Assos Equipe RS Spring Fall Bib Tights S9

The Assos Equipe RS Spring Fall Bib Tights S9 are a beautiful fit with an excellent chamois and neat design all round. However, given they're for 'training and racing in the cool, dry conditions of spring and fall,' they are curiously warm - so long as it isn't raining, you could wear them for the most of winter.

Assos has a great reputation for high quality cycling clothing that sits near the top of the performance tree... and the price tree. Let's start by confirming that these bib tights are very good for cold weather training, and they're very expensive too.

They're beautifully cut from Assos' Osmos fleece-lined fabric to create a flexible-yet-compressive shell around your legs, and I found next to no ruffling around the joints. It's mostly the lightest version of Osmos, which means they feel relatively thin on the legs versus your average bib tights. It's a grade thicker on the front-facing panels to fend off windchill.

There's one long seam down the outside rear quarter of the legs (about the best location to avoid chafing). The stitching is as high quality and 'neat' as you might hope, and soft to the point of unnoticeable.

Despite their thin feel, their warmth has been practically my only problem with them. Spring and autumn weather can vary wildly – this year has been mild, with temperatures during the test period little lower than 6-7°C during the day. For me, this is on the upper limit of these tights' temperature range.

Someone who needs more insulation than I do may well fare better, but even on one 6°C morning ride with a north-easterly wind I really had to moderate my effort to keep my body temperature steady and my helmet and jersey from becoming overrun with sweat.

That's not to say these tights aren't breathable. You can definitely feel cooling air seeping gently through the fabric, so on tempo rides in low single figures I can absolutely see them coming into their own. Moreover, they would end rides remarkably dry given how much I'd sweated, proving their ability to shed moisture and dry quickly.

While these tights may be quick drying, they're certainly not water repellent beyond the first sprinkles of rain, so don't go thinking they'll work for every ride whatever the season. They're very much for dry, cold days.

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The bib section is neatly designed with flat straps that cross over your back, and does a grand job of distributing any tension across the shoulders. There are no silicone grippers, but I never felt it needed them anyway.

The medium on test here is practically perfect for me, sizing up as expected, and is designed to be compressive. The cut is 'racy' (signified by the S9 designation) with a low-ish front section, and while there are no zips to help get your feet in, again they never feel needed – the stretchability of the fabric makes it easy.

The whole garment is really well shaped for a low, racy riding position, including at the Elastic Interface pad. It has 9mm of high density 'superAir microShock' foam overlaid with a waffle fabric under the soft top cover, and is (deliberately) not fully stitched in so it can move as you do.

It also leaves a small gap for the perineal area, mimicking/complementing a saddle cutout and reducing pressure when you're in a tuck.

For me it's also one of the better chamois I've come across for postponing numbness around your sit bones. The waffle fabric really does seem to help, as when you move around the saddle the pressure points are mediated by the differing levels of foam. At least, that's how it feels.

Value

The Equipe RSs are certainly pricey at £240. Albion's Three Season Tights are considerably less at £150 and got an impressive 9/10 score from Hollis, while Gore's C5 Thermo Bib Tights are £149.99 – though they're more relaxed in their design.

Stu also found the Sportful Bodyfit Pro Bib Bib Tights comfortable for a 5-14 degree temperature range, and awarded them 8/10. They're still considerably cheaper than these Assoses at £180.

Overall

These may be pitched for spring and autumn, but presumably Assos wasn't thinking of typical UK springs and autumns when they named them. But if it's cold (for me that's 5°C or lower) and dry they're fantastic, and certainly that's what they were aiming at in general. They feature a superb cut and construction and are very comfortable too, but there's no getting away from their cost versus the competition – especially when the others can be more versatile for UK use as well.

Verdict

Arguably a little warm, and definitely very expensive, but very comfortable and good performers