RH+ O-Key bib shorts

Fancy a pair of RH+ bibs but don't want to pay £160 for the PW Revo's that Mat recently tested? Well these similar looking O-Key ones are half that and still tick plenty of boxes when it comes to performance and fit.

The panels are made from RH+'s Firedry fabric which is designed to work well in warm temperatures. Thankfully we've had a couple of hot days to intersperse the coldest Spring for 50 years to test it out. The material is quite lightweight and thin feeling very similar to Castelli's upper end models and once the temperature starts to creep up to the twenties it is very breathable.

Accompanying the Firedry is a stretchable mesh which covers your lumbar region and travels up your back before meeting the straps. Obviously being a mesh this is also plenty breathable and no signs of sweaty back syndrome. The straps themselves are a decent width meaning no pressure points over the shoulders and the fact they are a more elastic material than the rest of the shorts means they move around with you as you change position on the bike without pulling at the legs or base of the spine. As far as the fit goes think race style. Form Fit as RH+ call it adheres to your body and moves with it offering decent support and movement.

Silicone grippers keep things in place at the thigh end while applying very little in the way of pressure meaning plenty of comfort here to. All the seams are flat to so there is nothing to irritate while you're pedalling away for hours on end.

The pad uses a range of differing densities depending on where your anatomy is likely to be perched on the saddle. There's wings and channels and pockets of foam but does it all work? The simple answer is it must do because regardless of distance and effort I didn't even notice the pad at all. There is no movement from it, it doesn't ruck up, or move about underneath you chafing or irritating. After six hours on one particular ride I felt the same on it as I did in the first half hour. The one thing I will say though is that it is quite thin so on continual rough sections of road you do notice quite a lot of vibration and road buzz coming through from the saddle.

Sizes range from S to 3XL and bear in mind these are Italian sizes so probably best to go up one size. There is also a choice of four colours as well, pretty much all the same with black and white being the dominant but with splashes of red, yellow or grey.

I didn't actually know the price of the O-Key's until it came to putting fingertips to keyboard. I was guessing around the £100-110 mark and to be honest I'd happily pay that for them, at eighty quid though they are pretty much benchmark setting in terms of performance and as always with RH+ kit the quality is top notch. There is plenty of other stuff from their range still going strong in my wardrobe so longevity isn't going to be an issue.

Overall then a great pair of race ready shorts with the only real issue being the thin pad.

Verdict

Comfortable high performance bibs at a cracking price, minimal padding though on rough roads