Madison Sportive Shield Softshell Men's Bib Tights With Pad

If you want a comfortable and insulating bib tight with the capacity to shrug off really wet and wild weather, these Madison Sportive Shield Softshell Men's Bib Tights With Pad do just that, and at a reasonable price. They're slightly let down by the less than perfect fit, but this didn't hamper their performance or comfort.

Madison are one of the UK's largest distributors of components and accessories. The likes of Shimano, Thule, GoPro, Park Tool and Kryptonite are all looked after by the company. Madison also produce their own extensive range of clothing, much of it has benefited from the feedback garnered from the Madison-Genesis professional cycling team.

These bib tights are constructed from a windproof softshell fabric with an Italian sourced thermal roubaix fabric. This provides the insulation, ample to see you through sub-zero rides quite happily. A DWR treatment gives added rain and road spray protection, and they'll keep you dry. They're as good as the Rapha Deep Winter tights in this regard.

The tights feature some nice details. I particularly liked the Roubaix fabric extending high up at the front, giving another layer of insulation over the chest zone. The long zipper aids getting in and out of them, and comfort breaks were no problem. Now I'm no fan of foot stirrups, but they proved to be unnoticeable when riding. There are a good handful of reflective details ticking the box for commuters and those heading out for a ride after sunset.

Fit is mostly perfect, but as you can see from the photos, they are a bit baggy around the knees. Madison say the tights have a pre-curved shape to aid the fit and avoid any restriction of movement, and during riding they certainly turned out to be very comfortable. There was no tightness anywhere in the legs; they fit comfortably despite their baggy appearance. That said, there are plenty of manufacturers producing tights with equivalent comfort without the baggy appearance, so perhaps there is room for improvement.

Inside the tights we find a custom Madison 4G-Race gel insert. It has an antibacterial treatment and was a very comfortable padded layer between bum and saddle, and showed not a hint of discomfort on any rides, long or short.

There's a lot of choice in the £99 bib tight market, and the Madison tights offered the level of performance we would expect at this price. Of particular note is their warmth for really cold weather riding, making them ideally suited to the current temperatures. Despite the baggy appearance in the photos, they are comfortable on the bike.

Verdict

Warm and weatherproof tights with a comfortable padded insert, slightly let down by their baggy appearance