Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II

The Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II are effective, practical and comfortable. They're well made, priced about right and they're as adept on a short commute as they are on all-day rides and rough gravel adventures, thanks to an excellent multi-density chamois.

> Buy now: Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II for £145 from Le Col

I have bib shorts for different uses – my dailies, my mucky set and my best shorts saved for special events. The Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II are very much in the everyday category, designed to be good at everything without specialising in any one area.

They sit one level below Le Col's pro level bib shorts, and come without the higher-end performance elements that those shorts have. The Sports are made with more panels, the chamois is designed to be used in various riding positions and prioritise comfort over an aero fit.

Fit

While the fit isn't as aggressive as you'll find on racing bibs, they're not baggy and they don't cause any excess drag.

As you'd expect from a set of everyday shorts at this price, they're not as compressive as a pair of higher-end bib, but instead they're made up of four panels on each leg, which results in a good fit.

The material is stretchy too, the panelling allowing a full range of movement when you're pedalling, and it copes well with your various lumps and bumps.

They didn't ride up during use either, thanks to the effective silicone grippers around the inside of the hems – and even when I was sweaty they stayed in place.

Chamois

As with any bib shorts, the most important element for comfort is the chamois. This chamois differs from those Le Col uses in its pro-level shorts, as it's designed to be used in various positions rather than the aggressive position of its higher-end shorts.

This comes in the form of a pad with different densities and thicknesses across it, allowing you to shift more easily in the saddle while still maintaining comfort and support. With the kind of riding that 99% of us do, this suits them well, letting you sit up more when you're climbing or shifting a little after hours in the saddle.

The chamois wasn't just comfortable on long road rides, I found it worked equally well on rough gravel-riding excursions.

Upper

The top of the shorts is made from a mesh material that has a bit of stretch to it, but not quite as much as you would expect from bib short straps. This does make them a little more awkward to put on than some other pairs, but it doesn't make too much of a difference.

They also wick well and I found that I could comfortably wear them either by themselves or with an under layer, and they were still breathable and comfortable even when it was particularly hot.

One slight issue is that the mesh continues fairly high up, which made it a little trickier to take a nature break.

Value

The £145 RRP is about what I'd expect in terms of their features and overall quality – they're very comfortable but without more performance-orientated features such as compression material.

Isadore's Signature Bib Shorts are £20 dearer and have a similar construction and quality, but with some added storage too.

The Santini Karma Evo Delta bib shorts are £20 cheaper and constructed from a similar number of panels, though Sam found that the legs were a little longer than expected.

Our bib shorts buyer's guide covers our top choices at a wide range of prices.

Conclusion

The Le Col Bib Shorts II are more than capable as a pair of everyday shorts – not just in terms of their price, but in how long they're likely to last, their construction and their excellent multi-density chamois. The higher mesh makes nature breaks a little trickier, but that's about the only down side.

> Buy now: Le Col Sport Bib Shorts II for £145 from Le Col

Verdict

A well-made and reliable set of everyday bib shorts that are comfortable on commutes, big days out and gravel rides