Van Rysel Women’s Winter Quick-zip

£59.99

Van Rysel’s bibtights aim to provide warmth, value for money, and a helpful comfort break solution.

The tights have a substantial, highreaching bib. This is necessary to support the two-way zip that reaches from the top of one hip, round the torso, to the other. There’s a central zip at the front too, to help create more of an opening for getting the tights on.

In fact, the fabrics are all very substantial. There’s light compression around the legs and a very snug fit up top. For anyone with a larger bust, we’d say sizing up is a good idea.

The chamois features channels for comformity and ventilation, with more padding at the rear. The pad isn’t quite as dense at the front and the channel positioning might not suit everyone.

There’s some reflective detailing on the tights. It’s not the most effective but is certainly better than nothing at all.

Once you’ve prised these on, everything feels very secure. The bib provides support equivalent to a good sports bra and also supplies another layer of protection from the elements. The fleece-lined fabric was great in very cold weather, but a bit overbearing for anything over 8°C. They aren’t water repellent, and while the fabric dries out relatively quickly, they aren’t as light (or quick drying) as the Velocios.

So far, so relatively good, but the Quickzip was not a winner. There’s no guard behind the zip, so without a good base layer, it sits directly against the skin. Then, trying to get zipped up after a comfort break – with a base layer – is an art and fabric can easily get caught in the zip.

That said, at £59.99, if they fit and the pad is to your liking, they are a bargain. www.decathlon.co.uk

RATING

★★★★★