Gore Ardent Bib Shorts+ Women’s

With sleek styling and an easy-pee solution, there's a lot to like about the Gore Ardent Bib Shorts+ for women.

Designed for warm weather, the Ardents were tested throughout this summer's heatwave, and generally they do a great job of keeping you feeling fresh in high temperatures, although the Windstopper liner around the pad can make it a bit too warm, and if you go for a lighter colour, be aware of the potential for sweat marks.

I was lucky enough to try two colours of these bib shorts, Utility Green and Orbit Blue (they also come in plain black and black with pink detailing). All four offer the same sleek styling with minimal branding. But one thing to note, in the lighter colours at least, is that when it's really warm and things start to get a bit hot downstairs, sweat can show around the seam of the Windstopper liner.

The overall fit was pretty good. I tested an XS but I think I might have suited an XXS as the leg grippers were a little loose and the legs long enough to sit at the top of my kneecaps unless I pulled them up. If you don't have long legs this is something to check. It was a similar story with the Ardent jersey – I tested an XXS thinking it would be too small, but it was fine.

The bib straps are a mesh construction and they're very comfortable; you don't feel like you're being strangled and they do a good job of acting like they are not there at all.

Pad

I tested these shorts over several distances, from short one-hour blasts to three or four hours in the Yorkshire hills, and the pad – an 'ADVANCED Brand Core seat insert with GORE® WINDSTOPPER® Liner' – was faultless in terms of comfort and protection, but as they're summer shorts I'm not convinced they need the liner up front, which just makes things a bit too warm at times.

Otherwise, there were maybe one or two times I had to readjust mid-ride, but overall it was pretty damn comfortable.

Easy-pee

Not all women's shorts have an easy-pee solution, and among those that do there are different ways to go about it – zip, clip, halter neck, simple drop-tail... For its 'bio-break solution' Gore has gone for two zips on the rear with a gap in the middle – if you're wearing a short jersey and no baselayer, beware of showing some flesh.

The zips are easy to undo, but I found they're only just wide enough... as you pull the shorts down, the straps pull hard on your shoulders.

The zips' placement does mean you're unlikely to risk damaging your dignity by forgetting to do them up again before setting off, and they're also perfectly comfortable against the skin – I didn't feel them while I was riding.

Durability

So far, these are looking good. After multiple washes and dices with blackberry bushes, they're still going strong and showing absolutely no signs of wear.

Value

Premium summer bib shorts with an adequate easy-pee solution are not the easiest bits of kit to find, and the ones that do exist tend to cost a bit more than the Gore Ardents.

For example, Anna really liked the Velocio Women's Ultralight bib shorts when she tested them in 2021, but they are now £213, and Tass was impressed with Rapha's Detachable bib shorts in 2019, and they're now £215 (read her review here).

> Read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling shorts here

The Pactimo Women's Summit Classic Bibs Anna tested last year are now £180, so closer but still more expensive than the Ardents, and while Anna liked the pad, the easy-pee solution didn't work for her longer torso.

Conclusion

Overall, I've been pleased by the performance of these bib shorts. They're great for rides right through summer from late spring to early autumn. They're very comfortable, fit well, and come in a good choice of colours. While the Windstopper liner adds a little too much warmth around the pad at times, and consequent sweating around the seams can show on the lighter colours, it's a minor issue outweighed by the quality of the pad and the rest of the bibs. And once you've got the hang of it, the easy-pee solution is just that.

Verdict

Great pair of summer bib shorts with an easy-to-use pee-break solution – once you get the hang of it