MAAP Team Evo Thermal Bib Tight

The MAAP Team Evo Thermal Bib Tights are a seriously premium product. The fleece-backed material is soft and comfortable against the skin, the fit is excellent, and the chamois is right up there with the best I've used. They're also available in some slightly different colours to usual, such as navy or olive. The only drawback I've found with them is the price.

Not only does that fleece-backed fabric feel comfortable and soft against the skin, most importantly it keeps you warm. MAAP gives these an operating temperature range of around 5-15°C, but I happily wore them on dry rides that touched freezing. (That said, if you're regularly riding in those conditions then you'll probably want to check out the Apex deep winter tights.)

I personally wouldn't deliberately go out wearing full-length tights on days touching 15°C, but I did stay at the café long enough on a few rides to see the temperature touching the low teens and the bibs weren't unbearably warm; they strike a decent balance between wind stopping ability and breathability.

> Buy these online here

Now if you've already had a gander on the MAAP website for a new set of bib tights then you might end up asking the same questions as I did... just what is the difference between these Evo tights and the standard Team version that we reviewed last year?

Both are available in black and this navy colour (the Evo, as I've said, also comes in a more adventurous olive option), both have the same recommended operating temperature, both are made from 85% polyamide and 15% elastane, both are DWR treated to see off road spray and light drizzle, and both are Bluesign approved.

Having trawled through both website pages I was still struggling to see the difference other than £15, so contacted MAAP who said the following:

"The main difference between the Team Evo Bib Tight and the Team Bib Tight is the Team Evos have a much more supportive and comfortable chamois, compared to the older model (Team Bib Tight). With the Team Evo Tights, you will be able to ride further, more comfortably with the compressive material in the legs as well as the more secure straps, holding the chamois in place and minimising movement/ friction in that area."

In truth then, it seems like the differences are marginal, but that's no bad thing. Stu absolutely loved the older version, and if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Having managed to get my hands on a pair of the older version to compare directly, the bib straps on the Evos are noticeably different and I did prefer them; they feel more supportive and look better.

As for the chamois, there are some minor visual changes but out on the road I was unable to feel a difference; that's to say they were both very comfortable even on six-hour rides, and these fast became the first set of bib tights out the drawer.

The chamois is quite sizeable, designed for long rides in the saddle rather than short, intense efforts and the thickness is consistent with this. It's pretty plush, well shaped and not so thick that it's uncomfortable when holding an aggressive position.

Keeping the tights in place at the bottom are elasticated cuffs which means no zips to interfere with overshoes, and the MAAP text acts as a silicone gripper. Over the six weeks of testing I didn't have any issues with them riding up.

The lack of zips does make them slightly harder to get out of than others, but this really is the most minor of issues.

As far as visibility is concerned, this has marginally improved over the Team version, with the now smaller MAAP logo on each leg still being reflective, but with the addition of a small strip positioned on the calf. This is a great place for reflective detailing as it's quite eye catching when moving up and down as you pedal along, so is a welcome feature.

I'm not a big fan of saying 'you get what you pay for', as you often find that just because something is expensive it isn't necessarily better. The MAAP Team Evo bib tights are not one of those cases; here you get a seriously premium product that performs excellently, though the price is going to limit the number of riders who can justify this sort of outlay.

We've tested plenty of excellent tights recently and nearly all of them are cheaper than the MAAPs. The Albion Three Season tights, for example, cost £150 and performed really well, while the Santini Lava thermofleece bibs at £130 offer tremendous value for money. Do you get the MAAPs’ luxury and panache, though?

The MAAP Evos are by no means alone up above that £200 mark, with the Castelli Sorpasso ROS tights now coming in at £225 and Santini's Adapt Polartec Thermals at £215. All three are wonderful to wear, but for many will be hard to justify.

> Buyer’s Guide: 24 of the best warm winter tights

Overall, the Team Evos are sublime, the materials are excellent, the craftmanship is everything you'd hope it would be, the seat pad is superb, and now I'm running out of superlatives. The comfort and luxury they offer make it hard to go back to other (cheaper) tights. Whether the price is worth it – only you can answer that.

Verdict

Premium performance with added panache but pricey