A part of Specialised’s Prime assortment for each women and men, like different SWAT merchandise, these cargo bib shorts are for riders searching for revolutionary storage options past the standard pockets within the jersey. For bag shy cyclists out on a day journey, these further pockets can present welcome storage options by spreading the load, and more and more this fashion of quick is seen as de rigueur for gravel riders by producers.
The shorts come solely in black and can be found in 5 sizes for males (S – XXL) and girls (XS – XL).
Specialised Males’s Prime SWAT Bib Shorts building
Judging by appearances, the Prime SWAT bib shorts are basically the Prime vary’s regular biking bib shorts, plus 4 further pockets.
There are two cargo fashion pockets sat on the facet of your thighs, that are sufficiently capacious to simply maintain a cellphone (my iPhone SE fitted wonderful, however bigger telephones on smaller legs may wrestle) or a snack or two. Moreover there are two hidden pockets which sit both facet of your backbone on the decrease again. I name these pockets hidden, as I wouldn’t have realised they have been there if not for visiting the Specialised web site. I didn’t discover these particularly helpful, given I’d often put on a high making them inaccessible on the experience, however they could possibly be helpful for storing one thing gentle reminiscent of gloves or a spare gel. They really feel considerably superfluous until you are inclined to experience and not using a jersey and due to this fact want the area.
These pockets whereas helpful, will value you £35/$20 extra – so in all probability solely price it should you really feel your present experience is struggling as a result of lack of minimal storage they provide.
(Picture credit score: Sam Jones)
Whereas pockets are all the time nice, the necessary factor about any biking quick is, after all, the chamois. Fitted with Specialised’s Triple Density Physique Geometry Contour 3D Chamois, means you’ve gotten much less padding round entrance of crotch, so no full nappy look when carrying, and extra substantial padding the place it issues for every seat bone.
The principle physique and leg of the shorts are made up of 46% Polyamide, 38% Polyester, 16% Elastane, and with one seam per leg designed to offered a supportive however not restrictive match. The cuff is elasticated and has two vertical pill fashion silicon grippers that you simply match and neglect about as soon as on.
The waistband is absolutely sown, and I discovered stayed up simply and with out discomfort even with out the straps. The straps themselves are a superb width designed for consolation at 4.5cm, with a tricot suspender anchor designed to carry them in place.
Branding is unobtrusive in daylight, with Spesh’s distinctive “S” on the again of the fitting hand cargo pocket, and a few wording that sits above your left hip however possible for many obscured by clothes when using.
The branding is manufactured from the identical materials as the 2 10cm lengthy reflective stripes on again of every thigh – a welcome addition for these using within the twilight and night time time hours.
The experience
At 5’ 8” with a 32” waist and 38” chest I went with the medium match as suggested by the sizing chart, and was not dissatisfied by the match which was true to measurement.
In match, the shorts are the fitting facet of comfortable with out being restrictive. Turning into them in a rest room cubicle after a gathering someday wasn’t as a lot of a dance as it may be with tighter shorts. A little bit of adjusting of straps, pad and thigh grippers after getting them on was all I wanted throughout all my rides with no mid experience faff and adjustment required.
(Picture credit score: Sam Jones)
Whereas the one seam on exterior of every thigh helps forestall any irritation on the experience, sadly there’s an extremely lengthy instruction tag. Regardless of eradicating most of it, a bit remained which scratched a wee bit on preliminary rides, and solely stopped after the shorts had gone by means of a number of washes.
My incompetence with tag removing apart, on the legs, the shorts really feel like a second pores and skin. That is aided by the silicon grippers on the cuffs which gripped and didn’t shift, all with out being restrictive. Publish experience, whereas after all there have been the tell-tale gripper imprints, these have been a lot fainter than different shorts in my wardrobe and appeared to fade extra rapidly.
Equally the waist simply merely fitted properly and there was no stress on the stomach in the course of the experience or off the bike. The tapering of the chamois, the place it’s thicker the place your seat bones meet the saddle, however thinner in the direction of the entrance of your crotch made it very comfy within the saddle. I genuinely had no complaints even on the roughest of terrain after a number of miles within the moist and dust.
(Picture credit score: Sam Jones)
My one grievance concerning the chamois was for when there have been durations of hike-a-bike. Disconcertingly (and apologies for the picture this may conjure) the chamois would continuously be sucked between my cheeks. Whereas this is likely to be my peculiar physique design, this has not occurred to me earlier than with different shorts. Given the place you may find yourself carrying such shorts, when out gravel using or bikepacking, strolling together with your bike may properly be on the playing cards, so I did discover this a contact disconcerting.
As you’d hope with good huge straps, the stress was evenly unfold throughout the shoulders and genuinely from begin to end I barely the quick’s presence. A very good signal.
How these shorts will maintain up within the hotter summer season months just isn’t for me to say given I examined them in one of many wettest late winters and early springs of latest reminiscence. I’d warrant the twin layering for the decrease again pockets may turn out to be wee warmth wells, however using in temperatures between 5 and 15 levels celsius, with waterproofs at occasions, I by no means suffered any discomfort and felt they managed to maintain me on the Goldilocks of temperatures when in movement.
Testing shorts in on British “gravel” in such seasons just isn’t splendid, so at occasions I teamed them up with a pair of Rab Cinder Kinetic Waterproof pants, and was happy to seek out the facet pockets simply accessible by means of the trousers’ vents. Primarily based on such compatibility I’d envisage this to be the case with many path trousers.
Equally regardless of the horrid situations they’ve encountered, a number of washes later they’re nonetheless holding up sturdy with no unfastened threads or actual indicators of wear and tear.
Worth and conclusion
At £165/$220, the Specialised Prime SWAT Bib shorts sit someplace between Endura’s GV500 Reiver bibshort (£139.99) and Rapha’s Cargo Bib shorts (£240/$310 – although their properly revered CORE vary is priced at £130/$165).
Given the pocket premium of £35/$20 in comparison with Spesh’s pocketless Prime bib shorts, you do have to be bought on the advantages of pockets should you discover the Prime vary works properly for you.
These are after all a premium product made by a good agency, so it does really feel a bit churlish to get hung about value. They’re extremely comfy and my wanting alternative in the mean time, however I’m unsure they’re almost £100 extra comfy than my different favorite bib shorts made by Howies.
I additionally see these very a lot as day experience shorts, and regardless of their consolation would in all probability not think about them for multi-day bikepacking journeys. That’s down to non-public desire and the inconvenience of bib shorts for rides the place nature comes a calling.
For these lucky sufficient to have the ability to spend £165/$220 on a pair of shorts, I don’t suppose you can be dissatisfied. Whereas I’ve solely been testing these for 2 months, they’ve put within the miles in grotty situations and I envisage they are going to final lengthy and properly.
For individuals who would like to spend half that quantity and get an analogous quick, then the Specialised/Fjällräven Journey Bib Shorts are nonetheless accessible, providing comparable options (within the inexperienced color) and decreased to £80 – within the UK – whereas shares final.
