Gore Ardent Fade Bib Shorts Men’s

Gore's Ardent Fade bib shorts are good all-round performers, with a nice fit and a comfortable pad. They're also the ideal complement to the Fade jersey I've also been testing.

Sharing the same design cues as the Fade jersey, the Ardent Fade shorts are clearly designed to be matched up with the top. With the white fade version that I've tested here, it's not critical – they work fine with a range of neutral-coloured tops – and the same would be true of the grey fade, whereas the red and blue options will likely limit your jersey choices quite a bit.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The shorts have a multi-panel construction, and three main fabrics are used. The majority of the fabric is a reasonably compressive 80% polyester, 20% elastane mix that's comfortable against the skin; none of the seams were problematic.

The printed sections on the legs are a lighter-weight fabric (similar to the jersey fabric). The legs are quite long, and the raw-cut hems have a double band of silicone grippers that keep everything secure.

Behind the front panels there's a separate second layer that uses Gore's Windstopper fabric to keep the chill off your nether regions on those cold starts. Gore says the shorts are designed for warm weather, but the main fabric is reasonably weighty and the Windstopper insert adds to their cool weather credentials.

I used the shorts from about 10°C (with knee warmers) up to the mid-20s, and I'd say they're better at the lower end of that range than the top, which is good news for UK riders who spend a lot of time riding in the summer in the mid-teens.

The bib straps on the Ardent Fade shorts are a flat mesh band, and they're very good: supportive and comfortable. There's a radio pocket in the back of the straps which you're unlikely to be using for a radio, but I found that it's big enough to sling an ice pack in if you're using the shorts on the indoor trainer, so that's an extra benefit if you ride a lot indoors.

The pad is a four-layer construction, with an antibacterial and hydrophilic fabric layer covering three different densities of foam. I found it to be just about perfectly placed for a road riding position, and the compressive fabric keeps it locked there pretty well.

I've used the shorts for rides up to about four hours and never had any issues; I'd be happy to choose these for all-day rides too based on the overall comfort. I didn't really have any issues with how the shorts felt in use. Fit-wise I'm more or less exactly on the line between L and XL on Gore's chart, and the L pair I tested were snug but still very comfortable.

There's not much to gripe about here. You might be slightly put off by the fact that the design will limit your kit choices a bit, or you might be the kind of rider who only wears matching kit anyway, so it's not an issue. My only performance concern is that the printed material on the legs feels a bit fragile; it's started to bobble where my legs catch against the saddle, and the white fibres are pulling through the black print. There's the odd pull on the seat too, but no more than I'd expect.

> Buyer’s Guide: 38 of the best cycling bib shorts

At £149.99 the Ardent Fade shorts aren't cheap, although you wouldn't really call them expensive either. Certainly you can get great shorts for a lot less: dhb's Aeron bibs are half the price, and I wear a pair of those regularly; comfort levels are definitely on a par.

There are other, cheaper, options too, such as La Passione's Minimal shorts at £125.

> Cycling clothing guide: 5 ways proper kit can boost your riding

For this kind of money I'd expect the Gore shorts to perform well, and they do. Probably you're going to be most interested in them if you're looking to buy a matching outfit, and both the jersey and the shorts here are solid: comfortable and well-fitting.

Verdict

Good quality shorts that work well in UK conditions