Lusso Comfort Break Bibshorts

Lusso's Comfort Break Bibshorts are designed to make mid-ride pit stops as easy for women as they are for men. Lusso has nailed it with its no-fuss, no-clasp design, which is as pleasant to wear on the bike as it is easy to pee in. These bib shorts are light, comfortable and feel like a second skin, a winner all round.

The design of these bib shorts seems so obvious it is a wonder that other manufacturers have deployed zips, clasps or more complicated strap configurations to achieve what Lusso has here.

> Buy these online here

Its patented EasyPeesy bib top comprises two light but super stretchy braces which enable you to simply pull down the shorts at the back, squat, go, and then... go. Broadly similar in design are the Velocio Women's Ultralight Bib Short, but Lusso's come in at nearly £70 less.

The best thing you can say about bib shorts is that you don't notice wearing them. Lusso's lightweight, breathable design manages to fit cleanly without digging in.

The 4cm-wide straps are a joy to wear as they don't dig in, and are well-positioned to fit around even larger boobs without compressing in the wrong places. Even on longer rides, the straps were unnoticeable, yet they kept enough tension to avoid any concerns about the shorts riding down.

The shorts themselves are made from a two-panel design, which keeps seams to a minimum. However, the seams that are there, running up the middle of the tummy and back, and along the inner thigh, aren't flat, and there was some mild chafing at the top of my legs on rides of more than a couple of hours.

The material used for the shorts is lightweight (but not ultralight) Lycra, which is fully opaque and super silky. You might prefer your shorts to offer a higher degree of compression, but I found the comfort factor from the well-fitting but not constricting design preferable to any nominal effect on muscle performance.

The shorts provide full coverage, though some might prefer a slightly higher rise on the back. I suspect the waistline was chosen as a halfway house, giving enough coverage while enabling them to still be pulled down easily.

Lusso has added four inches of perforation towards the bottom of the thigh and around the waist to give a good degree of breathability and ventilation. This means the shorts perform well in the summer heat and should also be good for hard winter turbo sessions.

Lusso has ditched sewn-in legbands in favour of an inch and a half of integrated silicone gripper. The result is a smooth finish that stays in place without digging in. Even on my chunky thighs, there was no overt 'sausage leg' and when I popped on street leggings over the top after a ride, it wasn't at all obvious that the bib shorts were underneath.

The shorts are available in black only, which is disappointing but industry standard.

Pad

Chamois choice is always a hugely personal affair, but Lusso has opted for a mix of gel and open cell foam with channels to aid ventilation. I found the chamois comfortable, although my preference would have been to include the gel at the front of the pad as well as under the sit bones, to better support the delicate tissues there.

The pad isn't too bulky in use and provides a good degree of support. The men's version of this Dolomiti pro pad has been praised by road.cc reviewers Matt and Simon in the last few years, and I would concur that this women's version is a quality offering that will keep you comfortable throughout the day. It's easy to tell which pad is which too, because, of course, the woman's pad is pink.

Sizing

I am a street size 18, so my choice of cycling clothes is limited, to say the least. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Lusso offers an XXXL in these shorts, which fitted me with – amazingly – a little to spare in the waistband, so may well fit up to a UK 20 as there is inevitably some give with these lightweight Lycras.

The range goes down to an XS (24-26 inch waist) too, which, if the sizing holds true, would suit a UK 4-6.

Value and conclusion

Looking at other bib shorts that allow peeing without getting undressed, at £100 the Lussos are good value. They're £30 less than Endura's Pro SL Bib Shorts and £24 less than the Iris Signature Bib Short III, and nearly half the price of the Velocios I mentioned at the start of the review, which are £168.

> Read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling shorts here

Overall, I think these shorts are excellent. As regards being easy to pee in – their raison d'être – they performed perfectly, the overall comfort level is high, and they're good value to boot.

Verdict

It really is 'easy-peasy' to pee in these – a comfortable pair of summer bib shorts with a quality pad