Tri-Fit Sykl Pro Skin Bib Shorts Women’s

The Tri-Fit Sykl Pro Skin Bib Shorts Women's are excellent, using a high-stretch, lightweight fabric that's incredibly comfy. The straps balance support and comfort very well, and the chamois is one that'll cover your needs for endurance rides in my experience.

The shorts are made from the Italian Carvico Revolutional Energy fabric. This soft, stretchy fabric moulds wonderfully, supplying a slightly compressive fit that's designed to help reduce the production of lactic acid, the idea being that this enhances your cycling performance.

> Buy now: Tri-Fit Sykl Pro Skin Bib Shorts Women’s for £149 from Tri-Fit

It's worth noting that the sizing range seems to be better suited to smaller riders. Depending on brands, I'm usually a small or medium. Looking at Tri-Fit's size chart, I come up as a medium for my weight but slip into a large for my hip measurement. I opted for the large and found that this provided a skin-tight fit throughout, though I could probably have done with going up another because of a little bit of tightness that's still there around my hips and some slight bulging at the leg ends. That would put me as an XL, which is the largest size offered and not a position I'm usually in with other brands.

The upper has been very well executed, even if it doesn't incorporate a comfort break 'easy pee' system which a lot of brands have been including in their female offerings.

The straps are very comfortable as well as suitably supportive. At the front, they're wide, with raw cut edges and lie flat neatly for a flush finish. They join together at the rear with a central back panel that's been perforated for breathability.

Elastic Interface supplies the wonderfully soft to the touch Paris HP chamois which promises support over seven-hour rides across variable terrain. Gradual areas of transition are designed to improve saddle stability, and I found it works exceptionally well in all circumstances. There's very good support when leaning into a more aggressive riding position and tucked down in the drops for intense efforts. Even after five solid hours in the saddle I had no issues with soreness or rubbing. Tiny perforations also help with reducing moisture and keep things fresh.

The raw cut legs provide a lovely flush finish with a good amount of support – it's a very comfortable finish, although as I said it was a touch on the tight side for me, and this resulted in some slight bulging – not the restrictive kind, just not the most flattering look. Very thin silicone stripes are positioned on the inside of the leg ends to help keep these in place, and they do so effectively.

From afar, the design of the shorts looks slick and stylish. That said, Tri-Fit has decided to print the words 'strength', 'endurance' and 'performance' down the left thigh which won't be to everyone's taste, though the size and positioning of this text isn't super in-your-face.

Value

Priced at £149, the Pro Skins are a little cheaper than some other bib shorts that provide a premium performance, such as Castelli's Premio Black Women's Bib Shorts, which I tested last year and now cost £230, but CHPT3's Most Days Grand Tour Women's Bib Shorts also have a very comfortable chamois, and for a slightly cheaper price of £119. The upper isn't quite as comfy as Tri-Fit's, though, and you might also find the leg length isn't so appealing.

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

None of these three offerings feature a comfort break 'easy pee' design, but 7mesh's WK3 does, and with its price tag of £160 it only costs a touch more than the Tri-Fit Pro Skins. Janine thought these were excellent when she reviewed them last year.

Conclusion

Overall, the Tri-Fits are high-quality performance bib shorts with a slick raw cut finish, comfy and supportive straps, and a chamois that'll cover you for endurance rides.

Verdict

High-quality bibs with a very comfortable chamois and slick finish throughout