Assos Dyora Spring/Fall RS S9 bib shorts review

We may still be in the throes of winter, but spring is definitely on its way, which means we'll start raiding our closets for cycling kit that's best for the shoulder seasons. That means pulling out our best women's cycling bib shorts and best women's cycling jerseys, and layering them with our best women's cycling base layers. But what makes a pair of bib shorts more suitable to the spring and autumn - or the shoulder months as we call them - rather than summer or winter?

During this time of year, we're likely to see a lot of sunshine here in the UK, but that's often punctuated by stints of rain, cold spells and the occasional blustering wind. Heading out early in the morning or late in the evening, or escaping the sun's reach by riding through the shade, things can turn quite cold and that's where the Assos Dyora Spring/Fall RS S9 bib shorts come in.

Assos is up there amongst the best cycling clothing brands, producing sleek and stylish cycling apparel that's laced with innovative design and engineering features to outperform its competition. I spent a good chunk of autumn putting them through their paces, and now as we start moving towards spring, here's my final verdict.

Design and aesthetics

True to Assos’ reputation, the Dyora Spring/Fall RS S9 bib shorts are sleek and minimal in design, with the only visible branding coming from a rubber ‘A’ logo on the leg and the rear. The only part of them that isn’t entirely black is a large section of the bib straps, which are striped black and white. Aesthetically they’re elegant and would easily blend in with any of your chosen kit.

They’re constructed mainly from two types of fabric. The thigh panels, to the touch, feel soft but sort of ‘papery’, similar to the woven fabric found in the Castelli Premio Black bib shorts, though to a far lesser extent. The fabric used here is Assos’ proprietary Osmos Heavy textile, which features a warp-knit outer that acts as a ‘shell’ and offers compressive support, while inside there’s a low-bulk fleece lining that feels luxurious against the skin. Moving on from the thighs, the front panel is made from the brand’s twinDeck construction with its Sphere Ultra fabric applied to the exterior. To the touch it feels very similar to the thighs, but on closer inspection the weave is slightly tighter, presumably to lock out the cold air, and feeling them side by side, it’s easy to feel the difference. The Sphere Ultra coating provides more of that ‘papery’ feel I alluded to earlier. Inside, while not fleece-lined, the fabric is incredibly soft.

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The bib straps follow Assos’ A-lock engineering framework, whereby they’re constructed from three separate elements: the brand’s rollBar bib straps, ergoBox, and one-piece Butterfly panel. The rollBar is the black and white striped bottom section that is attached at two points: the waistline and the lower rear panel to which the chamois is also affixed. It’s the thickest of the three and is designed to keep the chamois in place while riding. The black ergoBox straps are thinner and stretchier, and attach to the waistline at the front, locked into place by a quadrilateral of rigid perforated fabric. This very fabric makes up the Butterfly panel which connects the other two. It has zero-stretch and is dimpled to help shed heat.

Inside is the brand’s Dyora Insert, a chamois that feels lovely to the touch and has ample ‘squish’ factor. The insert is constructed from the brand’s superAir microShock foam, an 11mm-thick foam with a perforated fabric layer for breathability and vibration damping. This is topped with a 3D-waffle topsheet, a foam layer with large perforations for reduced weight and enhanced breathability. Finishing off the chamois system is Assos’ goldenGate technology, whereby the sides of the insert aren’t sewn into place, keeping this sensitive area completely seam-free.

Finally, there’s a reflective strip around the waist and a small reflective tab on the rear for enhanced visibility, which ties in well at a time of year when the days are shorter and darker.

Performance

There’s no denying that the Assos Dyora Spring/Fall RS S9 bib shorts fit beautifully, sitting just above the knee on my 78cm legs, which for the shoulder months is a good length for warmth and coverage. They’re fully opaque too. 

Wearing them, I can feel the benefit of the slightly thicker fleece-lined fabric, but they don’t feel bulky or cumbersome at all. They feel slightly compressive without being restrictive, and the leg gripper — a beautifully finished elastane band with no silicone in sight — sits comfortably without producing any of the dreaded ‘sausage leg’ or indents in the skin after use.

The bib straps lie flat and are easy to forget about, which is something I don’t often get to say. Being somewhat large in the chest area, I sometimes have to wrestle with bib straps to find somewhere for them to rest where they’ll stay put without causing any unwanted chafing or placing too much pressure where it’s not wanted. Assos’ A-lock strap design forces the straps to sit quite wide on the torso, and this suited me very well.

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While out riding, everything feels like it’s falling into place. The chamois is excellent. It’s super soft, supportive, and provides the right amount of cushioning to keep me comfortable over the course of a day’s ride without any excessive bulk, hotspots or chafing. It’s also held up remarkably well over time, having seen a lot of use, it still springs back to place post-compression as if it were brand new. Furthermore, Assos’ goldenGate method of affixing the chamois really does make a difference when it comes to reducing irritation to the groin. As someone who has on occasion been unfortunate enough to experience a chamois that shifts about and chafes, I can attest that Assos has done a fine job of securing this one in place. As I pedal, both on the saddle and up out of it, I can feel the shorts, and the chamois, moving with my body rather than against it, and being able to flop back down onto my seat after a lung-busting climb and feel complete comfort, without needing to fiddle around and readjust afterwards, and then finish up the day without saddle sores is a real plus. 

However, despite having sung their praises so far in this review, they’re by no means perfect. For one thing, it would be nice for a pair of bib shorts at this price point to have flat-locked seams, and while the fabric feels really well made and durable, I’ve already noticed a couple of abrasion spots from contact with a saddle. What’s more, while I truly appreciate the A-lock design of the bib straps, I’m less likely to reach for these shorts for a long ride because there’s no easy way of taking a quick nature break without having to first remove all my top layers. In the summer this isn’t always a dealbreaker, but in the shoulder seasons when there’s often a bit of a chill in the air, the last thing I’ll want to do is undress down to my base layer on my upper body, and I can’t imagine I’m alone in that.

Verdict

Overall, I really like these bib shorts from Assos. I think they’re exceptionally comfortable, they have an excellent chamois that performs exactly how I want it to, they look sleek, have some incredibly well thought out design features, and overall I would recommend them. However, at this price point, I would appreciate easy nature breaks without needing to undress in the shoulder seasons, and I’m unconvinced by the durability of the fabric.

Tech Specs: Assos Dyora Spring/Fall RS S9 Bib Shorts

• Materials: 58% Polyamide, 25% Polyester, 17% Elastane
• Colours: One
• Sizes: XS-XL (size tested: XL)
• Price: £200 / $280