Megmeister Women’s L8 Bib Shorts

The Megmeister Women's L8 Bib Shorts feature Megmeister's innovative pad that incorporates suspension technology with the aim of improving pressure distribution – and it works impressively well. Just check the sizing of the shorts before you buy.

The pad is at the heart of any bib shorts, and Megmeister has put in a lot of effort here, having researched and developed the chamois in-house over the past two years.

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Made in Italy, the innovative chamois is designed to rid rides of saddle discomfort. To achieve this, Megmeister developed its own fabric with in-built damping qualities, similar to suspension systems found in cars, but by matching spring and damper rates to the pressure created by cyclists.

What Megmeister calls suspension refers to the idea that the padding material absorbs the initial impact and then quickly returns to its original state to deal with the next impact.

Megmeister says it has been able to create the crucial damping performance between two outer layers of the fabric by filling the space with threads that act as shock absorbers.

Before even trying on the shorts, the chamois feels a lot firmer than you might expect, and giving it a squeeze, the bounce back feel is noticeable.

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Now to the part that matters, does it work?

I found the pad in the L8 shorts really comfortable, whether sitting back on long endurance rides or giving it some over rougher terrain on off-road tracks. It knocks the edge off vibrations and the pressure distribution is excellent. Of all the shorts I've tested, the only one that comes close is Endura's medical grade silicone elastomer pad, but I didn't quite get on with its shape/sizing.

I've also been attacking some Zwift races indoors, and thanks to the laser cut perforations in the chamois, I found the breathability to be very good too.

The fit

Now for the rest of the shorts... The main body is made from a 71% polyamide, 29% elastane blend. As well as boasting good breathability, the shorts also give 50+ UV protection which makes these a solid choice for sunny outings.

This four-stretch woven fabric moulds wonderfully, while supplying a compressive fit in most places – the exception being at the hips.

The sizing of these is completely off, in my experience. Depending on brands, I'm usually a small or medium. Based on Megmeister's sizing guide on its site and assuming the hip dimension to be the widest point around the bum, I should fit comfortably into the small (93cm-96cm) with my measurement of 94cm. Yet the size small was impossible to pull on.

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As the hip measurement for the medium, according the Megmeister's site, is 97cm to 101 cm, this should definitely fit. However they're still a squeeze to get on and there's so much pressure around the hips that it causes some discomfort when riding. From my experience it's best to go at least one size up, and I could probably do with going up another because of the tightness that's still there around my hips.

Elsewhere is very good, though. Holding the shorts comfortably and securely in place are two stretchy straps which merge together into an integrated knit back panel. This construction is supportive and doesn't dig in or cause bunching.

A 7cm-wide leg elasticated band with 4cm of silicone gripper keeps the ends nicely in place with pressure evenly dispersed – there's no bulging and the shorts didn't ride up.

Length-wise, these are shorter than most. If you have proportionally longer legs or prefer a longer style you're better off going for something like Nopinz's Pro-1 shorts or CHPT3's Most Days Grand Tour Bib Shorts.

Priced at £169.96, these are at the premium end of the market, but not unreasonable given the quality of the pad.

Castelli's Premio Black Women's Bib Shorts are much more expensive at £200 but they do provide impressive all-weather performance. With minimal seams and a supportive pad, they're comfortable for all-day rides, too.

The Velocio Women's Ultralight Bib Shorts are a similar price to the L8s and are very breathable. They also have comfortably wide, flat straps that work as an effective easy-pee design for increased versatility on longer rides, though the Megmeister's pad is superior.

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

Overall, Megmeister has developed an exceptional chamois for these performance bibs. The four-stretch material used in the main body is comfortable and supportive, but the fit around the hips is tight; you'll likely need to size up at least one size, potentially two...

Verdict

High-quality bibs with a very comfortable and well-placed chamois using innovative suspension tech