Test: Sugoi is Japanese for "great" or "sensational" - with this naming the Canadian manufacturer sets itself a high bar. We will find out in the test whether the Sugoi RS Firewall Bib Tight does justice to this.
As soon as we unpack the Firewall Bib Tight, we put a smile on our faces: Contrary to the current trend, Sugoi decided to attach small loops to the leg ends of the Firewall Bib Tight. This makes it slightly more difficult to put them on, but it also ensures that the trousers always sit where they should and do not slip. If you don't want the loops, you can easily cut them off, as a printed scissor logo tells us. Otherwise, the trousers make a consistently high-quality impression - different materials, a high-quality zipper on the stomach and clean seams are convincing.
The Firewall Bib Tight is what Sugoi claims is the warmest pant - two different materials are used to meet the demands of winter training. In places that are sensitive to wind and cold, such as the lower back and thighs, a much stronger and thicker fabric is used, which is also slightly roughened on the inside. Unfortunately, this material is also noticeably less stretchy than the rest of the pants - a fact that is a bit uncomfortable, especially at the beginning.
The proven Formula FX is used for the seat pad: There is hardly any other seat pad on the market that strikes the middle ground between comfort and performance as well as the Sugoi seat pad. Significantly reinforced in the area of the sit bones, otherwise pleasantly thin, it also enables longer rides without much pain in the buttocks. Next to the saddle, however, there is still no “nappy feeling”. Very nice.
As good as pants have performed so far, we've been disappointed in their weather resistance. This shouldn't be misunderstood: the firewall offers adequate protection against wind and weather, even in cool temperatures, but it's not quite at the top level that we expected given the otherwise good impression. The windproof inserts do work, but they are too small for our taste. Next to it, below it, above it, we get cold quickly because the cold autumn wind whistles through our pants almost without resistance. This may still be sufficient for temperatures in the single-digit plus range, but when it gets in the direction of freezing point, it quickly gets cold in the Firewall Bib Tight. At least: The impregnation of the material works well and keeps us and the material dry even during short rain showers - the water only slowly penetrates the fibers after about 10 minutes.
[pricemesh]
