Chapeau Club Thermal Bibshorts

Chapeau's Club Thermal Bibshorts work well across a huge range of conditions, offering plenty of warmth, breathability, and, above all else, loads of comfort. They are a good price too, considering the high quality.

Like many of us, my cycling wardrobe has built up steadily over the years and I have specific kit for certain conditions, especially for the lower half of my body. Tights for the winter, 3/4s for the spring and the autumn, and shorts for the summer, with a bit of blending in line with the weather.

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The Club Thermal shorts do away with needing a lot of that apparel, though, as when paired with a set of knee or arm warmers they'll cover three-quarters of your cycling year.

The Roubaix-style, fleece-backed material used in the majority of their construction is soft against the skin and keeps you surprisingly warm. I've been wearing them a lot through December and into the new year, which has seen a fair change in conditions: up to the low-teens Celsius on the milder days, with a prolonged colder spell as we've moved into January, and the Chapeaus have delivered right across the board.

I'd say up to around 15°C is the top limit, higher than that and I'd find them a little too warm, especially if riding hard, but on the colder days I was perfectly comfortable in them at just a degree or so above freezing.

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For added warmth, the front panel rises higher than typical on bib shorts, which gives some extra protection from cold winds. Chapeau has included a zip to aid toilet breaks, which is a nice touch.

These are performance bib shorts and are tailored to fit close, using multiple panels rather than just relying on the stretch of the fabric. Size-wise I'd say they are realistic to the UK market, coming up a little larger than equivalent sized European offerings. Just follow Chapeau's guide and you'll be fine.

I found them a pleasure to wear on long road and gravel rides and suffered no discomfort anywhere – well, mostly. The only slight niggle I had is that the small tab of material used to create the seam on each leg gripper is quite large and firm. On a couple of longer rides they did dig into my thighs a bit, although after quite a lot of wears and washes they have softened.

Elastic Interface chamois pads are used by a fair few brands, and that's because its products are very good. The one Chapeau has chosen for the Thermal Bibshorts offers great levels of padding, which take out the worst of the road buzz without isolating you from the saddle. I suffered no bunching of the foam or material anywhere and was really impressed with just how comfortable I remained even after a four-and-a-half-hour gravel ride.

The top half of the shorts is also a joy to wear. The wide bib straps offer a free range of movement without digging in, and seams have been kept to a minimum to minimise irritation.

The overall quality is very high throughout, from the stitching all the way through to the durability of the fabric.

This goes a long way to justifying their £129.99 price tag, which, though double that of some bib shorts on the market, is easier to swallow when you consider how versatile they are, meaning it doesn't equate to much in terms of £s per mile.

They're a little cheaper than some: the Sanremo Thermal bib shorts from Shutt VR cost £139, for example, and the Le Col Pro Blackouts that Liam loved are £170. But you can find very good pairs for less: Mike was very impressed with the Lusso 2-Zero Thermal bib shorts, which are not only warm and comfortable but also come with a decent amount of water resistance, for £79.99.

Conclusion

I can definitely see these becoming a staple of an autumn to spring wardrobe. The performance cut makes you feel like you are wearing your best summer shorts but with the added benefits of the extra warmth afforded from the fabric. Overall quality is top notch and so are the comfort levels.

Verdict

Top quality three-season bib shorts that are very comfortable to wear no matter how long your ride