Louis Garneau Course Race Bib Shorts

The daddy of the Louis Garneau range, the Course Race bib shorts come in at a cool £160 so they’d better be pretty impressive. The good news is, they are very impressive indeed.

Comfort and aerodynamics are what the Course Race range is all about and pairing these bibs up with the matching jersey and gloves will see you in a full aero outfit costing three hundred and twenty smackers. Pro level kit then.

More aero

How do you make a pair of shorts more aero? Well Louis Garneau have removed as many seams as they can to keep the profile smoother. They achieve this by using a material called Lazer Rev which contains more Lycra than normal. That means better shape retention so the panels can be larger. The legs have just a single minimal seam that runs up the front of the thigh. Another by-product of the Lazer Rev fabric is that it has a very good compressive effect thanks to that higher Lycra content.

Also the leg hems are laser cut, removing the need for grippers or seams and providing a smooth transition between thigh and leg. It’s a small detail, but marginal gains and all that. They look a bit unfinished but it works and the legs stay put.

There are two colour versions, white or black. The latter has had Coldblack treatment which reflects heat rather than absorbing it. Wearing these on the hottest day of the year so far (24°C) the benefits were noticeable. Hanging around mid-ride, the sun was beating down and my shoulders, in the sleeves of the road.cc regulation jersey, were feeling hot but my thighs weren’t anywhere near as warm. It’s less noticeable on the bike due to the cooling effect of the wind but every little helps, especially into the wind.

The pad: bang on

The 5Motion pad is bang on the money in terms of both comfort and fit. The padding varies in depth across the pad with the thickest being at the rear, split by a channel that relieves pressure. It has just the right amount of cushion to absorb the road vibration and bumps from the saddle without being obtrusive, especially on a narrow saddle where thicker chamois can bunch. Two mesh areas keep the air moving about as well.

The straps are a decent width which reduces any pressure points on the shoulders as you’re riding. The mesh panels cover most of your upper back to aid heat transfer. The matching Course Race jersey is designed to be worn without a base layer so having as much wicking material as possible in the bibs is ideal.

As with the rest of the range there are eight sizes to choose from, XXS (28in) to XXXL (42in) and the sizes are normal rather than that tiny European stuff.

Struggle

It can be a bit of a struggle to get the Louis Garneau Course Race bib shorts on in the first place because the fabric is so stretchy but once you’re sorted the Course Race shorts fit like a second skin.

The compressive fabric ensures they stay in position for the whole ride and definitely reduces muscle fatigue. The pad is so comfortable and you just don’t feel it or notice it at all. I did a couple of seven-hour rides and plenty between one and three and each time I got off the bike with nothing in the way of discomfort or chaffing.

For such a lightweight, top end bit of kit they are very robust so won’t need to be kept specifically for race day. The lack of huge logos and colours means they also look pretty classy.

The Louis Garneau Course Race bib shorts are worth the £160 investment, simple as that. I’ve never worn a pair of shorts that offer the same level of comfort and performance whether you’re in the saddle for an hour or for seven, and whether the pace is flat out or recovery. They look great and the fit is fantastic from the legs to the shoulder straps.

Verdict

Fantastic performance and fit which justifies the investment.