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review
£45.00
VERDICT:
Turns normal clothing into cycling gear with more style than anything comparable on the market
Weight:
0g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
- Exceptional
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Quite good
- Average
- Not so good
- Poor
- Bad
- Appalling
Can padded cycling undies look cute and work hard? Yes, if you're wearing Urbanist Cycling's Brigitte briefs.
The Brigitte briefs are one of two designs from Urbanist Cycling, a new Texan brand that was supported by successful Kickstarter funding. They are designed for city cycling, or indeed anything short of long distance or race rides.
Wearing the Brigitte means that any clothing can become cycle clothing, as the briefs provide both a chamois for commuting comfort and protection from the hems in non-cycle specific trousers or jeans.
The Brigitte has a snazzy black and white striped 'look at me' design. Although I prefer to keep my underwear to myself this is a design which I would be happy to be seen sporting in the changing rooms before spin class as it doesn't look like traditional underwear. The Brigitte briefs are definitely feminine, but in a fun, cute way. There is a thin pink stretch lace on the top of the waistband, sensibly not continued around the legs where it would chafe. This acts instead of a traditional waistband to avoid cutting in and producing the dreaded muffin top.
Find the Urbanist Cycling Padded Brigitte online here
The cut of the briefs is full without being grannyish. They are high at the back but not so high that they showed over the top of my trousers. This was useful as I generally wore non-cycle specific trousers or jeans with them and other cycling briefs I own can show significantly in use.
The chamois pad is of a good quality and really well attached to the briefs themselves with soft stitching which I couldn't feel in use. It is soft and flexible and didn't give a 'nappy' appearance in use. I've mostly been wearing these briefs under merino tights or jeans, and they've certainly got enough padding to wear for a medium to long commute. I didn't feel that I had to change out of them straight away afterwards either as they coped well with sweat and wicked moisture away fairly well.
The briefs stayed in place without riding up and were comfortable in use. My only gripe was that on the XL size the front of the crotch had been sized up too much, so there was excess material to wrinkle between my legs. This isn't an issue on the smaller sizes and didn't pose a comfort problem even in the XL.
The Brigitte briefs are available in four sizes, covering waists from 63 to 89cm between them. They are definitely on the generous side, so if in doubt (or buying as a present) go smaller.
I'm not surprised these briefs raised 250% of their Kickstarter target as they fill a real gap in the market.
Verdict
Turns normal clothing into cycling gear with more style than anything comparable on the market
road.cc test report
Make and model: Urbanist Cycling Padded Brigitte
Size tested: XL
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
Ever dreamt of a comfortable ride around town without having to resort to full-on cycling shorts? Something you can wear all day and feel feminine in, but still helps cushion your most sensitive parts as you ride?
Urbanist Cycling's Brigitte chamois-padded knickers are the answer to your prayers. Beautifully cut to fit and enhance the female form, they've been tested tirelessly by the Texas cycling community where Urbanist is based to ensure no chaffing or digging in. The material is sumptuous, whilst the chamois pads come from one of Italy's most respected chamois designers.
The Brigitte is well suited for medium/longer rides of up to 25 miles, or even longer. A quantum leap forward for women's cycling kit.
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Full coverage cycling knickers
Extra thick, flexible chamois pad designed and made in Italy
Breathable, quick drying fabric to wick moisture efficiently
Polyester/elastane blend
Tested by real women to ensure no chaffing or digging in discomfort
Wear under clothes, for outdoor riding or spinning
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Nicely made with no loose threads. Labels are all heat sealed so nothing to rub.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Good for rides up to about two hours.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Despite me failing to wash them on a delicate cycle as instructed, these washed really well with no loss of shape.
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
8/10
A lovely chamois and soft, smooth all-round fit.
Rate the product for value:
7/10
Comparable with similar items available.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
The briefs were comfy to wear and fitted well.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
The snazzy colour scheme.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes.
Would you consider buying the product? Yes.
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes.
About the tester
Age: 36 Height: 5'7 Weight: size 16
I usually ride: Trek 7.5 WSD My best bike is: Turquoise Cruiser
I've been riding for: Under 5 years I ride: A few times a week I would class myself as: Novice
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, general fitness riding, Leisure
Latest Comments
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Cool - that removes one of my issues with Garmin. I'm quite happy with the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, so I doubt that I'll be switching unless Garmin come...
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Unfortunately, if someone is determined to drive whilst being disqualified, then the only way to protect the public is to keep repeat offenders in...
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GCN just did a cool video on this. All I could think by the end was that perhaps if you got to do what the presenter did and mince around Italy in...
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I missed that, thanks for pointing it out. I can't comment, as that's outside my area of expertise. Apologies to Rendel. This is why they should be...
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The real issue is that other people in the sport business get much more than the athletes... I also tend to agree that 8 million a year is already...
- S.E. 17 hours 31 min ago
Inner width is only 13.4 mm... Will you get Shinano or Campognolo?
Add new comment
97 comments
I don't get paid enough to deal with the nasty, vicious, hurtful comments made about my, my daughters', my friends' bodies when we do product photos on ourselves, so a me in pants shot wasn't going to happen.
It shouldn't be about who makes the clothes look 'better' as we are trying to show people what they look like in real life. The personalisation of comments to the model not the kit on every single piece of women's kit we test means that we have had to change to including manufacturer shots as either the main or only images, so as to dissuade people from commenting on the person and try to get them to read the review.
The solution? For every single reader who sees an inappropriate comment to call the author on it. Tell them it's not acceptable, that you don't agree and that they shouldn't be posting sexist/nasty/personal comments.
Criticise the product, criticise my writing, but my arse is not up for debate.
With thanks to those who have used comments to post their feelings on the kit or called other people on their comments. It is appreciated.
Hi Caroline. Your reviews are the main reason I started coming to this site. There aren't many sites doing proper reviews of women's cycling gear and, from the comments above, I can see why. Thank you for doing it. I appreciate it.
I think that is a better approach - my point which I have been trying to make, albeit one I know you don't agree with, is that the review is almost a selling point. You don't take grainy out of focus pictures of bicycles, tools, and other things which show them in unflattering positions. If I am thinking about buying one of those items I would like to see it in a slightly flattering picture. The manufacturers pictures probably do that in the best way they can. I learn nothing from a photo of a muddy bike/bike computer/light.
That's not to say that real world pictures aren't useful, but this is a visual medium, pictures sell the print as much as anything else.
I think in principle you have a point - but then if, for example, a pair of bibshorts are reviewed, there isn't a slew of comments pointing out Dave's lunchbox or whatever.
Does the blank and white stripy design remind anyone else of that 'dazzle' camouflage they used to paint ships back in WW1?
Very disappointed with the sad chauvinist comments here.
You should be embarrassed.
"phooooarrrr, look at the meaty cock on him! Bet his balls are smooth! His shaved legs look FINE! Check out his seatpost.."
Yeah, didn't think so.
Great review of a product I had seen on kickstarter a while ago thank you road.cc - I do appreciate the reviews of women's cycling gear which are too few and far between.
What a shame so many (I presume) men have deemed it appropriate to leave sexist and moronic comments about the picture of the model in this article. It's disappointing, but not surprising.
Well done for smashing down those stereotypes, lads.
So it's perfectly OK to be sexist (or racist, or misogynist or any other kind of ..ist you want to be) as long as the people you are being ...ist about don't read it?
Really?
Seriously?
You're not actually being any kind of Devils advocate are you?
You're being dim.
"In common parlance, a devil's advocate is someone who, given a certain argument, takes a position they do not necessarily agree with (or simply an alternative position from the accepted norm), for the sake of debate"
Which is what I'm doing. Now, who's being dim?
Just playing devil's advocate here but...
How many women do you think actually read (or contribute) to the comments section of a relatively obscure cycling website?
I would think that they are far too sensible to waste their time on here or get their bib shorts in a twist over some (admittedly) infantile barrack room humour.
Believe it or not chaps, not everyone reads the Guardian. Shocking, eh?
Some of us do - there are precious few sites offering reviews for women - and any chance of a conversation we might have had on the relative merits of the knickers has probably been destroyed by the "infantile barrack room humour". It doesn't do a lot to make women feel welcome.
I think you're confusing comments made in private with comments made and recorded for eternity on a public forum. Besides, you don't need to be a regular reader of an obscure cycling website to see the comments, you just need to google for reviews of the item you're interested in. Not very obscure now, is it.
This image is a disgrace. I mean orange bar tape ……… sacrilege!
Tragic but instructive.
Look at the nice middle class cyclists and look even harder at the attitudes they openly express towards women when they can't be readily identified.
Sad, really.
Jesus Christ, just close the comments already. This is tragic.
and the various chimp comments ignored
It's a good job that one of the things that stops women engaging in sport isn't the way men objectify them and comment on their appearance, isn't it?
FFS.
My wife stopped running around our area because she got fed up of the constant comments from men in the street.
My daughter got fed up of being asked if she'd 'like a fuck?' on the way home from college.
Think about it, just for a minute. Think about the way half the people in the country might feel a little teeny bit uncomfortable with being the object of puerile misogynistic comments. I'm presuming that the way women might think won't actually trouble a number of the commenters on here...
Yes, and plainly not the tester's!
I say, mods, when are you going to step in and terminate this laddish banter?
Good review of a tricky product to sell. The women's not-quite-sportswear and not-really-lingerie market is a bit of a niche one, and selling what is essentially a functional piece of kit made to look attractive, but not really made for people to look at is enough to make a marketers head spin.
I know women who recoil in horror at the 'girlification' of sports kit; all that flowery or pink and frilly stuff, and others who welcome not looking like a curvy bloke. Hopefully, and the various chimp comments ignored, this is a sign of a growing market which offers the choice to women.
err, I just thought "nice arse"
Christ, there's a concrete pillar in the main pic. Didn't see that before!
I had to go back and check, you are right! Missed it completely first time.
Seriously though, aren't the manufacturers looking for this kind of reaction? How many comments do you see on an article about mens bib shorts? The pose of the model and the fact that they have obviously selected a model equipped to best display the product suggests they are.
To those ladies who suggest that 'men' would be upset by similar comments about a man in underwear, certainly not from me. Go ahead and comment on lunch boxes and seat posts all you like, nothing wrong with friendly humorous banter. If it is targeted at a specific person, malicious or hateful then take rightful umbrage by all means but appreciate a tongue in cheek comment for what it is.
she was asking for it, your Honour
If you mean asking for the 'attention' then yes. Asking to be attacked or humiliated or assaulted then absolutely not. Thats a very different thing. Looking for attention and getting it is very different from getting unwanted attention.
i would suggest that many of the comments here are of the unwanted attention kind as they make no mention of the product, some would even see them as a kind of an attack or assault, because it doesn't always have to be physical, and it's most definitely humiliating
Frankly Assos man does nothing for me. Assos woman is lush. But that's not because she's a girl. She just looks more normal.
I'd be very very interested to see Alex O'Laughlin or Hugh Jackman wear the Assos bibs instead. Though I think both would look better in Castelli.
How do you propose that manufacturers market women's underwear? Under a burka so as not to overexcite the boys? You might have "this kind of reaction", but you don't have to post it to a forum. This is not taking umbrage at friendly banter - I have no idea who you are so what makes it friendly, and not intimidating? Using "humour" in this way excludes women from the conversation, whether you want to acknowledge that or not.
I read the reviews for the men's clothes, and see discussions underneath; current owners giving their opinion, questions asked and answered so that people can make a more informed buying decision. The "friendly humour" discussion the model's assets means that few women will comment on the product for fear of having the same mindless comments directed at them.
The bike in the background is very 'retro'—perhaps the garment is aimed at 'hipsters'?
For those confused by the mention of a bike in the background, it's concealed as a clever optical illusion. If you look very carefully for several minutes you may eventually notice the bike behind the model.
Are they partly black? I can only see white stripes and missing areas - as anyone knows, black = invisible. Apparently.
They're not hivis!
although riding dressed like that would get most people noticed, although with my hairy arse, probably for the wrong reasons
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