RH+ Code Bib Shorts

by Robert Thorpe

RH+ CODE BIB SHORTS

When a bib short has an Elastic Interface pad within it, you instinctively know that the brand have thought things out. After all, if you’re going to put the best pads in the world into your cyclin* shorts, you’ve got a lot to live up to. The RH+ Code bib shorts are designed and sold as a high end short, and we tested them here in the Yorkshire Dales National Park to see how they stood up to things.

The first thing that you notice is that they’re a very light bib short. And of course, being Italian means that they’re a good fit, so choose a size above your normal sizing. They’re a compression short too, which basically means that they’ll fit close and tight against the skin, maximising the muscle performance.

RH+ have used their innovative Biomorphic Dry Skin Adaptive Stretch fabric, and only one ultra flat seam, using one piece of fabric per leg, with a laser cut bottom hem. Inside of the hem are silos dots that hold the fabric in place. It’s a simple but effective use of fabric technology that helps to keep the garment lightweight. This design means that the shorts really do become a part of you, like a true second skin.

This innovative and super stretchy fabric is cut to go up the back, where it joins a similarly technical and perforated fabric upper and wide soft braces from the same material, maximising breathability under the jersey. At the abdomen it’s cut reasonably low and for us we found that the fit here would benefit from a slightly higher abdominal fabric finish. Likewise, the lower short fabric is cut straight at the joint with the braces, meaning that elastic stretch forces are increased at the joint, giving a potential weakness that would benefit from strengthening at the fabric joint. It’s a minor point, but personally we felt that a tapered fabric join would give that added strength. The shorts come in a selection of simple modern block colours, with the RH+ logo neatly on one leg, meaning that they’ll look good with most of your jerseys.

Now to the pad, the most critical part of any garment for the cyclist. As mentioned earlier, it’s the new Equipe pad by Elastic Interface, which features three different density zones, giving a perfect balance between volume and shock absorption thanks to new foams. It’s the perfect pad for long distances and this certainly proved to be so on the long and tough Dales rides. When worn with the Rh+ Climber jersey, you’re definitely kitted out in lightweight race mode a d the kit feels awesome.

All of this fabric technology and design doesn’t come cheap, and this is marketed as a high end short. apart from the few minor points that we mention, it’s definitely a super comfortable and high performance piece of cycle clothing, and one which you’ll want to wear again and again.

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