Podia Club Bib Shorts

Polish brand Podia might not be the best-known marque out there, but its Club bib shorts can hold their own against the very best. They're excellent: one of the best examples of premium bib shorts that I've come across this year.

• Pros: Performance feel, high quality, very good chamois comfort
• Cons: Expensive (but not too expensive)

With their €165 (£148, at time of writing) price tag, they're targeted towards the upper end of the market, and in the performance stakes they are right up there with the £180 Le Col HC bib shorts and Rapha's £195 Pro Team II bib shorts.

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They also have a more luxurious feel than the £20-odd cheaper Giant Elevate bib shorts.

It starts with the brilliantly graded Lycra that supports your muscles, with an optimum leg length for summer riding – not troubling the tops of your knees, but encompassing your quads. These are the standard length, but you can also buy a longer-leg version with an additional 2cm at the gripper section.

The fabric is light, too – the entire garment weighs in at a Rapha-matching 177g, which is impressive, especially given that these are a medium versus the small Pro Team IIs David tested. Moreover, the bib section features mesh shoulders so that they feel light and cool against the body too.

Overall, cooling is excellent. Aside from ultra-lightweight bib shorts designed specifically for the purpose, this is as fresh as you're likely to feel on the road, and they performed superbly in the 2018 British summer heat before it deserted us.

Once it had, the fabric was thick enough to cope with cool mornings bordering on the low teens. I was also unfortunate enough to get caught in a heavy rainshower or two too. The fabric may not be water resistant or anything like that, but the chamois is definitely designed to stay light in wet conditions. Podia says that it features a hydrophilic surface that keeps water away from the high-density foam, allowing it to breathe more effectively and stay drier.

I was impressed with it in these conditions, just as I was in the hot and dry. It's textured under the cover, and good at distributing pressure so you don't get a numb rear. There's also a lighter-density section down the middle channel and around the edges. It's not the most intricate design or polished of finishes – the rough edges where you can see the foam itself are a small disappointment – but it nevertheless performs brilliantly over long days in the saddle.

Comfort and optimum fit around the leg is ensured through the use of tiny bobbled grippers over the 4.5cm hems, while the seams are high quality too, well positioned on the skin to avoid potential chafing. The long versions have a 6.5cm hem/gripper section.

Washing on a 40-degree cycle doesn't trouble them, despite Podia recommending a 30 degree setting.

> Buyer's Guide: 22 of the best cycling bib shorts

Lastly, I think they look good too – the small tab on top of the right leg and classy Podia logos add enough detail to keep them stylish yet understated, and you can happily wear them with your favourite jersey rather than needing to stick with a Podia one – although you might want to given that the Club Colours one I reviewed is brilliant.

Verdict

Podia's Club bib shorts can stand up to the biggest players, but without the super-high price tag