Morvelo Women's Skye Race Shorts

Like their jerseys, Morvelo produce seasonal editions of their bib shorts in different designs, all printed on to the same style of bibshorts, which are designed in thr UK and made in Europe. There are designs aplenty; most match Morvelo's stylish jersey range, but there are a couple of black designs available which will go with almost anything. Although the 'Skye' design on test is no longer available, the bib shorts themselves feel and function beautifully regardless of the colour.

I owned a previous iteration of these bibshorts, which I loved to death. Morvelo know a winning formula, and I was pleased to see little has changed in the new design, though the sewn-on sizing washing label has been replaced by a heat sealed sticker to prevent irritation.

One of the most distinctive features of Morvelos' bibshorts for women is the unusual bib design. Morvelo have shunned conventional suspender-style strap and opted for a single strap forming a Y shape at the front. This results in a very supportive fit; the shorts sit high, coming up to the true waist on the sides and scooping up into the single strap in the middle. The stomach area is covered and supported instead of being squeezed between a low cut front and two straps on the side.

As for toilet stops, it's simply a case of slinging one strap over the head and pulling down to the sides. Not much more annoying than messing about with dual straps. How does this sit across the chest though? For me, it's a really comfortable alternative. Rather than having two straps stretched over the widest part of the chest, the single strap sits suspended in the middle, with a bit of give, depending on your design of sports bra. In my day-to-day cycling, the only real disadvantage to the design is aesthetic. When zipping a jersey right down, the bib strap does look a little odd, especially when the bibs are worn over a baselayer. Having black mesh instead of white would definitely help to mitigate this somewhat.

The bright orange perforated pad is extremely comfortable. The padding doesn't vary massively in density, or have gimmicky coloured channels and labelling. It simply provides support where it's needed, in multiple positions, thanks to the cushioning memory foam. The pad placing is quite centrally balanced; there's no spare overflow of padding beyond the contact points on my saddle, and the thinner outer edge comes up quite high on the front, providing coverage and, for me, comfort on the drops. A silky soft fabric on the covering feels lovely on the skin too.

A similar silkiness can be found in the fabric of the shorts themselves. The lycra is a medium thickness and provided me with pleasant but not over restrictive compression; this is with a surprisingly snug fit in a Large (I am a perfect Medium in Morvelo jerseys and a 12 in standard size DHB shorts). The multi-panel design goes a long way to helping with overall support too, and it's good to see no loose fabric around the pad at the front or back. In my experience, the Morvelo bib construction has stood the test of time in terms of not becoming baggy and overstretched from washing and heavy use.

They're pretty good at performing year-rounder too. Morvelo being a British company, it's apt that the bib shorts are great performers in our mild climate. They aren't the thinnest or lightest bibs out there, and despite still being comfortable in warmer weather, they wouldn't be my number one choice for very hot and balmy days. They're perfect for spring and autumn though, stretching right into much cooler temperatures when paired with the right legwarmers.

For night riding, reflective tags are subtly sewn in into the back seam of each leg; these are fabric so will last much longer than printed equivalents, and do light up really well from both the sides and rear.

Wide bands on the bottom of the shorts keep the legs firmly in place with a combination of the silicone printed fabric and the strong grip of the elastic. The leg length is on the long side of average, providing plenty of coverage and comfort if this is your preferred style.

Verdict

All in all, supportive and well performing bib shorts for all-round use; comfortable and stylish