Chapeau! Pave Red Pad bib shorts

The Chapeau! Pave Bibshorts are well made, good looking and perform really well. The Red Pad version tested kept the pressure in the right places and was comfortable after several hours in the saddle.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The Pave shorts are Chapeau!'s top of the range design and come with three different pad variants – green, red and blue. The red on test is designed for racers, with more padding towards the front; green is for more casual/relaxed riding, and blue is more for long distance riders.

The pad – from Elastic Interface – did everything I expected from it, providing decent comfort to the more sensitive areas when in a stretched out riding position. The extra padding towards the front is certainly a nice thing to have in the latter hours of a longer ride. It is also relatively good at wicking away sweat, meaning it was comfortable to use even in higher temperatures. I used the shorts for a hilly 100km ride in about 28-degree heat and didn't get any kind of chafing or irritation from excessive sweat build-up.

Chapeau! has used an eight-panel design, all held together by zig-zag stitching which it claims allows the fabric to stretch more than flatlock stitching would. I can't say I noticed a huge amount of difference, especially as the material itself doesn't have too much stretch in it anyway – a deliberate move to hold your muscles in place more firmly in order to reduce fatigue over time – presumably countered slightly by the zigzag stitching... Again, not something I could accurately judge.

Up top, the shorts have comfortable mesh straps with hems to prevent twisting. The back is also a mesh construction which helps with ventilation. The straps are comfortable, and although not the stretchiest will suit riders of various sizes.

Ventilation and heat management throughout the shorts is pretty good and I never found myself wishing for more. Wicking is pretty good and they also dry fairly quickly once they get wet, which was particularly useful in some of the changeable weather we've seen over the last couple of months. Comfort is also helped by the external labels, meaning fewer things to cause chafing.

Everything stays in place well thanks to both the close fit of the shorts and the silicone dot grippers at the bottom of the leg. They are subtle, too, so you don't end up with them pulling on the skin too much – something I have noticed on other shorts. Sizing is about what I would expect from a British brand – I suspect the medium I tested would be a large in Italian sizing.

I think the shorts look really good too, with an understated design throughout. Mainly black, they have just a few subtle design features such as the white line and Chapeau! hat logo around the hem, a small reflective logo just above the bum, and a small reflective tag on each leg.

RRP is £139.99, which isn't a bad price given the quality of the pad, the workmanship and fit. The material choice is very good and similar to what you would find in more expensive pairs. That said, there are some very good options out there for a lot less – check out our buyer's guide below.

> Buyer's Guide: 22 of the best cycling bib shorts

Overall I was impressed with the Paves. They bring together good looks, technical elements and a strong performance in a package that is relatively good value for money.

Verdict

A well made and fairly priced pair of performance bib shorts