Albion ABR1 Bib Shorts

The Albion ABR1 bib shorts are ideal for riding day after day in hot weather, are impeccably finished, and made largely of recycled materials.

Albion says its ABR1s are 'high performance bib shorts designed for extreme comfort on your longest, hardest days in the saddle'.

The Italian-made ABR1s are certainly very nicely put together. Fine quality flatlock stitching is used throughout, and the finish is top notch. The vast majority of the material used is recycled, too; the main fabric, for example, is 80% recycled nylon, and the mesh back is made entirely of recycled nylon and recycled elastane.

The legs are a single layer of Lycra – you can just about see through the material when holding it up to the light – while the rear panel includes a double layer.

The legs are hemmed, unlike quite a few bibs I've seen recently which are hemless and laser cut. They are still plenty comfy, and a hem should prevent any potential loose threads from becoming an issue. There is a silicone backing on each hem too, and they stayed perfectly in place with and without leg warmers, with no slippage.

They are considerably long in the leg, which won't suit all; I found they came right down to the curve of my knees, which I don't mind and found it good in searing sunshine, but if you like a bit of exposed thigh you won't get much of that with the Albions.

Special mention should go to the straps: they are really comfortable, almost velvety to the touch. I don't think I've ever audibly "cooed" at pulling on a pair of bib shorts before, but I did with these.

The pad in the shorts is supplied by Italy's Elastic Interface, the same as the one in the 'pocket' gravel version of these shorts, which Hollis reviewed. According to Hollis it's the Liège HP, which EI claims is suitable for rides over seven hours.

It's excellent on the comfort front, smooth to the touch but deliberately minimalist and quite firm, so it doesn't have that "nappy" feel of some pads in other endurance bibs I've used.

The fairly thin aspect to the pad and the lightweight material of the shorts really helps in hot weather; you can feel that air is able to permeate through the thinner front of the pad, keeping you cool.

That extends to the shorts overall: they performed exceptionally well in hot weather and on long rides. I did a two-day, 250km ride during that recent record-breaking UK heatwave, as well as two weeks of daily 50-60km rides in the Ardèche region of France with temperatures around 29-35°C and they felt great. They just performed day after day, and I didn't feel sweaty or clammy in them at all.

Comfort break pee-stops are easy as well, as the front is just the right height.

A welcome touch to low-light visibility are small reflective strips along the stitching of the leg panels, and a rectangular patch of the same reflective material on the right leg.

I can confirm the ABR1s clean up well both handwashing in a bowl as well as chucking them in for a machine wash at 30. I've been wearing them almost every day for a month and they are still unmarked and unfaded, boding well for longterm durability.

Should there be any issues, Albion also offers a lifetime free repair service, or it can send out repair kits if you are feeling confident enough to tackle small repairs yourself.

Value and conclusion

So quality and comfort is there, how about value for money? For the performance and finish, they're certainly worth the money in my opinion, but how does that price compare with similar offerings?

You can get cheaper or similarly priced shorts, such as the Assos Mille GTs at £125, also able to do all-day riding – although our reviewer Ben did mention that they have quite a short leg length, which might not suit – and the Nopinz Souplesses are a penny shy of £120 and were highly rated by Stu as being very comfortable, light and well made, and good in hot conditions too.

> Buyer’s Guide: 10 of the best bib shorts

But you can also pay a lot more: Le Col has a premium endurance offering in its men's pro bib shorts at £170 (up a tenner since we tested them), but despite their impressive pad, our tester Matt felt these didn't have a particularly great finish, despite trying several pairs of shorts.

So to sum up, the Albion ABR1s might not be the cheapest, but they are quality, well-finished bib shorts, made largely from recycled materials, and with great performance for all-day, hot weather riding.

Verdict

Excellent for all-day riding in hot weather – top quality but not top price