Q36.5 Salopette Wolf 2.0 Bib Shorts Navy

The Q36.5 Salopette Wolf Bib Shorts are a comfortable pair of thermal shorts with a great pad. They are more suited for spring and autumn conditions rather than deep-winter days, and while expensive, they compare well against other similar shorts.

> Buy now: Q36.5 Salopette Wolf 2.0 Bib Shorts for £189.99 from 7hundred

If you are in the market for bib shorts it's worth checking out our best bib shorts buyer's guide, or our best winter bib tights guide if you're going long.

The recommended temperature for the Salopettes is between 5°C and 15°C – and I'd agree with Q36.5's assessment. I wore these for rides where temperatures ranged from just below freezing to around 10°C. I wore them on a four-hour ride where it never got above 2°C and found them to be just about warm enough, apart from on a few long descents.

I've tested a few pairs of thermal shorts recently and these aren't as warm as the others, and I feel they are more suited to spring and autumn riding rather than deep-winter journeys. If it was less than around 10°C I'd pair them with knee or leg warmers.

With the recent cold weather I never had the chance to test these anywhere near 15°C, but on a few race-pace efforts they felt breathable.

Pad

The pad is supplied by the chamois specialist Elastic Interface and it is excellent. I wore these on a few four-hour rides in some very variable conditions and always found the pad comfortable.

The same was also true on longer turbo sessions, where the pad felt breathable as well as comfortable.

Sizing

I tested these in a medium. I was in the middle of the size guide for medium and I found them an ideal fit, so I'd recommend going for your usual size with these shorts.

The shorts come in seven sizes from XS to 3XL so you should be able to find a size that suits you.

In addition to seven sizes, you also have three colours from which to choose: green, the navy I tested and black, which would be much easier for pairing with most knee or leg warmers.

Fit

The Salopettes are designed to offer a close fit, with Q36.5 scoring them 4/5 for muscle support. I found the fit excellent, the compression was noticeable at high intensities and I appreciated it during some Zwift racing. And having worn these on rides over four hours in length in some pretty miserable winter riding conditions, I was relieved that these felt comfortable throughout.

The leg length is a good bit above the knee, which is fairly short for thermal shorts. Although, given the very cold weather of November and December I wore these with knee or leg warmers the majority of the time.

The legs are kept in place with some light grippers, which worked well, and I never had any issues with them riding up.

I got on very well with the flat, wide straps, which meet at the back where they merge into a mesh lower-back section.

They provided good support with no build-up of uncomfortable pressure points regardless of the length of the ride.

As you'd expect from thermal shorts the front comes up fairly high, however, the material still has enough stretch to allow for a mid-ride comfort break.

Materials

The shorts are made from 62% polyamide, 35% elastane, 2% silver and 1% carbon fibre – and it's fair to say I think this is the first piece of cycling kit I've worn that contains silver. I presume this was chosen for the precious metal's anti-bacterial properties rather than any bling element!

In addition to keeping bacteria at bay, the shorts also offer a degree of water-repellence, the material keeping me dry during long rides in light rain. But as with all shorts, they won't protect you in a full-on downpour.

The Italian-made shorts appear to be made to a very high standard, and after numerous rides and washes they have come up looking as good as new.

Value

At £209 there's no doubt that the Salopettes are at the top end of shorts we have tested.

The Assos Mille GTS Spring/Fall Bib Shorts C2 received an excellent review from Stu, but at £180 even they're much less expensive.

Stu was equally positive about the Assos Equipe RS Spring/Fall Bib Shorts, which cost £200.

I recently tested and liked the Universal Colours Chroma Thermal Merino Plus Bib Shorts, which are priced at £160.

There are also some much less expensive cheaper winter shorts on the market, such as the Van Rysel RCR500 Super Roubaix Winter Bib Shorts from Decathlon that received a positive review from Stu and which look a bargain at just £54.99.

Overall

The Q36.5 Salopette Wolf bib shorts are a mid-weight pair of thermal shorts, more suited to spring and autumn rides than genuine deep-winter days. Their Elastic Interface pad and compressive fit make them ideal for long days in the saddle.

But they are very expensive, and while I appreciated their qualityand enjoyed wearing them, there are some good alternatives available at more affordable prices.

Verdict

Expensive but they have a great fit, an excellent pad and are suitable for spring and autumn riding.