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Apr 29, 2024

Petrichor Projects Women's Bib Shorts review

The Goldilocks of women’s bib shorts This competition is now closed By Katherine Moore Published: August 22, 2023 at 9:00 am While Petrichor Projects may be new, founder and product designer Claire

The Goldilocks of women’s bib shorts

This competition is now closed

By Katherine Moore

Published: August 22, 2023 at 9:00 am

While Petrichor Projects may be new, founder and product designer Claire Goodman is anything but fresh to the industry, with more than 15 years of experience designing apparel for leading brands including Rapha, dhb and Albion.

The first clothing piece in the brand’s line-up, the women’s-specific bib shorts tested here, was in development for over three years, including thorough wear testing.

The meticulous attention to detail shines through in a supremely comfortable pair of bibs that are truly hard to fault.

Petrichor Projects has employed 100 per cent recycled materials in the production of these bib shorts, with a polyamide/elastane mix giving a matt appearance.

The wide microfibre bib straps cross over at the upper back, with the right strap securing to the hip panel using a magnetic clip.

The attached fabric loop can be used to locate the strap after pee breaks, as well as for hanging the bibs to dry.

There are no leg grippers, but instead a raw edge hem and printed silicone dots on the inside of the leg.

The women’s-specific chamois is from Elastic Interface, with different densities of padding across its length and breadth, and added perforations for ventilation.

Starting with the fit, the bib shorts come up true to size, offering a sleek, lightly compressive fit. The leg length is neither too long, nor too short, and with the bib straps they stay perfectly in place. They’re aren’t too restrictive either.

Likewise, the seamless leg hems are comfortable, but stay put thanks to the lightweight silicone gripper dots.

The recycled polyamide/elastane fabric is soft against the skin and thin without being transparent, offering SPF50 coverage.

There aren’t a huge number of seams, and it’s clear they’ve been placed carefully to avoid irritation.

The asymmetric magnetic bib closure is easy to use, and means you can go to the toilet without having to first strip off – a major boon for female cyclists, when applied properly.

Tested over consecutive long days in the saddle, both on road and gravel, the women’s-specific chamois proved very comfortable.

In a climate where heat and humidity were a daily battle, the wicking properties of the shorts really shone. Sweat was directed away from my lower body effectively to keep me as comfortable as possible when scaling mountain passes in temperatures over 35ºC.

Being black, they also don’t show sweat, as some lighter colourways often do.

The single cargo pocket on the right thigh proved to be really handy and durable, made out of the same material as the bib shorts, rather than a more fragile mesh.

I kept my phone there for easy access, and this gave me the choice of riding with a tech-tee rather than a cycling jersey.

In several ways, the Petrichor Projects bib shorts remind me of the excellent Velocio Women’s LUXE bib shorts, from the seamless leg hem to the soft yet highly functional fabric.

While the easy-pee designs differ, the Velocio bibs are more pricey (£203/$279/€233/AU$339 as tested, but now costing £223), and even more so for its cargo bib shorts.

In fact, most other bibs of comparable quality command a higher price tag, including the £200/$200/€200 Gore Distance Bib Shorts+ 2.0.

Branding is also minimal, so the classic black bibs can be paired with whatever other cycling kit you desire – jazzy or otherwise.

It’s hard to find a single fault with the Petrichor Projects women’s bib shorts, which combine premium performance with the use of recycled materials and an inclusive range of sizing.

While they are by no means cheap, they rival some of the established top brands’ offerings, which are sometimes twice the price.

They are a worthwhile investment if you’re looking for the best women’s bib shorts without the top-end price tag.

Contributor

Katherine Moore is Dartmoor-based gravel and bikepacking expert who judges her rides by stoke level, rather than speed. When she’s not scouting out the best long-distance and local off-road routes in the UK, Katherine works as a freelance writer, bike tester, presenter and guide. Katherine is the former editor of advntr.cc and has also worked as a presenter on the Global Cycling Network. As well as being a regular contributor to BikeRadar.com and the BikeRadar Podcast, Katherine has also written for Cycling Weekly, Bikepacking.com and hosts the Unpaved Podcast. If you’re out on the trail you’ll likely see her from a mile off, thanks to her rather bright colour palette!