dhb Blok Bib Short

dhb's Blok bib shorts have been around for a while – Jez reviewed them six years ago and liked them a lot. The current incarnation is just as good, and, in my opinion, looks better too. In those six years, the RRP has gone up by only a fiver to £65, which still makes them great value for money.

I like the design brief of the dhb Blok range: decent performance at a sharp price but looking a bit different. I'm not generally a fan of non-black shorts, but at the same time I do like a bit of colour. A contradiction, but one that these dhb shorts resolve quite nicely.

There are some other colourways available too, some combining navy as the main colour with differently coloured bands on the legs.

Fit, fabric and features

The medium we have on test here fits me well, and as expected – I'm usually medium in non-Italian bib shorts. Looking at the size chart, my measurements would steer me towards a small for chest and hips, but medium for waist. The fabric is so stretchy that I suspect a small could also work for me.

The main fabric of the bib shorts is an 80% polyamide (nylon), 20% elastane (spandex) mix. It's not quite as supportive as more expensive bib shorts – there's not really any compressive effect – but I wouldn't say this is a design flaw, more that my personal preference is for a more supportive fabric.

It's nice to see that dhb is making some effort towards sustainability; the fabrics used are Bluesign approved. This means, paraphrasing what it says on the Wiggle website, that harmful substances are removed from the beginning of the manufacturing process and standards for environmentally friendly production are controlled.

The shoulder straps are wide enough not to irritate or dig in, and the rear upper panel is made from a mesh fabric (with a slightly lower elastane content) to aid breathability.

The coloured bands on the legs have a dotted silicone gripper pattern on the inside, which works well to stop the legs riding up.

It's worth noting that the leg length is slightly shorter than some shorts I've tested recently from Pactimo, Le Col and Castelli – they finish above where my current tan line starts.

There are a couple of small grey reflective dhb logos, one on the right leg and one on the right just above where the pad ends.

Pad

The chamois is made by Elastic Interface, whose pads I generally get on with and are used by lots of other brands. Specifically, these shorts use its 'Nice Anatomic Men' pad. It's engineered with a channel in the middle to relieve pressure and an 'Eco X-tract' top sheet to help remove moisture.

dhb says the pad is developed for medium distances of up to three hours in the saddle, but I found these shorts comfortable for longer than that, anything up to five hours. In fact, on these kinds of rides they've performed impeccably, to the point where you wonder why you'd spend more.

Value

At £65, these bib shorts are very keenly priced indeed.

> Buyer’s Guide: 38 of the best cycling bib shorts

It is possible to find decent bib shorts that cost less – Van Rysel's Shorts Racer Ultralight are a penny less, and dhb's Classic bib shorts are a fiver cheaper – but you can spend more – Stolen Goat's Bodyline One Bib Shorts are £98 – or a lot more: Pactimo's Summit Stratos Range Bib Shorts cost £186.

Conclusion

The Blok bib shorts look great and will keep you comfortable on short- to medium-distance rides. If you're not looking to ride for longer than that, these are an excellent choice for the money.

Verdict

Great performance for short to medium distance rides, and look really good too