I’m a big fan of bibs, but I never really met a bib I liked. Until now. The Velocio Women’s LUXE Bib Short has raised the bar. Now, I know that not all bibs are created equal.
At first wear, I wrestled with pulling the Velocio LUXE Bib Short over my legs and thought the bib might be a size too small. It was like pulling on a pair of jeans after washing. But the Velocio website assured me that the bibs would “feel small when you first put them on” and will “require washing and a few rides to “break them in.” To my surprise, the website kept its promise: a few washes and rides later, the bibs feel like a second skin and the chamois felt as if it conformed to my body comfortably. Well, slap my suspenders and call me Sally, I thought when the bibs acquired the promised fit. Let’s ride!
What I Liked
So. Much. Support. Well, the website wasn’t feeding me a bunch of feel-good marketing crap. After a bit of breaking in, I felt like my “muscular and athletic quads” were well supported (the super compressive fabric rocks) and I wasn’t as self conscious about cycling bare legged. The compression held my tummy in. My husband even complimented the look, which caught me by surprise. Because l’ll be honest – women with my hour-glass build don’t “look good” in spandex.
The lady bits are happier. With the high-density foam, anti-vibration inserts, and non-chafing pre-shaped anatomically-contoured chamois, I didn’t feel like I was wearing a diaper nor did I feel like I had much of a problem down *there*. So many times I feel like my crotch reaches failure before my legs on long rides. Rotating this bib into my cycling attire, saddle sores are nearly non-existent this season. The chamois stayed in place during my ride, preventing chafing and the annoyance of a shifting chamois. What’s not to like about that?!
Grippin’. More compression here, and the microfiber grip made sure the material stayed put without bunching up or pulling on the little hairs on my thighs. This was key for me – I could focus on my ride without being distracted by slippage of the material in the legs.
Potty breaks. This has been my biggest gripe about bibs – the need to practically undress to do your business. Velocio bibs are designed as “fly free”, meaning that ladies can go to the loo without the need of removing her jersey, helmet, glasses, etc. by simply pulling the back of the bib down over your bum and forward.
What Could be Better
The fly free design. I’m not 100 percent sold on this method of taking a nature break. Mostly because I’m paranoid of peeing on myself. I also found it difficult to pull the material down far enough to potty.
Final Thoughts
A price of $259 for the Velocio Women’s LUXE Bib Short may seem steep, but I’m a firm believer in you get what you pay for. Comfort over saddle sores? I’ll take comfort. Oh, and did I mention how awesome the compression felt?!
