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Specialized Men’s RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights

8
£100.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Well-made, durable bib tights with a great pad and comfortable materials
Chamois pad is very comfortable
Well-positioned seams
Decent amount of water resistance
Barely any reflectives
Weight: 
253g

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The Specialized Men's RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights offer great comfort thanks mostly to the Body Geometry pad, but also the softness and warmth of the fleece fabric used for the main sections. I'd just like them to be a little more visible in the dark, though.

Apart from the bib section, these RBX Comp tights are made from a fleece-backed Lombardia fabric which feels great against the skin. It's soft and has plenty of stretch thanks to 16% of it being made up of elastane.

This means they move well with your legs and body as you pedal, without any feeling of restriction anywhere. Also, it means that the silicone grips at the ankles don't have to work very hard to keep everything in place.

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The fabric works in a range of temperatures; I'd say I was comfortable in them from about 13°C down towards just below freezing, all depending on how hard I'm working.

On rides into a chilly northerly wind, I found them to block the chill effectively and you also get the bonus of some water resistance. This is enough to stop light rain or drizzle getting through for half an hour to an hour depending on how heavy it is. It's certainly better than nothing.

2021 Specialized Men's RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights - front detail.jpg

I found the fit great, with the mutli-panel design resulting in all sections sitting smoothly against the skin with no bunching, apart from the tiniest amount behind the knees when pedalling, which is always going to happen. There are no seams in this area, which helps with comfort.

2021 Specialized Men's RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights - legs back.jpg

The bottom of the legs, as I mentioned, just has a silicone gripper, no zips or anything, and that's the way I like it as there's no risk of rubbing or clashing with zips or fastenings on overshoes.

The bib section is made from a lighter weight fabric and again I found it to be very comfortable. The sizing is spot on, with plenty of length in the body, so I felt comfortable stretching out from the hoods to the drops.

2021 Specialized Men's RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights - straps front.jpg

The fabric is also breathable, so you won't overheat while sticking to your chosen way of layering up.

2021 Specialized Men's RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights - straps back.jpg

The chamois used is the Body Geometry 3D Contour, and while it looks quite simple, no multi-density sections of padding or channels criss-crossing everywhere, it works brilliantly.

The foam is firm enough to provide a cushion between you and the saddle, but not so much that it mutes all feedback coming through from the bike. It's a good balance, and one that I like.

2021 Specialized Men's RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights - chamois.jpg

There is a single channel running down through the middle to reduce any numbness and I felt no bunching up or hot spots at all, even on my three-hour gravel loop that I've tested these on countless times.

Overall, the quality is good with tidy stitching throughout. It's not the neatest I've seen on a pair of bib tights of this price, but no one is going to notice unless they are really studying them up close.

The good thing is that they are looking to be very durable, especially in key areas like where they come into contact with the saddle. I've seen other pairs get a bit bobbly after just a few rides.

2021 Specialized Men's RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights - back detail.jpg

One thing I would like to see is some more reflective detailing rather than the token small tabs on the back of each thigh. It wouldn't need too be massive, just noticeable, say on the rear of the calf to be picked up by following headlights.

> Buyer’s Guide: 24 of the best warm winter cycling tights

Their rrp of £100 puts them in the same price bracket as the Orro Pyro Line Aquazero bib tights, which I think just have the edge on comfort, but they're well on a par with the £95 and great-fitting Altura Icon Thermal bib tights.

Conclusion

Overall, the RBX Comp Thermals offer a great fit and a very comfortable pad, plus their durability means they are well worth what could be seen as a fairly modest investment.

Verdict

Well-made, durable bib tights with a great pad and comfortable materials

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Specialized Men's RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights

Size tested: Medium

Tell us what the product is for

Specialized says, "Cold legs make for bad rides, and bad rides are no fun. Lucky for you, the RBX Comp Thermal Bib Tights keep your legs toasty on chilly days.

And to top off the comfort, we've used our Body Geometry 3D Contour Chamois with a variable density design that places support and padding where you need it, not where you don't."

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

Specialized lists:

* Made of soft and water-resistant Lombardia fleece, which stretches in two directions for comfort and easy care.

* Fabric Content: TIGHT84% Polyamide, 16% Elastane - UPPER 75% Polyamide, 25% Elastane

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

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

I followed the washing instructions and had no issues. They came up clean after some very muddy rides.

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

They keep the wind out and it's a bonus to get a bit of water resistance.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Great fit.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Barely any reflectives.

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

They are pretty much the same price as the Orro and Altura bib tights mentioned in the review, and offer similar levels of performance and comfort.

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

I've scored the RBX Comps as 'very good' because they offer all the things I think are necessary for a pair of bib tights for use in the UK, being a material that keeps you warm without being restrictive, a comfortable pad for taming poor road surfaces, and impressive durability. Their lack of decent reflectives is my only real bugbear.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  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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