The Black Bibs cycling shorts review: They are the king of value, but are they any good?

No branding, a super-low price, and performance that doesn't disappoint. What's not to like?

The Black Bibs
(Image: © Josh Ross)

Cyclingnews Verdict

For the money, there's no competition for the original Black Bibs and that makes them the best. The chamois pad is rather wide though and the fabric lacks structure.

Pros

  • +

    Gel padding in the chamois will not bruise sit bones

  • +

    The price is unbeatable

  • +

    Dyed fabric

  • +

    Comfortable no gripper leg opening

  • +

    Wide range of size options

Cons

  • -

    Fabric lacks proper compression

  • -

    Chamois is too wide for narrow sit bones

You can trust Cyclingnews Our experts spend countless hours testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

There is a staggering amount of choice when it comes to bib shorts. There's also a staggering amount of pricing variation. When you see the price of some of the big names you might shake your head. Is cycling only for the wealthy? We don't think so, and for our part we do our best to include quality budget options in our list of the best cycling shorts.

One brand we haven't talked about before though is The Black Bibs. If you start looking for recommendations of inexpensive bib shorts, there's no doubt that this name will come up; you might have heard ex-pro cyclist Phil Gaimon discussing them through his considerable social platforms. They have such a following that we felt like no deep dive on the subject of inexpensive bib shorts would be complete without including them. However, there's a saying "buy cheap, buy twice" - does that ring true here? Let's find out. 

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Testing scorecard and notes
AttributesNotesRating
Lower abdomen fitIt’s the right fit but there’s no compression. 7/10
Fabric qualityIt feels great but it lacks compression and structure.7/10
Chamois QualityThe sizing will be an issue for some but it’s very high quality and especially in the context of the price.10/10
SizingGo down a size if you want the same fit as other brands. It’s also not perfectly consistent across the brand. The Ultimate is a different fit.0/10
Fashion appeal The circle motif kind of works but the lack of compression is a problem here as well.6/10
StrapsExcellent10/10
ValueThere's nothing this cheap, but unavailable in the UK.10/10
Overall ratingRow 7 - Cell 1 71%
Josh Ross

Josh hails from the Pacific Northwest of the United States but would prefer riding through the desert than the rain. He will happily talk for hours about the minutiae of cycling tech but also has an understanding that most people just want things to work. He is a road cyclist at heart and doesn't care much if those roads are paved, dirt, or digital. Although he rarely races, if you ask him to ride from sunrise to sunset the answer will be yes. Height: 5'9" Weight: 140 lb. Rides: Salsa Warbird, Cannondale CAAD9, Enve Melee, Look 795 Blade RS, Priority Continuum Onyx