dhb Vaeon Roubaix bib short

These dhb Vaeon Roubaix bib shorts are made from slightly thicker fabric than your standard summer shorts, making them perfect for end-of-season road races, cyclo-cross and sportives in cooler conditions, or just faster rides when you want to get a final few decent miles in before winter arrives.

The Vaeon range of legwear from dhb (the in-house brand of online superstore Wiggle) replaces the now-discontinued Pace range. We've previously reviewed the Pace Roubaix shorts here on road.cc and they were good, but these new Vaeon Roubaix shorts are a definite improvement.

Roubaix fabric is thicker than 'normal' Lycra. It's still smooth on the outside but slightly fleecy on the inside for warmth and comfort.

On these Vaeons, the fabric is stretchy and gives a nice close fit without being too tight. Despite the extra thickness, moisture from sweat is wicked away quickly.

These features make the Vaeon shorts very comfortable, and ideal for autumn and spring conditions – either on their own or teamed up with a pair of knee-warmers.

Here in the UK, they'll also do for those summer days when the weather is changeable. And in winter you can wear these shorts under a pair of full-length tights for even more protection from the elements.

The straps of the Vaeon Roubaix bib shorts are made from the same material as the rest of the shorts, with a mesh panel between the straps across the back to help airflow and avoid sweat building up. The cut is 'anatomical', meaning there are curved L-shaped side panels so the shorts align with the way your body bends when sitting on the bike.

The most important feature of a pair of shorts is the pad (aka the insert or chamois), and these Vaeon Roubaix bib shorts use a pad from specialist manufacturer CyTech. The male version employs the Giro pad, while the female version has the Speed pad. Both are good mid-range options with a reasonable foam thickness (thicker on the contact points where you need it most, a bit thinner where you don't) and anatomic construction to avoid chafing or rucking.

To stop the shorts riding up your legs, there are silicone grippers on the inside of the seam. Other features on these shorts include printed (and reflective) dhb logos on the rear and right-side leg panel and a little orange tab in the rear seam.

The only negative point about these shorts is the durability of the fabric. After about 300 miles, the two main contact points (where the shorts are compressed between the saddle and the rider's sit-bones) were showing signs of scuffing. To be fair, this happens to all shorts, and your correspondent's rear is on the bony side, and the saddle has an embroidered logo, but nonetheless you might expect the shorts to do more like 500 or 600 miles before the scuffs start to show.

The Vaeon Roubaix bib shorts are available in black only, and cost a penny under £43 on the Wiggle website (where, strangely, they're catogorized under 'Cycling Tights'). This isn't an absolute bargain, but it's still a fair price compared to similar quality Roubaix bib shorts from other manufacturers where you'll often be looking at £50 to £75 or more.

Verdict

Very comfortable bib-shorts, ideal for cool weather conditions, at a fair-value price.