Assos T.FF_1Shorts_S7

The Assos T.FF_1Shorts_S7 bibshorts are the pinnacle of the Swiss company's collaboration with the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, the FF_1 capsule collection. With new fabric designs alongside some already used by Assos on its other top flight shorts, the T.FF_1s are a real technical exercise in what has become of the humble cycling shorts. They come with a massive price tag, but they are the most comfortable bib shorts I've ever worn.

If you're interested in giving these Assos bib shorts a go, the first thing I'd recommend is sitting on a bike as soon as you put them on, before you decide whether you like the fit or not. Why? If your experience is anything like mine then first impressions won't be all that pleasurable.

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You see, like a lot of really top end cycle clothing, the T.FF_1s are cut to fit without compromise in the riding position, so when you first put them on and stand up, they pull and stretch in all sorts of directions, making them feel, well, just wrong. Once on the bike, though, everything makes sense. You don't get any bunching or pressure points anywhere and they feel like they are made to measure.

Assos has used its TypeA.444 ergoKompressor fabric throughout, which has a kind of rubberised feel to it and impressive compression properties. It can make them a little tricky to get on, as you have to inch them up your thighs, but once in position they feel very supportive around your muscles.

There is conflicting evidence out there on compression clothing and its benefits to muscle performance and repair, but I've always found it to work, speeding up recovery especially. The T.FF_1s certainly felt as though they reduced muscle fatigue on long rides.

For the stomach area Assos has used a new fabric which it calls Type.490; it's much thinner and softer than the rest of the shorts, meaning plenty of comfort when you're crouched over on the bike. The material is finished with a piece of silicone tape so it fits flush against the skin and aids comfort. 

You get more silicone on the leg grippers, albeit very little, although with the compression material they rarely moved up my thighs

The TT.F_1s use a mesh back panel for the bibs with two Lycra straps from shoulder to stomach, all of which is perfectly comfortable in use, with no pressure points or anything. The straps themselves actually have little rubber loops sewn in for holding your glasses while you climb that hot mountain pass, with your unzipped jersey flapping in the breeze.

Assos, like many others, uses Cytech Elastic Interface chamois pads, Assos say their pad is different from everybody else's Elastic Interface chamois pad and that Cytech only make their pad for them. I've used a fair few other manufacturer's high end Cytech Elastic Interface pads and they were all good. This is a good pad too a very good pad, Assos reckon it took four years of research to develop. That may well be the case but whatever extra special ingredients the pad is made from on first inspection at least it's a very simple construction of a couple of foam cutouts and a central channel to relieve pressure.

The masterstroke Assos plays, though, is to only stitch the pad to the shorts front and rear, which it calls goldenGate technology. It means the pad can float about as you go through the pedalling motion due to not being fixed into position, a hammock for your bits, if you like.

It makes a massive difference to long-term comfort and for me is what makes the TT.F_1s the most comfortable shorts I've used. In fact, the day before I had to go out for a long ride I'd ridden in a pair of shorts that weren't quite so forgiving, as in I'd lost a lot of skin. I put the Assos shorts on, not really relishing the idea of sitting on a saddle again, only to find that I didn't feel any discomfort at all, the pad moving with me as designed, causing no rubbing or irritation.

So, then, £210 for a pair of bib shorts...

Yes, they are very comfortable, but you get the same pad and stitching pattern on the much cheaper t.worksteamshortss7 that Dave tested the other day, so I could get round that.

The materials used are every good, as is the fit, but I've used other shorts, again with similar attributes, for 50 quid or so less.

> Check out our guide to the best cycling bib shorts

They are very durable, with not the slightest mark on them from contact with the saddle, plus if you give the stitches a sharp tug you find they are damn tight. At least you won't have to save them for special-rides-only to make them last.

Overall, if you brush all the Formula 1 marketing spiel aside, the Assos TT.F_1s are a very good pair of shorts with comfort that is tough to beat, but I just can't get my head around that price tag; I just don't think they are quite worth it. They are also only available with the Mercedes Petronas branding, which, if you're not a Formula 1 fan, might be a little offputting.

Verdict

So sublimely comfortable, the only thing to make your eyes water will be the price