Bioracer Spitfire Bibshort

Bioracer's Spitfire Bibshort offers a great fit and plenty of comfort, thanks especially to the Smooth Vapor pad and its minimalistic design. They're good shorts, but the pad elevates them to one of the best pairs of sub-£100 shorts I've worn.

The heart of any good pair of bib shorts is the pad; if that isn't right then nothing else matters. As I've pointed out in a number of reviews over the last year or so, a lot of companies are switching from the multi-density, multi-channelled pads to smooth designs like the one we have here.

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As Bioracer says on its website, a flat surface reduces friction, and there are no hard edges thanks to the smooth transition. Bioracer develops its pads in-house and there are many different options in the Smooth range, but it is the Smooth Vapor Men that you'll find in the Spitfire shorts.

The pad is made of a friction-reducing top layer, two middle layers to provide breathability, and then the main layer which is Evapore. According to Bioracer, Evapore is a 3D webbing which, when put under stress, changes into a rubberised state and delivers impressive damping properties when it is fully compressed.

In use it really does feel different to many other foams out there. It feels quite firm while damping and rebounding very quickly, almost like a tiny suspension system.

When in the saddle the material never bunches, and it feels very breathable too – I never felt overly warm or damp when riding hard on hot days.

As for the rest of the shorts, I got on with them very well too.

The cut is designed for when you're on the bike – the shorts feel great when you are stretched out on the hoods or drops.

The Lycra material is reasonably soft to the touch, but it is also quite supportive – not quite in a compressive way, but you can feel that your muscles aren't bouncing around all over the place when on rough roads.

The legs are held in place with wide elastic cuffs and they do a good job. It's not always my favourite way of keeping things in position but these aren't overly tight, and even on long rides you don't feel like the band or seams above are cutting into your thighs.

The breathable Netz bib section follows the same sort of theme, keeping the shorts in place without being overly constrictive. The only thing I will say is that the stitching is quite coarse against the skin, so if you are not one for wearing a baselayer underneath your straps then you might find it a little irritating.

The Spitfires' price of £84 puts them up against the likes of dhb's Aerons, a very good pair of bib shorts that are £75 at rrp (although you are never likely to pay that on Wiggle or Chain Reaction Cycles), but I'd say the Bioracers win when it comes to pad comfort.

Primal's Trimotif Men's Evo 2.0 and La Passione's Club bibs deliver similar performance, but both are more expensive at £95 and £105 respectively.

> Buyer’s Guide: 42 of the best cycling bib shorts

Overall, apart from that slightly rough edge to the stitching on the bib straps – which shouldn't affect you if you wear a baselayer – there is very little to dislike here: a good quality pair of shorts with an excellent pad.

Verdict

The Smooth Vapor pad makes these an excellent choice for those who want comfort without spending a fortune