Giro Chrono Pro Bib Shorts

The Giro Chrono Pro bib shorts are supremely comfortable with a perfect 'goldilocks' chamois that's neither too thin nor too padded – it's just right. They're very well made and the straps are as comfy as the rest, but the very short legs won't be for everyone – and neither will the price.

When Stu Kerton first reviewed the Chrono Pro bib shorts in 2018, he said they were "absolutely lovely to wear." I would second that – they're up there with the most comfortable I've worn this year – but they're so short I've worn them mostly on the turbo for fear of wolf-whistling white van men.

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Stu didn't mention the legs in his review, and perhaps if you have relatively short femurs they'll fit you just fine, but for the average male rider I'm really not sure where Giro is going. The Le Col Pro bib shorts I reviewed before these (also size medium), and which I praised for their perfect leg length, have an inseam of 29cm. The Giro Chrono Pros measure 22.5cm (against a claimed 24cm).

I took a tape measure to my other shorts and not one has an inseam as short as that. You can see on Mat in the photos that they leave a lot of exposed thigh.

I found the legs tend to ride up even further due to very minimalist grippers. The Santini Tono Puro bibs have a wide lattice of sticky silicone all round the insides of each cuff, but the Giros have just an underpowered, centimetre-wide strip on the inside front section only. Until you build up a sufficient sweat to restick them down, they can easily ride too far into hotpant territory.

It's a real shame, because they're otherwise excellent shorts. The Elastic Interface chamois is unchanged – possibly it's Giro's own design since it has the Giro logo as well as Elastic Interface's – and it's simple but super-comfortable. More slimline than some, it avoids the nappy look and feel, and I found it perfectly positioned under the sit bones. It doesn't move, either.

Giro's Gradient Stretch Woven fabric, used on the front of the legs, has an unusual papery feel but a more supportive stretch than traditional Lycra-type fabrics. Giro says it provides high durability, improved compression, fast drying, impressive breathability a UPF 50+ rating. Although it's hard to verify the compression claim, I would go along with the others one hundred per cent.

There's also what Giro calls a lumbar support panel for relief on long rides, made from another fabric. Having suffered lower back issues in the past, I'm not convinced a fabric panel can help much but, like the tight leg fabric, it definitely feels more supportive than regular Lycra.

The bib section is really nicely done. The wide, flat straps have loads of stretch lengthways and none sideways, and don't fold in on themselves even after washing. Meanwhile the mesh is stretchy in all directions, as it should be, and even includes a radio pocket in case you turn pro.

This is a high-quality, Italian-made pair of shorts and as such they're pretty expensive – more expensive than both the Le Col Pro (£150) and Santini Tono Puro shorts (£140) I reviewed recently – but there are more expensive bib shorts around, such as the Assos Equipe RS at £200 and Rapha's Classic Bib Shorts II at £165.

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If the legs were longer I would say the Giros were worth it, because they're exceptionally comfortable and very well made. If they fit you (measure your inseam) they're a fantastic pair of shorts.

Verdict

Good quality, super-comfortable, premium-priced shorts – but measure your inseam first