Santini Coral 2.0 Ladies Winter Bib Tights

Thermofleece fabric combined with a good fit on the legs and an incredibly soft pad got Santini's Coral 2.0 Ladies Winter Bib Tights off to a great start in testing. Warm, soft and well made, they'll make a good choice for winter riding – if you get on with the slightly unusual design of the bib section.

• Pros: Good fit on the legs, comfortable, nice chamois
• Cons: Mesh bib lacking support

Although they size up a little small, I found the medium to be a great fit on my (usually small) lower body. The 'innovative front mesh bib' also fitted well, but it's incredibly stretchy and doesn't feel like it offers much in the way of additional support to the tights.

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Personally, if I wanted more breathability I'd go for bib straps, and on colder days I'd choose tights with a full bodice section, but this attempt to combine the two didn't really do it for me. Bib preference can be very personal, though, and I certainly didn't find it at all uncomfortable.

The leg length is sensible, although longer than the Rapha Core Bib Tights that I also tested, which are probably better suited for those of us with shorter legs.

The ankles don't feature a zip or fastening, which made the tights a little more awkward than some to get on (Rapha's have a similar design but ribbed, with more give), but it's preferable to having an itchy zip around your ankle when riding. They do feature a reflective strip up both ankles for extra visibility.

The chamois pad is lovely and soft and doesn't feel too bulky. I found it to be really comfortable on my longer winter rides and had no particular issues. I do tend to get along well with Santini pads in general.

Santini suggests a recommended temperature range of the tights of 0-15 degrees. While the tights are certainly breathable enough not to overheat at the higher end of that scale, getting down to 2-3 degrees I started to feel some wind chill and would want something more substantial on particularly cold or windy days.

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

As for value, £99.99 certainly isn't cheap, though you can pay a lot more, and they are a well-made, cosy pair of winter tights with a very comfortable pad. If you like the design of the bib section they're certainly worth considering.

Personally, I preferred the design of Rapha's Core Tights mentioned above, though they are an extra £20. Alternatively, the Sportful Diva Bib Tights I tested last winter, which were £100, can be found considerably cheaper online now, and came out with similar plus points during testing, along with a nicely fitting bodice bib section.

Verdict

A really comfortable pair of winter tights, but the front mesh bib section won't be to everyone's taste