Iris Women’s Signature Winter Bib Tight Light

Company founder and former pro Iris Slappendel has created the Iris Women's Signature Winter Bib Tight Light to answer your needs for all but the coldest conditions. Soft, stretchy, warm and pliable, with a great chamois and easy-to-use buckle system for toilet breaks, these are a well-designed and high-quality pair of tights at a decent price.

These tights are designed with early winter and spring in mind rather than the coldest days, but it's worth bearing in mind that Iris is based in the Netherlands and their idea of 'deep winter' can be a whole lot scarier than the UK version. That said, these are mid-weight rather than heavyweight tights, made from high-quality ThermoRoubaix fabric with plenty of stretch.

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The fabric is superbly comfortable to ride in, offering warmth without binding on the legs, plus it wicks moisture quickly and effectively to prevent chilling after working hard. I found the tights exceptionally comfortable, supportive and pliable, and plenty warm enough in temperatures down to about 3°C.

They don't have any wind-resistant panels or waterproofing, but they dry super-quickly, and I tend to find there's a trade-off between the comfort and pliancy of non-wind-resistant fabric and added protection. If you want deep winter options, or you feel the cold, the more weather-resistant and heavier duty Iris Signature Winter bib tights might be a better bet. https

These Light tights feel like they'll accommodate a wide variety of shapes thanks to the level of stretch in the fabric and the design of the bib section. This has broad stretchy straps which fasten at the rear to the lumbar region of the tights via a magnetic catch, to make toilet breaks easier. The bottom section simply pulls down at the back, meaning no undressing is required.

The bib section is very well thought through, not rubbing or irritating on the bust area, and securing the bottoms 'just enough'. One thing I've found with the Iris tights (and shorts) design is that the bottom section isn't totally reliant on the straps, fitting securely over the backside and hips without pulling on the bib. This means the magnetic buckle and strap system works really well because there's little tension in the straps to pull them up your back under the jersey, making it easier to retrieve them once you need to 'buckle up' again.

I did find that the straps have more of a tendency to migrate upwards towards the neck than on the bib shorts I tested earlier in the year, but not so much that it made the buckle fiddly to grasp for re-attachment. The buckle is super-easy to use, and very effective.

There's ample length in the leg for taller riders; on my 31in inside leg there was plenty of extra, though I had no problems with wrinkly excess, but shorter riders might find them a little over-long. Silicone grippers at the ankles help with a snug and secure fit.

Likewise, the bib straps were comfortable and secure with my modest bust, but I'd imagine would still work well for bustier women or those with longer backs. The size large tested was spot on for my size 14 dress size.

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While the CyTech Endurance 2.5 HD pad felt quite firm and obvious off the bike, once in the saddle I found it supportive and compliant, giving a really comfortable ride.

Another thing to note is the colour: the clue is in the name, it's not black but a sort of dark brown, designed to co-ordinate with Iris's jerseys and other products, and simply to provide an alternative to the usual standard black tights.

At £135, the Iris bib tights sit somewhere in the middle of the spectrum of women's bib tights, but given that they are from a small European designer, and taking into account the quality, comfort and attention to detail, they demonstrate pretty good value for money to me.

> Buyer’s Guide: 19 of the best warm winter cycling tights

They are significantly more expensive than some, such as Van Rysel's Women's Sportive Quick Zip Bib Tights, now £59.99, and Altura's Women's Classic Thermal Bib Tights at £79.99, and they're £35 more than Gore's C3 Thermo bib tights, which have a double zip opening for pee stops. But they're similar in price to Rivelo's Women's Monsal Bib Tights at £130 (a straight bib design with no toilet break wizardry) and a lot cheaper than others – the Assos Uma GT Winter Bib Tights have a front-fastening buckle and are £165, while Rapha's Women's Pro Team Winter Tights, which do offer rain and wind resistance as well as Rapha's version of the buckle-back to the bib, are £210.

Conclusion

The Iris tights are far from the cheapest, but nor are they at the top end of the price spectrum. They offer high-quality fabric, exceptional comfort and an innovative answer to the pee-break problem in a good-looking package. A bit of an investment, but a worthwhile one.

Verdict

Superb quality, exceptional levels of comfort and excellent innovative details – not cheap, but worth every penny