What are winter bib tights?-MN202349965

Once the colder winter months arrive, dedicated winter bib tights become essential.  Vital for keeping your lower half warm, the best bib tights will also ensure that your lower back and midriff are also protected against the cold.

The best cycling shorts and best leg warmers and knee warmers will get many riders through September, October and perhaps November for the warm-blooded, or late season races, but they aren’t suited for year-round riding.  As soon at the temperatures drop into the low single figures then only a pair of dedicated bib tights will do.

Most manufacturers now integrate a chamois into their tights: not so long ago it was common to wear unpadded tights over padded bib shorts.  Using padded tights means fewer seams and fewer straps, but if you regularly venture out into frigid temps it will mean buying more than just one or two of pairs of tights in order to keep up with the wash-wear-dry cycle.  However, if you prefer the pad in your favourite bib shorts you can still buy unpadded bib tights.

The most sophisticated bib tights locate different types of fabric and different numbers of layers in the specific areas where they will be most effective against cold, wind and rain. As you’d imagine bib tights that employ lots of technical fabrics to combat the cold and the wet usually come with a significant price tag.