Sportful Fiandre bib shorts review: Understated performance, but a fit that's a little too snug

Finding a pair of comfortable, adaptable and well-fitted bib shorts remains one of those make-or-break purchases. Find one you like, and you’re sorted for life.

Especially for people progressing into longer rides or riding audaxes and long-distance events, this purchase becomes even more involved. With its Fiandre bib shorts, Italian brand Sportful is aiming at this discerning buyer.

Sportful’s blurb suggests that these shorts are designed for comfort over long distances, in mixed and changeable conditions and, notably for the UK buyer, with an explicit focus on wind and water-resistance.

With the long ride and audax season starting, I was keen to see if they delivered.

Design and aesthetics

One consistent feature of the best cycling shorts is that they feel invisible underneath - figuratively speaking - and it’s apparent that the Fiandre bib shorts are designed as such.

There’s only a black colour option, with one tasteful inclusion of a reflective ‘S’ Sportful logo on the right thigh and left hip, and a flash of a red stripe on the left. It looks like the size range is somewhat biased towards the larger sizes, with a range from S to 3XL. However, based on the brand's size guide and recommendations, I went a size up.

In the past, I have found Sportful clothing to be body-conforming and fitted, and these are no different. Even wearing a size ‘L,’ they were a little more snug than I'd usually prefer, which doesn’t bode very well for larger or taller riders than I.

Once on, however, the shorts fitted very well, with a gentle squeezing sensation the only thing betraying their presence around my knees. The bib straps are wide and flat, and thus barely noticeable on my torso. I particularly liked the sewn panel that extended across the straps at the back, which helped them sit flat against my frame.

Some more design touches I found to be very welcome were the flocked, felted lining through the legs, which was extremely comfortable against the skin and undoubtedly helped fight against wind and water ingress.

I only noticed that these shorts had a small pocket on the back panel after reading Sportful’s blurb. According to the brand, it’s designed to hold a race radio or a pair of keys.

While I appreciate that the addition of a 'radio pocket' isn't a phenomenon exclusive to Sportful, I see little point in its inclusion on a pair of shorts that will almost certainly never be worn by a pro cyclist in a racing scenario that accepts radios.

For the end user, they're nearly impossible to access and become redundant with a jersey on.

Performance

These shorts became my choice for long road rides throughout spring, and with good reason. The sought-after ‘invisible’ feeling was evident from the first few kilometres, as the shorts stayed still and comfortable. The straps held the upper fabric securely against my frame with none of the dreaded bunching that comes from poorly-fitting clothing. Despite my long legs, the legs did not ride up at all, helped by a subtle silicone gripping material at the knees.

I didn’t notice the chamois pad at all, which is a good thing. The stitching is unobtrusive, and the pad material itself is firm but with plenty of give, following my limb movements and changing positions on the saddle easily.

• Lab tested: We pressure-mapped 15 pairs of bib shorts to see how much difference they can make

Pad comfort is, of course, super personal to the rider, though, so I’d like to see Sportful offering a wider range of pad widths and lengths for people to customise as per their preference.

The Fiandre bib shorts came into their own in typical British spring conditions. With that flocked lining, I found them to be very warm and comfortable despite the cold winds and occasional drizzle that beat down the Isles. I was somewhat lucky that I didn’t encounter any serious rainstorms, so I didn’t get to test the water-resistance to the max, but the fabric appeared to prevent minor damp ingress. When temperatures strayed above 15-20 degrees, I never found the lining too warm, and the shorts wicked sweat away equally well.

After some particularly long weekend rides, straying around the six-hour mark, I didn’t notice the seams or silicon grippers digging into my skin or leaving any marks, which is a good sign.

Predictably, the rear radio pocket stayed almost completely unused throughout, but with other brands incorporating sensible pockets into the thighs of their everyday bib shorts, these long-ride-focused shorts might benefit from a similar approach, even if the brand's Supergiara gravel range does have this covered off.

Value

At £120 / $130 RRP, the Sportful Fiandre bib shorts would be considered a first serious mid-level bib short purchase.

As such, the market at this price point is especially well-populated. Rapha’s Brevet Element shorts are closely matched in design, but cost a little more, although they include three sensibly-sized pockets.

The Endura FS260 ‘Thermo’ shorts undercut them both and come with DWR waterproofing and a fleece lining.

Fellow Italian brand Castelli’s Tutto Nano shorts are similarly water and wind-resistant and retail for £130.

With plenty of choice, my only hesitation in choosing the Sportful shorts would be their relatively close fit and their lack of additional pockets. In terms of riding comfort and price, though, there’s very little difference.

Verdict

The Sportful Fiandre bib shorts largely meet the brief of all-day riding comfort in all conditions. Whether rainy, windy, humid and warm or fast and intense, they didn’t miss a beat.

I might argue that they were almost too unobtrusive, to the point that I longed for a flash of colour or some design flair, but I didn’t notice them for any discomfort or bad design either.

Sportful clothing tends to be sized snugly, and this will be a turn-off for many. Sizing up in order to fit and still finding the shorts to hug my body a little too closely was an unexpected problem. When riding, the close fit isn’t particularly noticeable, but be prepared to be initially surprised at Sportful’s sizing.

I welcome brands moving away from super-thin unlined fabrics in favour of DWR, fleece lining and other considerations for bad weather. This has a negligible impact in warm weather while maximising comfort and practicality, especially in changeable British conditions.

In that spirit, I would love to see Sportful reconsider their choice of pockets and include sensibly-sized thigh pockets, especially for a pair of bib shorts aimed at endurance.

Overall, though, I was very impressed with the Sportful Fiandres and would happily reach for them for those long weekend rides, knowing that they would cope with whatever riding conditions with minimal fuss.