General: Leaderboard bib shorts winter

List of the best: If you don't want to do without regular training on your bike even in winter, you have to arm yourself accordingly against the often unpleasant weather conditions. For many, long bib shorts come first. We looked at a few candidates and collected them in our best list of winter bib shorts.

Warmth or breathability? Or even both?

As with almost all functional textiles, many potential buyers ask themselves right at the beginning what is more important - breathability or thermal insulation? Or can both be combined? Of course, warmer and especially wind and waterproof textiles are less breathable than thinner counterparts. Many manufacturers therefore take the approach that they only use appropriate fabrics in particularly exposed areas such as the thighs or kidney area. Depending on the pants, this works sometimes more, sometimes less well. Other manufacturers, on the other hand, rely entirely on membranes such as the Gore Windstopper or similar. These pants tend to be warmer, but they also tend to get sweaty in them.

Fit: Beware of the stretch trap

In addition to the lack of breathability, many of the weather-resistant textiles have an additional, sometimes even more serious disadvantage: They are usually not nearly as stretchable as comparable, thinner fabrics. In practice, this can result in unpleasant pinching, pulling and an overall lack of comfort. That's why the same applies here as with all other cycling clothing: Trying on and test fitting is essential!