Shutt VR Women's Coolmax Pro Bib Shorts

For serious distances on the road, bib shorts offer easy comfort at the waistline and extra draft protection for the back over standard shorts. For women, though, bibs do present a few problems, the main one being how the straps/bib area interact with the bust.

Shutt VR have put a lot of effort into the design of their Women's Coolmax Pro Bibshorts, and it shows. The primary area of concern, the straps, has been well considered, with soft broad, highly breathable stretch fabric used, and good shaping. However, the straps are quite freeform, and although they were comfortable and reasonably static in use with my modest physique, larger busted ladies might find that the straps could easily migrate off the shoulders or under the arms. Some sort of retention system at the front would be preferable, or more shaping.

The fabric is both supportive and comfortable to wear, with a good balance of breathability/wicking properties and density, making the shorts ideal for spring, summer or autumn use. Unfortunately, though, it's also a little on the translucent side, which many less confident women may find off-putting. A 'blacker' shade of fabric would be better.

In use, the pad is virtually imperceptible, which is surprising when you first see it on the shorts. It's a plush, well engineered women's specific pad, but in the saddle all you notice is the ride, not the pad, meaning it's doing its job superbly.

The shorts are a good length, not too short and not too long, with an effective gripper at the leg keeping them in place.

The size large I tried equated roughly to a UK size 12.

All in all, these are a great pair of shorts for the right physique, but not 100% perfect.

Verdict

Well designed shorts offering good performance and comfort and an excellent chamois. Need a few tweaks though.