Gorewear’s Distance Winter Bib Tights are the brand’s warmest, developed to keep you comfortable on epic rides during the ‘coldest days of the year’. Cockle-warming stuff but making good on Gorewear’s promise usually requires plenty of insulation, which, in turn, means bulk.
Unfortunately, bulky tights are rarely comfy tights, as they tend to ruck up in the most inconvenient of places, restricting movement and greatly lessening your chances of looking dapper on the bike.
I wanted to discover whether Gorewear had cracked it. Can its Distance Winter Bib Tights offer warmth in the worst conditions as well as unfettered movement? Are they worthy of joining our pick of the best bib tights?
Construction
A lot of thought has gone into the design of these winter tights, which are a development of Gorewear’s Distance Bibshorts 2.0. At least four different fabrics are strategically placed to provide varying degrees of warmth, breathability, wind blocking and protection.
The main fabric, which envelopes each leg from the hips to just below the knees, is a thick (for tights), wind-resistant, smooth outer-faced fleece that’s been treated with a durable waterproof repellent (DWR) to fend off rain and road spray. It’s very supple, and the inner face is beautifully soft.
A large, water-resistant panel protects the seat area and lower back from the road spray and muck that’s likely to be thrown up by your rear wheel. This also has a smooth outer face, but a light grid fleece inner for maximum breathability. It’s unclear whether this panel features a membrane but it’s lighter and more weather-resistant than the main material. It should dissipate heat build-up and sweat vapour efficiently.
Round the front is another sizeable panel, this time made from a double layer of silky material that incorporates Gore Windstopper. The lack of bulk promotes good freedom of movement and guards this area from overheating.
The shins are protected by the same material found on the back panel, whereas the calves are covered by panels of relatively fine, lightweight fleece, again with a smooth-faced outer.
All the fabrics have a high degree of stretch due to their elastane content, which, in some cases, is as high as 16 percent.
The chamois is Gorewear’s Expert Distance Seat Pad 2.0 with ‘Gorewear Cup’. This is a male-specific multi-density, multi-layer pad, with a channel developed to reduce pressure on the sensitive parts peculiar to men. The ‘cup’ is the aforementioned Windstopper front panel, there to protect the nether regions from wind chill. Ouch.
Finally, 50mm wide, woven mesh straps hold the bibs in place. There are no pockets concealed anywhere, and no zips at the ankles.
The ride
The use of high-stretch fabrics throughout, especially at the ankle cuffs, make the Distance Winter Bib Tights a breeze to slip into. There are no zips to faff about with, just poke your feet through the legs, pull them up, adjusting and gathering as you go, and you’re ready to roll. They are heavy - my XL pair weigh in at 360g (12.7oz) - but not unwieldy.
I was wary of the woven straps at first. I’ve had too many bad experiences of coarse mesh braces curling into cheese wire-like cord that’s cut into my shoulders during long rides. Fortunately, these are soft, have a good amount of stretch to them and distribute pressure evenly.
Sizing appears to be true. I’m 191cm (6’ 3”) and weigh 90kg (198lbs) and they appear to fit well, though I could probably go down a size if I chose to. However, I’d rather suffer a marginally loose fit than shortness in the leg - I can’t stand getting cold ankles due to a widening gap steadily appearing between tights and winter boots. These bibs have a generous length, which I like.
They are, however, quite short in the torso, relying on your winter base layers and tops to keep you warm above the waist.
...a nano-second later I registered a sharp chill to my ‘crown jewels’...
My first ride in the Distance Bibs was taken on a clear but bitterly cold December day when the mercury couldn’t be persuaded to rise above 3°C (37°F). The first thing I noticed, on shuffling outside, was how warm my legs felt, but a nano-second later I registered a sharp chill to my ‘crown jewels’. It’s immediately noticeable how some of the panels feature very different levels of insulation.
Which turned out to be a good thing. A few minutes into the ride I’d warmed up nicely, relieved that my ‘meat and two veg’ weren’t sweltering in a bundle of thick fleece. Instead, the thinner Windstopper fabric kept the chill at bay while preserving my sensitive areas at a fine working temperature. The silky, flexible fabric didn’t trouble my pedalling action either.
An hour in, despite having numb hands and losing all movement in my face (I’d forgotten my Buff and worn the wrong gloves) my bottom half was very comfy indeed. A real Goldilocks moment, not too hot and not too cold - if I could have smiled, I would have done.
Since that first outing, I’ve spent much of my winter riding time wearing these bibs in temperatures between 3°C (37°F) and 7°C (44.6°F). At these temperatures, they keep your legs lovely and cosy without impeding or overheating the lower torso, upper thigh and groin areas. However, I suspect that they’ll be too warm once temperatures edge towards 10°C (44.6°F).
As for rucking up, the Distance Bibs do a great job of staying where they should. There is some excess fabric around the hip creases, but not so much that it hinders progress or comfort. I suspect sizing down may help here.
The knee area is usually where rolls of material start to build, opening a chilly gap above the sock hem as they work their way up the calves with every pedal stroke. Fortunately, this has never been an issue with the Distance Bibs; whether that’s due to the amount of stretch in the fabric or the anatomically pre-shaped seamless knee construction I don’t know, but my ankles are grateful.
While I haven’t ridden much with them in proper downpours, I have negotiated plenty of wet roads where they have successfully kept me from getting a proper soaking around the lower legs and seat area.
They’ve been washed at 30°C (86°F) after every ride and, so far, the DWR finish is still beading water. The bibs remain looking as good as new too, especially the internal fleece panels, which show no sign of piling or clumping.
Value & conclusion
In my experience, these Distance Winter Bib Tights can be relied on to keep your legs warm on the coldest of rides without restricting your pedalling motion or letting other, more sensitive areas, overheat or suffer windchill. Gorewear has done an admirable job with the cut, as well as the judicious placement of fabric panels to regulate temperature and add protection where it is most needed.
At £179.99 these tights are Gorewear’s premium offering, but they compare favourably in price to winter bibs from other top-tier brands, such as Assos’ £210/$270 Mille GT Winter Bib Tights C2 and Rapha’s £250/$325 Classic Winter Tights with Pad.
