Santini Karma Kinetic Men’s Bib Shorts

The Santini Karma Kinetic Bib Shorts provide a really good compressive fit, a comfortable pad and excellent breathability. These are great for hot summer days on the bike.

Santini say these shorts are suitable from 18-35°C for rides of up to seven hours, and during the July heatwave I put these to the ultimate test (perhaps unwisely) on a hilly 100 miles in 30°C heat.

> Buy now: Santini Karma Kinetic Bib Shorts for £125 from Santini

The bibs are made with Polartec's Delta fabric, which is designed to wick sweat away from the body quickly, and this worked well – there were some damp patches, as you'd expect in such weather, but these quickly dried off once I picked up a bit of speed on the descents. I never found myself overheating in them and never felt uncomfortable.

I've also worn them on a few of the rare cooler days we've had recently of around 13°C, and they were still fine.

They're standing up well to wear, too: I have worn these a lot during a month or so of testing and the quality of the stitching still looks great after frequent washing.

Pad

The GITevo chamois does a good job of providing all-day comfort without feeling too bulky. I've worn these shorts on long rides on some poorly surfaced lanes and have never experienced any discomfort.

It has a seamless construction, with an anti-shock gel core designed to reduce the impact of the road. I'd say it's on a par with the pads in other shorts I own from the likes of Assos and Castelli.

Fit and sizing

As with other Italian kit, these size up slightly smaller than some shorts I've tested recently. I tested these in a medium, and was in the middle of the size guide range, and found these snug but not restrictive.

The shorts come in seven sizes, from XS to 3XL, so you should be able to find one that suits.

They have what Santini describes as a compressive performance fit. The compression provides a close race fit on the legs, which I liked as it gives good support when on longer or race effort rides.

The leg length is also perfect in my opinion, sitting above the knee without being too short.

The leg gripper is incredibly effective – perhaps too effective at times, sticking to my leg hair when putting them on. There was certainly no riding up during testing.

The straps are made from a lightweight mesh material that's good for breathability. I've had some issues with the straps on similar shorts I've tested, but that's not the case here: there's no compromise on comfort.

My only gripe with these shorts is that the front comes up quite high, around belly button level, and the material isn't quite stretchy enough for it be easy to have a quick mid-ride comfort break; it's not impossible, it's just not that quick.

Colour-wise, the black with red stripes option I tested matches my club kit perfectly, but if that isn't to your taste there are three others to choose from: grey, green or blue, with different colour stripes for each.

Value

At £125 (originally £140), the shorts sit in the mid-price range with a lot of competition, and I'd say the quality is in line with similar shorts we've tested.

I recently tested and liked the Assos Mille GT C2 bib shorts, at the same price; I'd choose the Santinis for harder efforts, and the Assos for more relaxed rides.

Stu rated both the Nopinz Souplesse Bib Shorts (£119.99) and the NVPA BIB/Short Navy (£145) highly, and the recently tested Kalas Pure Z bib shorts offer a similar compressive fit at £119, although with the opposite issue to the Santinis: Jo finding that the front of the shorts is a bit too loose.

> Buyer’s Guide: 10 of the best cycling bib shorts

You can buy cheaper shorts – the Galibier Équipe 2 Aero Bib Shorts scored well and are priced at £73 – and more expensive shorts: the highly rated MAAP Pro Bib 2.0s come in at £235 (read the review here).

Overall

These Karma Kinetic bib shorts are great for long hot days in the saddle, with a comfortable pad and excellent breathability. The compression provides a good level of support, especially on more demanding efforts. All in all, I'd highly recommend these.

Verdict

Excellent compressive fit, comfortable pad and great breathability