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Tights & longs
Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition
dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition

Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition

9
by Mike Stead
UPDATED Fri, Mar 11, 2016 09:50

First Published Mar 10, 2016

2
£80.00

VERDICT:

9
10
Stunning value, great winter bib tights more than worth every penny
Weight: 
311g
Contact: 
www.wiggle.co.uk
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The Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition might well be the best-value high-performance tights out there. They're pro in all but logo.

Dhb's own words on the ASV bibs runs to over 500 words, and I won't look to replicate all the tech detail here (see the 'test report' below, if you're interested). What you need to know is that these are basically the same tights that the Wiggle Honda Pro Team wear, without the logos.

> Buy these online here

There are four different Roubaix fabrics sewn into a multitude of panels, giving a very snug, athletic fit – Dhb says its Professional garments are “designed to be as aerodynamic as possible and as such hug the body very closely to give you the very best performance benefit”. It also suggests you size up from your usual Dhb Performance kit if you're of a larger/muscular build.

dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition - riding.jpg

This I can vouch for – as a 73kg six-footer I found the medium racy – not a wrinkle of flappage to be seen anywhere. I like the slightly compressive feel, and that the ankle is a zip-and-grip affair instead of a loop.

dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition - ankles.jpg

Out for two fast hours on a windy, overcast 10°C day, I had to lose the windproof jacket and go with 150gsm baselayer plus winter jersey – the insulation of the ASVs comes up mid-tum and certainly kept the core warm.

I was hunting for somewhere to test water repellency/insulation, and Hampshire Highways obliged with a 100-yard-long hub-deep flooded lane. Hitting it at 20mph soaked me to the thigh. Water beaded off of everywhere apart from the shins, and I'm not sure what happened there, but for the next hour I didn't notice anything – it was as if the drenching didn't happen. Magic.

> Check out our guide to the best winter cycling tights and trousers here

Speaking of wand-related features... the pad. For me it did that most magical of things – it went unnoticed. The week before, a different set of bibs had me in penury, but the ASVs were spot on for a fast 50km in and out of the saddle. I was focused on when my shins would start to feel cold (they didn't) and when I'd start to bonk having forgotten to eat (hooray for fat stores), and completely missed any arse-related inferences, if there were any. Of course, as with cycling shoes, opinions on whether high-vis works, helmets and whether red lights should (n)ever be jumped, pads are a personal thing. But this one, for me, worked a treat.

dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition - reflective details.jpg
dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition - reflective detail.jpg

As per the marketing blurb there are a few reflective bits and pieces, but the overall look is stealth. At the current Wiggle sale prices for ASV kit (these are £48 down from £80 RRP), think Rapha's new Shadow collection but with enough change left over to buy a decent wheelset. And if you don't want to take my word for how good these are, check out Stu Kerton's review of the non-Black Edition version here.

Verdict

Stunning value, great winter bib tights more than worth every penny

road.cc test report

Make and model: Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition

Size tested: Medium

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?

These are for folks who want to go fast, in the cold/rain, look great doing so and not spend a fortune.

Dhb says:

The ASV Roubaix Bib Tight combines branded, highly technical fabrics and refined subtle graphics for the perfect cold weather, winter training bib tight.

Racing fit suited to lean rider physique

Product Data

Fit: Performance

Style: Full Length

Road: Yes

dhb ASV Professional

Developed with pro team cyclists, dhb ASV Professional is highly technical kit designed for intensive efforts and speed.

The new autumn/winter range is an expansion of our highly successful summer collection: this is kit to keep elite level riders and racers on the road all year round, regardless of weather conditions. For top cyclists, the season begins with winter training, long before the first race of spring. ASV Professional is kit for those long days out in challenging conditions, where races are really won and lost.

*dhb Professional garments are designed to be as aerodynamic as possible and as such hug the body very closely to give you the very best performance benefit. If you are of a larger/muscular build we recommend ordering a size up to match your usual dhb performance size. For further sizing and fit advice, please see our size guide.

Just Add Effort

The ASV kit is sure to get you noticed with its race ready construction, technical fabrics and sophisticated graphics. Identical in technical specification to the Wiggle Honda Pro Cycling team kit, it is the ultimate apparel for racing and elite level athletes.

Superior, High Performance Fabrics

dhb have used branded, reputable, technical fabrics to ensure the ASV Roubaix Bib Tight caters to the high demands of professional cycling during the coldest months of the year. The Italian Roubaix thermal fabrics have a brushed fleece inner which traps a layer of warm air close to your body to insulate you from the cold. The brushed surface of the fleece gives a soft feel against the skin for optimum comfort during training rides.

The Roubaix fabric continues up the braces to keep your core warm, while a meshed back channel has been strategically positioned to help dissipate sweat as you ride to prevent wind chill.

Elasticated zip openings feature around the ankle to make getting the ASV Bib Tight on and off easier without compromising on a streamlined profile - great news at the end of a long base building ride. Once on, the ankle the openings are secured in place with silicone grippers.

Reflective ASV logos on the calf and an anthracite reflective dhb logo on the rear on the tight offers visibility for low light conditions.

Elastic Interface Endurance Chamois, Perfect for Long Distances

An all-Italian chamois custom designed and shaped specifically for the male cyclist. The Endurance seat pad features an anatomic 3D construction with dual density foam layers for cushioning, pressure relief and support. The padding features ventilating Air-Flow perforations for extended freshness and dryness on long endurance rides. The surface layer is made from a seamless microfibre for a smooth abrasion-free fit.

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

DHB says:

Top Features of the dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight - Black Edition

Shop the dhb ASV Stealth look

Black Edition utilises 4 Italian high performance thermal fabrics for Winter use

Roubaix braces for protection around the belly and kidney areas

Meshed back channel to aid thermal comfort

CyTech Endurance chamois for ultimate low bulk protection

2 x anthracite dhb logos

2 x anthracite reflective inserts

Racing fit suited to lean rider physique

Inserts:

49% Polyamide(Nylon)

35% Polyester

16% Elastane(Spandex)

Main:

51% Polyamide(Nylon)

33% Polyester

16% Elastane(Spandex)

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

No flatlocked seams at this price point, but everything seems hefty enough to last.

Rate the product for performance:
 
10/10

Dhb says this kit is an exact replica of what its pro team wears - and it shows.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Still looking like new a number of washes on.

Rate the product for fit:
 
10/10

Wow. Best fit I've had in years. And the last pair that fitted this well cost $365.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
9/10

The medium was spot on for me, using Dhb's 'Professional Fit' ranges of dimension.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10

At 311g, pretty darn light.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
9/10

Very comfy. Very.

Rate the product for value:
 
9/10

Very good value at RRP, and at the current sale price of £48, just stunning.

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

Still looks the same.

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

Very well indeed. Can't fault it.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The fit. It's rare for me to jump into a set of bibs and be this comfy.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing I can think of.

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 score

Extremely comfortable and great value – probably a 10 at sale price.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 183cm  Weight: 72kg

I usually ride: Charge Juicer  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: club rides, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking, and Dutch bike pootling

Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition 2016
Dhb ASV Roubaix Bib Tight Black Edition
Dhb 2016
dhb
Mike Stead

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

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2 comments

Avatar
Nixster | 8 years ago
0 likes

On the strength of this review I bought these for the less than princely sum of £48 and I have to say they are both very good tights and stonking value. Not as warm as my Catelli Sorpasso tights perhaps but the pad is thicker and the fit is as good. The fabric is very comfortable against the skin and the dhb tights shed water which the Castellis don't. And the logos are cracked on the Castellis so can't hold that against the dhb tights either!

Bearing in mind that both were bought in sales and the Castelli tights were still twice the price I recommend that you fill your boots. 

Avatar
Vili Er | 8 years ago
0 likes

There’s no denying Wiggle have upped their game with this new range of clothing at a mid-weight price. It’s good race cut stuff with a lot of thought going into the design. The fabric isn’t Rapha, Assos, Castelli quality but that’s why you pay the good money. The one down side is that Wiggle still haven’t sorted out their logo printing. It won’t be long before the corners start to peel up – this is washing correctly i.e. the garment is inside out, washed at 30C, no softener and non-bio (I use Halo) and I even use lady lingerie washing bags for my kit (suits you sir). But after a short while those dhb logos will give up and start to look taty which is a shame because it detracts from the look. Sort it out Wiggle.

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