If you want to ride through the winter and aren’t a complete masochist, you’ll be needing some winter tights. The toastiest tights are bibs, which come up high at the back and hook over the shoulders. For us women, these come with their own toilet issues, discussed at length here. But for tucking in a pot belly and keeping your kidneys warm, they really do knock ordinary bike tights into a cocked hat (though I’m reviewing a load of those very soon if you’re wedded to that style).
I’ve tested five pairs on at least two rides of 35-70miles and washed them accordingly – with the exception of the Aldi bargain tights, for reasons which will become clear. I had the same problem with all five: they were too long, and so bunched up with varying degrees of unattractiveness at the back of my knees or ankles. Tell me, readers, am I freakishly short? At 5’4 I’m supposed to be the height of the average British woman, though I accept that statistic will be skewed by all the shrinking old ladies living ever longer. But I’m not that small, surely. Manufacturers: how about two lengths of tights, one for the long tall Sallys and a regular one for us stumpies?
Rapha Women’s Classic Winter Tights -£170.00
I joined the Rapha cult after trying their superlative bib shorts this summer. Then they opened a store in Manchester and I was really in trouble. These tights are as wonderfully made and stylish as you’d expect from the frankly ludicrous price tag. They’re extremely flattering and come up high, right to your chest like a vest: when zipped up I felt slim and supported. Made from durable Italian Thermoroubaix fabric, they have a brushed fleece inner throughout for maximum insulation, plus a reinforced panel on the bum in a waterproof fabric. It’s just a shame there’s no inbuilt chamois. You’re supposed to wear padded shorts underneath, but that led to dreaded sausage thighs: I ended up teaming them with bike boxers instead.
Chamois: no
Stirrups: yes
Best bit: Super flattering
Worst bit: No chamois
Buy them here
Cafe du Cycliste Martine Winter Tights - €179.00 (£143)
These look and feel great, but contain a basic design flaw: the zip only comes up just past belly button level, which means that if your stomach is not the flattest, the zip will keep coming down. So it was that I passed these tights on to a slimmer cycling comrade, who gave them a rave review. Claire, a petite 5’6, size 10 said: “I had no problems with the zip, though it’s quite loose compared to others I have. They’re a lovely weight – very warm for their thickness and nice and breathable; it was pretty chilly Sunday morning and they were perfect. The blue fleece inside when stretched while peddling gives them a lovely gasoline-y tinge.” Her quibble was with the mid-leg seam, which she found heavy and oddly placed directly under the knee cap: “To correct it, they needed moving down the leg a little, but doing this made them too short in the body.”
Chamois: no
Stirrups: yes
Best bit: Look great
Worst bit: Zip placing is no good for chubbsters
Buy them here
Le Col Sport Ladies Tights 2014 - £140
I loved the Le Col cycling shorts, so had high hopes for these bibs. I wasn’t disappointed: these were my favourite of the five I tested. Unlike the Rapha and Cafe du Cycliste tights, they have an in-built, gel-filled, women-specific pad, which I found a big bonus. It doesn’t make sense to me having to layer up with padded shorts underneath unless it’s really cold, because you end up with unsightly lumps and bumps. There’s no zip on the top half, just straps which sat quite sensibly and cosily (sometimes straps vertically bisect breasts in an uncomfortable way). The fabric doesn’t feel quite as swanky as either of the above, but it doesn’t seem cheap either. Nor should it, at £140 a pop. The tights are advertised for temperatures from 2C – 18C. I found them too warm over 14c and perfect at 8c.
Chamois: yes
Stirrups: no
Best bit: Very comfortable, especially the chamois
Worst bit: I wasn’t mad on the bright pink, but others will be. (And anyway, there is an all-black alternative)
Buy them here
DHB Ladies Vaeon Zero Padded Bib Tights - £79.99
These are the warmest tights produced by DHB, Wiggle’s in-house brand. The Italian fabric is 235g Thermoroubaix Lycra, which is made from 45% Nylon, 42% Polyester and 13% Lycra – a combination DHB promises will stretch four-ways and retain heat. There are large wind-blocking panels along the front face of the legs, which keep you dry and warm in even very cold weather: they’re advertised for -2c to +8c. My slight quibble is that the Teflon-coated fabric is more rigid than on the other tights I tested and didn’t cling to my legs in quite the same way: I ended up with Nora Batty wrinkled knees. But the CyTech chamois is mega comfy - the multi density padding really does spread the load across the saddle, reducing pressure points to a minimum. Good for the price, especially if you’ll be riding in very cold temperatures.
Chamois: yes
Stirrups: yes
Best bit: Very warm and windproof, great pad
Worst bit: Nora Batty knees
Buy them here
Crane Cycling Pro Ladies Performance Cycling Bib Pants from Aldi (£9.99)
I actually paid £3.99 for these in the sale last week. I was curious to know how something costing £164.01 less than the Rapha equivalent would fare. I’d love to say they were good for the money, but I know I’ll never wear them again. The tights don’t appear badly constructed, but they are so ill-fitting I couldn’t wear them for a long ride, or indeed a short one. The first problem is the sizing. I am very definitely a 10-12, but the Medium looked so massive I tried the Small, which was still too big and baggy, particularly around my far-from-narrow hips. These tights appear to be made for a giantess: I struggle to imagine a woman with an undercarriage as wide as the in-built chamois. It was proper pre-tampon era sanitary towel style, so big that it folded in on itself, creating the mother of all camel toes (see below, with apologies).
Chamois: yes
Stirrups: no, but there are zips on the ankles
Best bit: The ludicrous price
Worst bit: The nappy-like chamois
These aren’t on sale at the moment but tend to come back in stock every few months. Check here for details.
