Velocio Women's Foundation Bib Short

The Velocio Women's Foundation Bib Shorts are comfortable, very well made and feature the brand's easy pee design that's practical and effective – it doesn't compromise the riding performance. If you're doing road rides around the two hour mark and turbo sessions under an hour these are spot on.

The Foundation Bib Shorts are Velocio's entry-level option, but they include many top-quality features that have trickled down (so to speak) from the premium offerings. Updated for 2021, the front mesh panel has been removed since Lara tested these last year, and the straps no longer cross over at the back.

Made in Italy from 77% recycled polyamide and 22% elastane, the lightweight fabric provides gentle compression, although it's not quite as reassuringly supportive as that of the Ultralight version (the next model up at £168 – review coming soon).

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Wide straps hold them up without any digging in or restriction, and the length can accommodate riders with longer torsos too.

These straps form part of Velocio's latest FlyFree design for easy pee-breaks – it means you can go without removing all your gear on your top half, which can be a massive hassle if you've got pockets full of tools and nutrition. Velocio has a helpful cartoon video on its site showing how this pull-down system works.

These straps are stretchy enough to snap back into place time and time again after pulling the bibs down for mid-ride pee stops – I have no concerns about durability. It's great to see this practical feature on a more affordable pair of bibs, too.

The leg gripper bands keep the shorts precisely aligned – they're 4cm wide to spread pressure evenly, so there's no pinching of the skin.

The Foundation chamois, developed with Elastic Interface, promises mid-distance comfort and support. Density-wise it's a bit lacking, but it provides ample support for shorter distances – up to around two hours on the road, in my experience.

It's less for sweatfest sessions indoors. There are no perforations on the chamois and it's not the quickest wicking, and I found these became uncomfortable after about an hour in. With turbo riding you tend not to get out of the saddle as much, which doesn't help.

> 39 of the best cycling bib shorts — get comfy on longer rides

For shorter durations and easier intensities, the chamois is just what you need. Do you always ride long distances? During the week I don't, and in these situations the Foundation shorts are a go-to option.

There's a slight shine to the fabric that doesn't look so smart, in my opinion, but they maintain their opaque finish and there's absolutely no issue with transparency.

Value

At £101 these may not sound cheap for entry level shorts, but they feel reasonably priced for the quality you get.

Bioracer's Vesper Bibshort Soft is £99 and also has a comfort break system (BibZip), for instance, but the rear zip's strengthening can get sweaty, whereas the Foundations' FlyFree does not compromise performance at all.

The Altura Women's Firestorm Bib Shorts are a good quality, comfortable option for less money – £79.99 – and Emma found the pad supportive up to three hours on the road, but they lack any kind of easy pee system.

Overall

If you're typically doing two-hour road rides and up to hour turbo sessions – which a lot of us are doing most of the time – these a great value choice, as they are very well made throughout.

> road.cc’s Best Cycling Clothing of the Year 2020/21

It's also great having the easy-pee feature on a more affordable pair of shorts. That said, for the distances I found the chamois comfortable over, I don't often need one... yet as Velocio's FlyFree system doesn't compromise the performance otherwise, it's handy having it anyway.

Verdict

Good quality shorts with an effective easy pee system, though the pad could be better for long rides