Advance Review Of The New Kit Bib Knickers

I hounded Dana mercilessly last week (we work in the same building) and managed to pry my new kit from his strong grip, with the agreement that the "real" kit would stay under wraps until the kickoff party this Friday. However, since I was the guy who was pushing to have the Aspen Thermal Bib Knickers added to the store and Saturday's conditions looked to be the sweet spot for them, I was really wanted to try them. As they are typical of our winter training gear with just the ABRT branding, he was fine with that gear getting into the wild.

It did turn out to be perfect conditions for this gear. Before I get to how the worked, just a little explanation of what I think perfect is (and your mileage will certainly vary): For 35 degrees and below, I use my standard bibs with a pair of Bellweather tights with windstopper front over them. Very warm and comfortable but bulky; It's worth it when its cold, but much above this it's overkill. At 45 degrees and above, the standard Pactimo bibs and Milano legwarmers are perfect. That leaves this middle ground of mid 30s to mid 40s, where the leg warmers are fine for the legs, but the midsection, upper thighs and, you know, THE midsection, (aka your "junk") is left with scant Lycra coverage. I can remember after a few Haines point lunch rides last year coming back to the locker room at work BRIGHT RED. Not good.

The Aspen Thermal Bib Knickers are perfect for these conditions. They have the milano-like micro fleece in them. EVERYWHERE. But they do not feel any heavier than the standard Ascent bibs, and in addition, they have the same Ascent chamois, so the "feel", if you know what I mean, is exactly the same as with the regular Ascent bibs. This is important to me because these little "feel" differences are greatly magnified when you're having a bad day on the bike. Also, they have good gripper just above the mid-calf.

Riding out of the Park and Ride at 10 am it was about 38 degrees, right in the sweet spot. Even that first downhill spot on Rossback Rd did not feel cold. When it did eventually warm up into the mid 40s I never felt overheated, and did very much appreciate the extra warmth when going through melted snow flowing across the road yesterday. I was a little worried about how the pee stop would go given that, uh, "access" was rather limited. There is no zipper and you can't lift the leg up, but surprisingly it was easier than I thought to "go over he top" in the front. Whew. Having to do the "women thing" at the Dash In could end in a mad chase to catch the group, which is a deep seated fear of mine given that one of the first times on this ride about 6 years ago, I came out of the store to fine everyone had left and I had NO idea where I was - and did not have a fancy PDA with google maps. Of course, as the Wheelsucker would point out, the women would not get left at the Dash In. But I think any guy doing the "woman thing" would be left on purpose. Just sayin...

My only minor complaint on this gear is a general one about Pactimo's sizing. They adjust the sizes to fit the average RACING cyclist (obviously as this is their target audience), but where that has issues is for us regular folk who, in the Pactimo world are considered "plus sized" dudes. In general, I am reasonably trim (very trim compared to the average American!) and wear size L in most clothes, but for Pactimo bibs, I have to go to a XXL, yes DOUBLE XL, to get something that fits well. Sheesh. Once you make this adjustment, and get the right size, it's OK for standard bibs. However, in the case of the knickers, the XXL fit well everywhere except that they are baggy around the knees as the sizing (I'm assuming) assumes that you are XXL everywhere instead of just having a plus sized arse. That said, I was happy that the sizing was consistent between the Ascent bibs and the Aspen Knickers and the baggy knees did not affect the comfort or performance of the knickers, but did look a little odd. And, again as the Wheelsucker would say, it's all about the look, right?

So if you have the same middle temperature issues, I highly recommend getting a pair when the store opens again. I think they will also work very well in the late spring and early fall when it is wet. I wish I had had them on a torrential rain ride last fall.

Oh, and as for the rest of the racing kit... It looks AWESOME, but you'll have to wait until Friday to see that.