Altura Icon Men’s Thermal Bib Tights

The Altura Icon Men's Thermal Bib Tights cover all the bases you need for winter riding, with a supportive pad for those steady training rides, a multi-panel design that gives a great fit, and neat little touches like an easy-to-reach pocket and plenty of reflectives.

The heart of any shorts or tights is the pad, and Altura has worked with respected brand Elastic Interface for this Icon offering. It's quite simple in design, offering little in the way of channels and multiple pad densities, but it's none the worse for it.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy these online here

I found it comfortable on long rides, even those where you don't move around much, like the steady state efforts I do in the winter; the pace is a bit easier, and I don't get out of the saddle much.

The padding isn't overly thick so there are no issues with bunching, and cleverly, the larger sized bib tights get the same shaped pad as the smaller ones but with a denser foam to suit heavier riders.

For the main part of the bib tights Altura has chosen a 260gsm fabric with a brushed inner face to give it a bit of a thermal boost.

It's a decent weight: thin enough that it has plenty of stretch for ease of movement, but still thick enough that it blocks out most of the wind, keeping you warm. You get a durable water repellent coating too, which keeps light drizzle and road spray at bay.

When it comes to temperature range, I'd say they'll definitely cope down to 2°C, and even below freezing, depending on the windchill.

The panel positioning is well thought out, with Altura keeping seams away from where they could rub, like at the rear of the knees, and the overall shape of the finished tights is very good. They fit well on the bike with no bunching on the legs anywhere.

To keep the cuffs in place at the bottom of the leg, and to make getting them on easier, Altura has used zips, situated on the sides.

They run smoothly and if you like zips then you'll have no problems; I'm not a fan and would prefer not to have them as they can press into my ankle when I'm wearing close-fitting overshoes. Thankfully at least, by positioning the zips at the side they don't clash with the rear zip found on many overshoes.

You also get reflective details on each calf and thigh to catch the attention of drivers.

The bib section uses a lightweight mesh to allow breathability should you be wearing quite a few layers. I like the fact that the straps are wide and flat as it means they don't produce any pressure points.

On the back panel of the bibs you'll find a pocket on the right hand side. It's deep enough to hold a mobile, but ideal for stashing gels or energy bars.

When it comes to sizing, these Icons are exactly as I'd expect them to be. I'm a medium in most brands and that's what I have here; they fit a treat and the size guide shows that I am bang in the right range for the size.

Overall, the quality is very good. The Icons look and feel well made, with neat stitching throughout, and the material is showing no signs of early wear.

Value

The rrp for the Icons is £95 which puts them smack in the middle of the Gore C3 Thermo bib tights, now £99.99, and the Craft Ideal Wind bib tights (£90) which Rob was very impressed with.

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

They don't quite match the excellent Orro Pyro Line Aquazero bib tights, which are just slightly higher priced at £99.

Conclusion

Altura has delivered a quality pair of bib tights for the money that fit really well and feature a comfortable pad. As long as you don't mind ankle zips, there is little to dislike.

Verdict

Good quality bib tights with a great fit on the bike and a pad that'll keep you happy for many miles