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Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Men’s

9
£199.99

VERDICT:

9
10
It's not cheap to keep your legs warm and dry on winter rides, but these tights tick all the important boxes
Brilliant insulation
Smartly interwoven fabrics
Wind and rain-resistant shin and bum panels
Light, comfy straps
Comfortable and windblocking chamois
Good reflective detailing
Made from some recycled content
Easy waistband stretch for comfort breaks
Pricey
Not actually black
Lacking in knee protection
A little baggy around the ankles & knees
Weight: 
365g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ are an excellent pair of comfy, cold-weather leggings that deliver insulation, considerable weather protection and a nuanced mixture of fabrics for a price that is high but remains competitive. The fit could be tightened up a little below the knee, and they don't quite manage to keep the posterior totally dry, but they inspire confidence when the weather is bad and overall are a pretty great bit of kit.

Check out our best winter bib tights guide for more options.

> Buy now: Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ for £199.99 from Gorewear

Gorewear doesn't tell you the temperature range of its Distance leggings, but they are fleece-lined without feeling too thick, and nicely flexible too. On filthy, soggy days with the temperature between about 6-11°C, they were in their comfort zone. My legs were really cosy without overheating, thanks to the mixed fabrics used, and I didn't even feel the need to put more effort in to warm myself up. Always a nice option!

2023 Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens - legs back.jpg

Once the mercury dropped down to freezing and low single digits, I still felt very happy in the bibs. It's at these shiver-inducing temperatures that you start to notice the thinner material on the calf and around the groin, but it isn't a serious shortcoming. The bibs are still thoroughly warm and more than capable of keeping a southern Englander insulated for the duration of winter.

Windproofing is particularly good on the shins, but the fleece material on the knees and thighs is more porous. So perhaps windproofing isn't the bibs' strong point.

2023 Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens - leg detail 2.jpg

The straps are excellent. Made from mesh, and a nice length for my body, the fit is neat without making me stoop, and once on I didn't notice them again.

2023 Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens - straps front.jpg

The ankle isn't one of those rigid seamed affairs you sometimes find on winter-leaning bibs. It's a bit of a wiggle to get your feet through, but the cuff springs back tightly afterwards.

Three panels make up the lower-leg area. The same fleecy material from the upper leg wraps around the knee, dark grey wind-stopping material covers the shin, while there is super stretchy black material on each calf.

2023 Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens - ankles back.jpg

The shin material is a triumph, standing up to direct drizzle and whatever the road throws up. And once dry, any debris just brushes off. The stretchy stuff helps to offset the firmer feel of the water-resistant shin material. The knee area gets wet and stays wet for longer because of its material. The DWR coating delays rain soaking through, but once into the cafe or place of shelter, the garment stays wet for a while.

2023 Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens - side.jpg

The Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper Cup is meant to protect sensitive areas from windchill. It's essentially an extended chamois pad which reaches round to the front for more coverage. This is anatomically specific to men and claims to create extra space and less compression too. Because Gorewear has used the stretchy material from the calf, the groin area feels a bit less protected – but yes, it has managed to create some space in that area. This material is very thin so I suspect it might become a bit baggy over time, but all good so far.

To the touch, the Cup doesn't feel wildly different from my other bibs, and famously that is the warmest part of the body so it didn't suffer from too much chill.

The material used on the panel between crotch and waistband is different to the rest of the leggings: it's the stretchy black material used on the calves. This would seem to provide less insulation than the other materials, so Gorewear is relying on the efficacy of the Windstopper Cup rather than the material. But as mentioned, I never became cold.

Nearby, Gorewear includes three pieces of reflective detailing which ensures some visibility from the side and rear.

2023 Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens - leg detail.jpg

I found the chamois comfortable on my rides, and it is covered in the grey weatherproof material, which makes it reasonably helpful at offsetting the worst of the weather – in tandem with the water-resistant inserts on the seat and back area.

2023 Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens - chamois.jpg

I left my mudguards off to really put the bibs through their paces, and my bum, back and chamois area caught a lot of rain and road spray. The grey panelling runs from the chamois all the way up the back, and it was really good at keeping me dry inside. It was wet to the touch but nothing seeped through after some persistent showers. The chamois itself does get wet quite quickly, and takes a while to dry off as the padding material is very absorbent.

2023 Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens - back.jpg

I couldn't fault the comfort or the construction of the bibs during the test period. Though there are seams everywhere on the Distance bibs, they are unobtrusive and didn't rub or catch.

To my mind they look really smart. Apparently they are black, but in the light look predominantly like a kind of navy, with some grey and actually black panels on the claves and groin. I'm a fan – but this might annoy the black-only purists.

Value

While the Distance Winter Bib Tights+ aren't cheap at £200, they are still competitive with the other high-end brands.

Rapha's Classic Winter Tights, for example, are £240. They're made of high-stretch Thermoroubaix fabric for insulation and have a large rear panel for extended back coverage. Rapha has gone big on reflectivity too, with full calf strips to make you very visible.

The MAAP Apex Deep Winter bib tights are even more expensive at £295. They have windproof panelling in similar locations to the Distance tights, and DWR is applied all over. MAAP claims they work down to -10°C, while also being breathable and Bluesign approved for environmental kudos.

Ed waxed lyrical about the Le Col Pro Bib Tights which cost £210 and I can't see much difference between them and the Gorewear Distance bibs, neither of them having any serious drawbacks. Ed didn't like the ankle zippers, and the Le Cols don't have any bulked-up shin pad weather stoppers like the Gorewears, but they are around 160g lighter which is a significant difference.

The slightly cheaper Santini Aldo bibs I reviewed in November cost £189, are slightly less hardy than the Gorewears, but actually weigh 30g more. Their tough polyurethane covering is on the calves, but from my testing I reckon it's more useful to have additional protection on the shins.

Conclusion

These bibs will happily escort you into the coldest parts of a British winter: super warm, sufficiently breathable, and comfortable for hours at a time. Even when it's not raining there's often detritus spitting up at you from the road, so the bulked-up shin protection is a brilliant addition which sets these apart from some competitors. I'd like the fabric to be slightly more vacuum-packed to my leg from the knee down, but it's a small aside on what are predominantly brilliant bib tights.

Verdict

It's not cheap to keep your legs warm and dry on winter rides, but these tights tick all the important boxes

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Gorewear Distance Winter Bib Tights+ Mens

Size tested: Large

Tell us what the product is for

From Gorewear:

For the coldest days of the year - no matter how long you're riding.

Our warmest bib tights, based on our Distance Bib Shorts development. The goal was to achieve the optimal balance between protection against the cold and freedom of movement - so that even the longest winter ride is still comfortable

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Gorewear lists:

Made with recycled content

Central Torso Architecture

Mesh bib strap construction

Thermo-stretch inserts on hips and lower legs

Optimized seam placement

Reflective details

Weight:

300 grams

Form Fit:

Our closest fit, designed to be worn tight to the body, to enhance moisture management, thermal efficiency or aerodynamics. These garments are worn next-to-skin or over tight fitting base layers. These items may use compacting fabrics to provide muscle support, look for this in the product description.

WIND-RESISTANT, WATER-REPELLENT, WARM MAIN FABRIC

EXPERT DISTANCE 2.0 SEAT PAD WITH GOREWEAR CUP

SPRAY PROTECTION

WIND-RESISTANT, WATER-REPELLENT, WARM MAIN FABRIC

The DWR-treated thermo woven fabric keeps you warm on cold winter days.

EXPERT DISTANCE 2.0 SEAT PAD WITH GOREWEAR CUP

A multi-density, multi-layered foam construction is designed for maximum comfort and support on long-distance rides. The male-specific channel is shaped to reduce pressure on anatomical pressure zones. In the front, the anatomically pre-shaped, very breathable GOREWEAR Cup protects sensitive areas from wind chill.

SPRAY PROTECTION

Water-resistant inserts on the lower legs, the seat and back area protect against road spray.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

A complex and well-executed design that brings together different fabrics and panels to provide relevant protection to different areas of the leg.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Comprehensively good in every area – excelling in insulation and some areas of weather resistance.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Mostly looking excellent, but I worry that the slight looseness of the lower leg might degrade with age and heavy use. No noticeable change during the test period.

Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10

A large was perfect for me. The straps don't dig in at all, it was easy to take comfort breaks, and the ankle material stopped just above my shoe. The only slight reservation is the slight looseness of the material on the lower leg. Gorewear calls these Form Fit, which is designed to be very close to the skin.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
10/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
7/10

Middling weight at 365g, but you wouldn't want to lose the heavier pieces of fabric as they provide some of the most vital protection.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
10/10

I could wear them all day, and sometimes did.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

At the premium end of the winter bib tight market, but still decent value compared with their peers. They provide more hardy shin protection than the Santini Aldo Bibs I reviewed recently for only £10 more.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Very easy thus far. Some small bobbling on the straps.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

A really carefully designed product which gave me lots of confidence in heading out when the weather looked bleak. I knew I would be warm in almost any wind or chill, and only an absolute monsoon would ruin my lower half. After lots of persistent rain you end up with a wet bum (on the outside) but I'll admit that mudguards would help with remedying that!

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The protective shin material is extremely effective.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The mixed colouring is fine by me but lots of riders prefer a totally black bottom half. I'm also slightly suspicious of the loose knee and ankle area; I like my bibs tight and extra compressed!

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

There are lots of well-made bibs around the £200 mark, and the Gorewears offer brilliant performance while not being the most expensive.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

These bib tights do everything asked of them, and represent a smart investment for a few winters to come. The only thing that slightly counts against them is the slight looseness, but perhaps I just need to work on my calves.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 34  Height: 187cm  Weight: 80kg

I usually ride: Pearson Hammerandtongs  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, commuting, touring, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, Ultra endurance

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2 comments

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 2 weeks ago
0 likes

For £200 why shouldn't we be asking why these aren't warm, windproof and 100% waterproof?

Why do we accept and condone blatant product niches that are clearly designed to generate multiple sales?

My winter bibs tick all 3 boxes and they were half this price.

 

 

Avatar
Wingguy replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 weeks ago
1 like

100% waterproof tights? I have never seen such a thing. What are they?

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