Le Col Sport Bib Shorts Review

The Sport range contains Le Col's most affordable clothing, although £120 is hardly cheap, obviously. Le Col are aiming at high quality here rather than going for the mass market.

Any pair of cycling shorts is only as good as the seatpad, so let's start there. Le Col use a mid-range pad from Dolomiti and I got on well with it. It offers pretty good cushioning. The soft outer fabric is 3mm thick and the inner section, with gel under your sit bones, is 8mm. The top section is perforated, which helps with breathability. There's also quite a bit of channeling in the pad which improves both the airflow and the shape.

I've done a couple of 4hr+ rides using these shorts and I've never had any problems staying comfortable in the saddle, so the pad gets a seal of approval from me. You'd maybe want a higher end pad if you're going to be out all day long.

The bib uppers are mesh, as is usually the case. These breathe well and the straps are wide enough that there's no noticeable pressure around your shoulders.

On the down side, the 'Le Col' lettering on the back began to peel off after the first couple of rides and washes. I lost the 'Le' so now it just says 'Col'. Hopefully the remaining letters will peel off soon because my friend Colin won't go cycling with me at the moment. He thinks it's a bit odd. (That's a lie. I don't have a friend called Colin. But the shorts will certainly look better if all the remaining lettering goes because it won't look like there was ever supposed to be anything there in the first place).

Apart from that, these are really good shorts. They don't have any mind blowing 特徴, but they're unfussy and well-made, and they put in a solid performance.

Verdict

Well-made shorts that put in a solid performance