the front sits quite high up towards your stomach to keep your vital organs out of any chilly winter breezes.

Primal Dawn Mens Bib knickers - straps back.jpg
Primal Dawn Mens Bib knickers - straps front.jpg

On first glimpse I was expecting the APX pad to be a little bulky as it looks quite thick in places, I prefer a slim pad over a thick one. The APX uses a triple density design but cleverly, the thicker sections are exactly where you need them, with minimal material where you don't. This way you get all of the shock absorption needed without any bulky bunching up of the material.

Primal Dawn Mens Bib knickers - pad.jpg

I rode anything from 90-minute smashfest efforts through to a four-hour ride and never once found the Primals to be uncomfortable.

Priced at an impressive £75, it's a lot of bib knicker for your money. The build quality looks to be excellent, and thanks to the thickness of the fabric durability isn't likely to be an issue.

They sit well against other brands known for offering very good clothing at a sensible price. Lusso, for example, has its three-quarter Thermal Roubaix for £79.50 (we tested the tight version here), and the non-Roubaix version is the same money.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best winter bib tights and trousers

dhb is another strong contender with its Aeron range, which I have worn plenty of, both bib shorts and full tights. Its Aeron FLT Roubaix 3/4s are £80 at full price.

The Primals might be up against some top opposition from the likes of these two, but that doesn't take away their amazing comfort and performance, regardless of the price.

Verdict

Absolutely brilliant pair of 3/4s in all aspects, especially comfort

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Primal Dawn Men's Bib Knickers

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

Primal says, "Classic Design which will match all of our lovely tops! We all need some warmth. With an innovative multi-panel design and thermal brushed back fabric, Primal Bib Knickers are designed to optimize performance and keep you comfortable in cool weather. These knickers also have a top of the line APX chamois with 3 density foam layers to ensure your comfort and remove the need to wear additional layers."

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

MATERIALS

Traverso

Optimized for damage-free use in warmers and tights while in conditions that are tougher than Calculus, Traverso is constructed with a mechanically brushed back fabric, and traverses excellently between a span of 20-75 degrees F. Reduction of 'grin-through' is thoroughly maintained by a dyed black back that covers the white base once the material is stretched. Many folks may confuse grin through with the face they put on during another one of their friend's tragic attempts at slam-poetry-not the same.

Technical Specs: 90% Polyester, 10% Spandex | 245 gsm

CHAMOIS

APX Chamois

The APX chamois is ideal for teams and competitive road cyclists. Three layers of density foam, 4-way stretch and an anatomical shape allow for optimum comfort while maintaining a free range of motion. Antibacterial Silver Ion and Visigrid fabrics offer superior moisture transport and will not break down over time.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

* APX Chamois

* Silicone Leg Gripper

* Sport Fit

* Traverso Fabric

ABOUT THE FIT

Thermal Knickers

Primal Knickers are built using Traverso fabric: optimized for damage-free use when paired with tights during freezing temperatures yet versatile enough for up to 75 degrees F. The APX chamois has three layers of density foam, a 4-way stretch, and an anatomical shape that provides optimum comfort while maintaining a free range of motion. Antibacterial Silver Ion and Visigrid fabrics offer superior moisture transport and will not break down over time.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
9/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
10/10

Absolutely spot on to the sizing guide. On the whole Primal's products are cut realistically to the general UK sizing.

Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

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

No problems in the washing machine at all. They came up clean no matter how muddy they were, plus there were no issues with shrinkage.

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

Great for the type of temperatures you're likely to find in the spring and autumn, and the pad works for all types of riding.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

There really is very little to dislike. One rider who I was with said he'd prefer a smaller logo on the leg, but it wasn't really an issue for me.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

There is quite a bit of opposition out there at this price point, like the brands I mention in the review, but the Dawns are right up there with the best of them – and even those more expensive.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

These are great bib knickers; they feel absolutely brilliant from the moment you pull them on and are backed up by some great build quality, at a really good price.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

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2 comments

Avatar
cougie | 5 years ago
0 likes

Not a hint of reflectives on them ? Pity. 

Avatar
alexb | 5 years ago
0 likes

Well done for putting up an image of the pad! Too many reviews don't show this.

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