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review
£95.00
VERDICT:
Comfortable and nicely fitting padded shorts but rather expensive
Weight:
165g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
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The Huez Starman Shorts are comfortable and fit well, ideal for cyclists who don't want to bother with bib shorts with their strange shoulder straps. Good for commuting and shorter rides, too, as you can wear them under trousers or shorts and benefit from the comfort without having to look like a Lycra clad cyclist.
The Starman shorts are made from a ColdBlack Lycra fabric. It's soft next to the skin, and there's enough stretch to enhance the fit without feeling clingy. The ColdBlack technology provides protection when riding in sunny weather, with UPF 50 protection to prevent harmful UV rays from potentially damaging your skin.
> Find your nearest stockist here
As well as looking after you in the sunshine, a generous amount of 3M Scotchlite reflective material ensures good low light and night time visibility, helping you to stand out to other road users. Some of the rear reflective panel will be covered up, to varying degrees, by a cycling jersey or T-shirt, but it's a stylish way to add some reflectivity to the shorts.
Inside the shorts is a Serie 3.2.D/80 Italian made padded insert. The pad provides excellent comfort with a range of padding densities and thicknesses that basically puts more padding where you need it most, and less where you don't need it. It helps to avoid that nappy feeling. An anti-bacterial treatment is added to the insert as well.
The shorts offer a good fit. The leg openings are elasticated with silicone print on the inside of the hem ensuring they don't slip up your legs when pedalling. The elasticated waist band does a similar job of ensuring the shorts stay put without applying too much pressure around your middle.
The back of the shorts comes up a bit higher so you don't flash any flesh when crouched over on the bicycle.
I'm not normally a fan of non-bib shorts but I found these very comfortable. They're good on their own and a nice alternative to bib shorts, and I found them compliant around the waist. For shorter leisure rides they're a good substitute for bib shorts, and as I said at the start of the review, they're ideal for commuting, particularly if you want to wear baggy shorts or trousers over the top.
> Still too cold just for shorts? Check out our guide to the best leg and arm warmers
The only downside is the rather high price. At £95 they're just too expensive for what they're offering, and there are much cheaper alternatives available that do the job just as well. That said, the quality is clearly very high and the fit and comfort is excellent, with the reflective detailing adding a nice touch.
Verdict
Comfortable and nicely fitting padded shorts but rather expensive
road.cc test report
Make and model: Huez Starman Shorts
Size tested: Medium - Black
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Huez says:
The Huez* Starman Shorts form the basis of our technical range, with integrated night time visibility and a perfect fit for comfort and movement.
A close anatomical fit for perfect performance in the saddle.
Elasticated leg cuffs with silicone Huez* spinning star gripper keep the shorts from riding up as you pedal, and the ColdBlack® Lycra® construction makes them feel like a second skin.
The chamois insert has been specifically engineered to allow you to be in the saddle all day.
3M® Scotchlite® tabs on both the front and back leg.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
ColdBlack®
Dark fabrics with Coldblack® technology have been proven to reflect more heat than lighter colours. This special finishing technology reduces heat build-up and provides reliable sun protection up to UPF 50, and typically keeps the fabrics 9°c cooler than non-treated black fabrics.
Reflectivity
3M®'s brilliant reflective technology keeps you highly visible when darkness falls.
SERIE 3.2.D/80
Our chamois is the SERIE 3.2.D/80 made in Italy. A heat-former pad with three different thicknesses and three different padding densities. Designed to lessen pressure on the perineal-postate area, it gives excellent support to the ischial bones. SERIE 3D CARBON, the fabric contains a carbon thread with bacteriostatic properties.
Silicone Grip
Ultra-grippy silicone keeps the garment firmly in place.
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Made in Italy and clearly high quality construction.
Rate the product for performance:
7/10
Padded insert is comfortable, as is the fit around the waist and legs.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
No sign of wear around any of the seams.
Rate the product for comfort (if applicable)
7/10
For short rides and commutes they are pretty comfortable. That waist band doesn't dig in at all.
Rate the product for value:
4/10
£95 is rather a lot of money.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
For commuting and shorter rides they're a good alternative to bib shorts, but you can buy a good pair of bib shorts for this sort of money and they'll be better for any longer rides you might have planned.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Good fit and comfortable padded insert.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
The price.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Not sure
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Maybe
Use this box to explain your score
Really good comfort, fit and details, but the price is rather high.
About the tester
Age: 31
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, time trialling, cyclo-cross, commuting, touring, mountain biking
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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