Gorewear Spinshift Cargo Bib Shorts Men's

The Gorewear Spinshift Cargo Bib Shorts are comfortable and practical for long rides, allowing you to carry extra stuff that's easy to access. The wide straps are easy on your skin with or without a base layer, and the pad doesn't need ongoing adjustment. The best accolade I can hand the Spinshift Cargo Bibs is that I often forgot to think about them when I was wearing them.

> Buy now: Gorewear Spinshift Cargo Bib Shorts for £143.98 from Gorewear

Whether it's a jersey, bibs, luggage or even a bike frame itself, having more places to stash stuff is the order of the day. The rise and rise of 'Gravel' cycling – AKA not wanting to ride in traffic whose drivers might kill you, while seeing nice places – has driven said desire to stash stuff all over your person and bicycle.

Whether it's food, spare parts, items of clothing or a phone, going further, higher and more remote changes your needs and the calculation of self-sufficiency against lightness and being unencumbered.

Gorewear's take on How To Carry Stuff is the Spinshift Cargo Bib Shorts. The Cargo bit is the four extra pockets, but first the shorts themselves.

Made from 65% recycled content, the shorts are a long fit, coming just above the knee. The fit is 'Form', Gorewear's closest fit with an amount of compression. The waist area is done just right to keep the pad in place, along with wide, comfortable shoulder straps held in place by a high yoke at the back, which are nice against your skin if you aren't wearing a base layer.

Branding is both minimal and slightly reflective, meaning they'll pair with pretty much any top.

The dual-density foam pad has a cutout to reduce perineal pressure. Between the front of the pad and the front waistband is an extra layer of wind-blocking material, which Gorewear describes as an 'anatomically pre-shaped, very breathable insert in the front [that] protects sensitive areas from wind chill'.

That's the 'Colder Rides' box ticket, then – but not really cold, as the overall material of the shorts isn't fleeced.

As with every pad, it's totally individual as to whether the fit will work for you. The best compliment I can give a pair of shorts is that I forget I'm wearing them (and not in the 'Work-Presentation-Look-Down-Nightmare' way either). This was the case with the Spinshift shorts – I found them very comfortable, enjoying both the length that didn't ride up, and the support of the broad straps even with no base layer on.

And so to the raison d'être of the Spinshift bibs – the four extra pockets. You get two tiny pockets either side of your torso, sewn into the white mesh between the front and back of each bib strap. These are 3cm deep at the front and 7cm towards the back, which is so shallow that they are only good for small, long items like gel sachets or bars, or empty wrappers. You wouldn't want to use them for anything hard or heavy like a multi tool.

The main, visible and most-useful additions are the two thigh pockets. The left pocket has a small flap over the top, to minimise the chance of anything working its way up and out. The right pocket has an open top. They both measure 17 x 9cm, with a slight curve at the bottom as the seam transitions from vertical to horizontal.

Either pocket can swallow a large phone (6in) in a protective case, or a banana, or a few food bars, or a pair of glasses. The tension of the slightly transparent mesh fabric holds items firmly in place, even rattling down rocky trails – so the left flap is really for reassurance more than anything else when riding. If you're off the bike and scrabbling around over streams or fences, the flap might prevent any unwanted loss of stuff.

Fit-wise, I went for the XL, my 36in waist and 40in hip fitting into Gorewear's size guide range. Gorewear assumes a moderately athletic build in its hip-waist ratios, so do check your fit. I was very happy with the leg length, and the hems stayed put due to the length and the subtle gripper strips.

Value

Compared to the £230 7Mesh RK2 Cargo Bib Short, the Gorewear Spinshifts represent great value and better function.

They have more competition from the 'Road.cc Recommends' £155 Albion ABR1 Pocket Bibs Shorts, which feature a massive rear torso pocket for expedition-grade hauling. That pocket is so big, loading it up would probably preclude carrying much if anything in your jersey pockets, so some thinking through is required.

At the lower end of the price scale, the £85 Altura All Road Cargo Bib Shorts are worth a look if you're on a tighter budget.

For more of our favourites, check out our best cycling bib shorts buyer's guide.

Conclusion

At £145 the Spinshift Bibs are a premium product at an about-average premium price. You're getting what you pay for, and shouldn't be disappointed in the purchase.

Verdict

A very comfortable pair of bib shorts with useful pockets for carrying your stuff on longer rides