La Passione Club Bib Shorts

The La Passione Club Bib Shorts are very comfortable even on long rides thanks to a well-judged pad, great shaping and an ideal fit. The longish legs sit securely on wide silicone grippers, the mesh straps are airy with a finely judged tension, and construction is super-neat. This 'Iron' grey can show sweat if you're working really hard, but there are dark blue and black versions that shouldn't suffer the same issue.

These shorts originally scored 9/10, but not many riding hours after the test ended, one seam suffered a complete failure. Because of this, we're revising various elements of the review – not least, obviously, the durability side. See further below for more info.

La Passione says the Club shorts are a redesign of its previous Palmares shorts, and they certainly have the feel of a well-refined product. At the risk of sounding glib, you choose your size, put them on and ride away – that's all there is to it. They fit well everywhere, stay put whatever the tempo and keep you very comfortable.

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The polyamide/elastane shorts section is well judged with a slightly compressive feel that helps with security. Broad, elasticated cuffs and silicone grippers fully 5.5cm wide do the rest in keeping the fairly long legs just where you put them.

That compressive feel also stops fabric bunching at the front as you ride, without ever feeling tight or restrictive.

For the straps the Club shorts turn to a very light polyester/elastane mesh that breathes well, while the elastic is plenty firm enough for support without ever dragging on your shoulders. Almost for this alone I love them – it doesn't actually take much to keep bib shorts up, and many feel over-elasticated (I have a relatively long torso, though, so maybe that's just me...).

The Elastic Interface pad works really well, with two very distinct thicknesses and a soft feel that resists compressing and firming up over time. After the first few rides and washes it developed quite a warp along the central front-to-back line, wanting to sit like a half-closed book, and I worried that would affect comfort. Put them on, though, and the warp doesn't change how it sits or performs.

The pad is pretty noticeable from behind, which may bother you – it's possible this light 'Iron' grey makes that worse and the darker colours (blue, black) do a better job of hiding it, but I can't say for sure. It seems very likely they wouldn't show the dark sweat patches that these do across the hips on hot rides, though. The marks do at least dry relatively quickly if you stand up.

The stitching throughout looks super-neat, while even the very light mesh sections feel perfectly robust. La Passione recommends a 'delicates' wash in a bag, or hand washing, but I've been throwing these in with everything else at 30 degrees and had no problems. Unless that's why the pad's warped, in which case – oops.

Stitching issues

It can't be why the stitching on one elasticated cuff has failed, as that has simply come undone (and no, my 30 degree sports washes don't include any Velcro).

As you can see from the image above, there's no damage – the stitching has simply unravelled. This is a real shame, as these remain(ed) my favourite shorts as they're so comfortable. Though I'm updating this around nine months after the original review, these obviously stayed in the cupboard for the winter – they haven't actually had many more hours of use since the test ended.

We contacted the La Passione PR for comment, but as of now have had no reply. This could be a one off or a known issue, and it may well be covered under warranty, but whatever the case it's disappointing. I'll update that, too, should we hear back.

The fabric across the saddle still shows no sign of bobbling or wear, despite me wearing these for every single ride over a month. They do squeak against my saddle (a Fizik Antares R1) on occasion, but only when getting in or out of it, or sliding to one end from the other. They don't squeak under normal pedalling.

Beyond a few reflective tabs and logos, plus a subtle Italian flag (they are actually made in Italy), there's nothing more to say. And that's a good thing. They just work, and really well. Or at least they did.

> Buyer’s Guide: 42 of the best cycling bib shorts

At £105 the Clubs are firmly mid-market, and arguably where you get the best ratio of performance versus cost. They match the also-excellent Endura Pro SL Bib Shorts but beat them on price by £15, and beat the £10-cheaper Primal Trimotif Men's Evo 2.0 Bib by virtue of a far better pad. They also match the £115 Sportful Bodyfit Pro 2.0 LTD Bibshort in everything but the far less obtrusive looks of its pad.

Unfortunately, given the durability issue hanging over them, I can no longer say they're great value against any of these.

The La Passione Clubs combine great shorts with well-judged and lightweight straps and a well-judged pad to create – wait for it – a very well-judged piece of kit. They're comfortable, secure, perfectly good looking (until you stand up to sprint away) and really neatly built... but the stitching, at least on our pair, is weak.

I'm genuinely disappointed as these remain the most comfortable shorts (regarding both the pad and the overall fit) I've ever used, and just before this happened I was actually considering spending my own money on another pair (in black, though).

Despite all the positives, however, if they're not going to last a single complete summer, I just can't recommend them at all.

Verdict

Very comfortable summer bib shorts with a great fit, but potentially weak stitching is their (literal) undoing