Pas Normal Studios Essential Thermal Long Tights – Women's

The Pas Normal Studios Women's Essential Thermal Long Tights hail from the style mecca of Copenhagen. The Danish brand has become well known for its beautiful cycling garments that come with a minimalist design ethic. But while those looks don't come cheap – this is Scandi style we're talking about – it can be worth investing in quality cycling garments, and if you're after good-looking, comfortable and warm cycling tights you can't go wrong with these. Save for their price...

> Buy now: Pas Normal Studios Women's Essential Thermal Tights for £240 from Pas Normal Studios

Pas Normal's Women's Essential Thermal Tights come in three colourways: black; blue and dark olive; and the new 'dark celeste' I tested. I had always thought celeste was a blueish colour, but having worn these I'd say they're essentially a shade of green.

The PNS branding, including the Essentials logo, is visible on the thigh and the rear of the tights, and the back of each leg also features a small reflective strip.

There's a small zipped pocket on the right thigh that would just about take my small smartphone, but bulkier items like keys felt quite uncomfortable against the top of my thigh while I was riding.

Looks aside, the performance is what really matters. And PNS says it has made these for the 'demands of cycling in the colder months' – hence the added insulation and water repellency, with the main fabric featuring a DWR (durable water-repellent) finish.

This M.I.T.I. SuperRoubaix fabric is sublimely soft, but I did find the overall fit and sizing a bit of a mixed bag. I tested size S, which is my go-to in PNS, and though the tights felt snug around my waist, they were a little loose around the chamois and ankles.

I'm 5ft 4in tall and these were a little long in the legs for me, though not disturbingly so. The ankles weren't the most snug, but were kept down by the silicone strips, and higher up, especially the engineered area around the knees, the tights were a nice fit against my legs.

I could perhaps have gone down a size, but then again I did like the fit on the waist of these, with their wide waistband that didn't dig in, and I wouldn't want it any tighter. That said, I would praise PNS for offering such a wide range of sizes, from XXS to XXL.

The performance of these tights didn't disappoint. The DWR coating kept light road spray at bay, and it was very pleasing to see water beading on the material rather than making its way through to your legs. I also appreciated the tights' four-layer chamois, which is the same one that PNS uses on its more performance-oriented Mechanism line – and not at all bulky, yet it remained comfy over multi-hour rides.

The reason I'd often steer towards bib tights is that their straps ensure the tights stay in place and won't bulk up around the chamois. But strapless tights like these have the advantage when it comes to toilet breaks – you simply pull them down without having to take off your jersey or jacket first. And it's for just that reason I reached for these in winter, when I knew it was going out on a long and cold ride.

One of the problems that some winter tights suffer from is that they don't always come up high enough on your waist – but PNS has got that right with these and it wasn't an issue. So not only were they excellent for hard training rides in winter conditions, they were also a very good call for more casual rides when paired with a puffer jacket.

Value

There aren't that many direct comparisons for these. Anna tested the Rapha Women's All-Day Leggings that cost just £65, though unlike the PNS tights these have no padding.

But Rapha also makes the Classic Winter Tights With Pad that have very similar features to the PNS tights, and while they are expensive at £180, that's still a quarter cheaper than these.

Endura's Women's FS260-PRO Thermo Tights have a similar design but having worn these in the past, I know they are very long in the legs. These are less expensive still, though, coming in at £109.99.

So while I do think that the PNS tights perform very well and look great, I'm not convinced they do enough to justify their hefty £240 price tag. Okay, their crash-replacement policy means you get 50% off a new pair but there are no sustainable materials and the design isn't remarkably different.

Conclusion

I can't fault the performance or the looks of the Pas Normal Studios Women's Essential Thermal Long Tights, so on those fronts these come highly recommended indeed. But that £240 price tag isn't quite so appealing...

Verdict

Great looks and high quality but their price isn't as appealing as their performance