Pas Normal Studios Women’s Essential Thermal Bib

Pas Normal Studios' Women's Essential Thermal bib shorts will be appreciated by those who love to venture outdoors in temperatures close to freezing. They are exceptionally warm, protecting your hips and thighs from biting temperatures, but while the quality is outstanding, £225 is a significant outlay for something with a potentially narrow window of use.

If you prefer to have your knees and lower legs covered in the cold, check out our guide to the best winter bib tights.

> Buy now: Pas Normal Studios Women’s Essential Thermal Bib for £225 from PNS

It's undeniable that cyclists have their own personal temperature tolerances and clothing habits. I'll admit to covering my knees as the mercury dips into the teens; I value my knees and feel the cold. Keeping my muscles as warm as possible has always helped, particularly on chilly winter training rides. But if you're happy using shorts and warmers in winter, or exposing your knees completely, read on...

Fabrics and fit

Forget conventional bib short Lycra, these are made of MITI Superroubaix fleece that is comparable to substantial winter tights. The four-way stretch fabric compresses exceptionally well, to the level of a performance racing pair, but still feels luxuriously soft against the skin. It moves well with the body too.

I've been testing a size medium, just as I did with PNS's Essential bibs back in the summer. I'd say the leg grippers are tighter on the thermal bibs and, as a result, the silicone gripper feels more aggressive.

Pulling these shorts on over leg warmers is a challenge as the grippers really drag on other layers. I could do with an extra few centimetres to the grippers' circumference, or more give in the elastic. Also, once I'd got the shorts on, I could sense (and see) squeezing around the thigh that wasn't present with the Essential bibs.

Otherwise, the shorts fit well around the thighs and hips, and in body length (where bib straps are concerned).

Following PNS's size guide is a good idea for overall fit, but I'd say size up if you are in between, unless you have exceptionally slender thighs.

Performance

PNS says the shorts are optimal for riding in temperatures around zero, but claims a good 10°C window either side. I don't tend to risk riding on icy roads, so took to the rough stuff for much of the testing.

I tend to cover my lower legs quite quickly in anything under 15°C, and so I've been using leg warmers throughout testing. I was keen to find some that could match the insulation of the Superroubaix fleece and not leave my knees feeling 'left out', but even my thickest warmers still left my lower legs sensing chilly air in temperatures just above freezing. Off-road, where airflow isn't always as much of an issue, things were tolerable.

The shorts repel very light rain and wheel spray well, somewhat adding to their off-road (or gravel) credentials. If your leg warmers don't do the same, you will at least have warm thighs. The fabric's DWR treatment won't handle a full-on downpour, but they dried out quicker than I was expecting, a real positive.

In slightly milder temperatures, unless I was riding at a tempo that just kept me moving, I began to overheat in anything above 6-7°C. The thick fabric isn't that breathable and was simply too much around the midriff and hips if I raised the intensity to anything above zone 2.

Chamois

I found the pad good enough for any kind of ride, long or short. It's not the most cushioned out there but offered sufficient support for outings of up to three hours, on or off road.

It is tapered and well finished at the edges, so I didn't experience any discomfort, rubbing or chafing. Indeed, it's the same pad as that in the Essential Shorts and, just as I said in that review, I didn't notice it was there.

Value

Women's shorts offering this level of insulation seem to be few and far between. Pearson does a pair for £90 (currently reduced to £59) – Ben tested the men's version last month, but wasn't overly impressed with the fit. He also tested a thermal merino pair from Universal Colours, which he preferred, but they're only available for men. They're £160.

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

Cafe du Cycliste offers thermal 3/4s for £206, making PNS's look rather expensive given you'll need to invest in warmers if you want to protect your knees.

Conclusion

While these shorts are undoubtedly high quality and comfortable, the days I've found them most effective are those when I'd prefer to pull on tights that provide even coverage. I only really appreciated the shorts on cold recovery rides: think 4-5°C and a heart rate under 120bpm.

If you prefer a shorts-and-warmers combo to tights, though, even on the coldest days, these are certainly up to the coldest temperatures we get in the UK, as well as the damp atmosphere and incessant road spray that hangs around even when it's not really raining. They are expensive, though, especially as their use is limited to a very narrow temperature range.

Verdict

Exceptionally warm shorts for those who don't tolerate tights in winter months