Pas Normal Studios Escapism Bibs Men's – dark stone

The Pas Normal Men's Escapism Bibs are a comfortable and practical set of gravel shorts with built-in weather resistance, a supportive chamois and useful thigh pockets. But they are very expensive, I'm not sure about the colour and I don't feel the rear pockets are that useful.

> Buy now: Pas Normal Studios Men's Escapism Bib Shorts for £240 from Pas Normal Studios

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It has now reached that time of year where we can start to get our legs out again, and start to work on our razor-sharp tan lines. And Pas Normal's Escapism bibs are designed for the sort of conditions you're likely to encounter in spring and autumn.

Pas Normal says these are designed for temperatures from around 5-15°C, which is broadly what I found. I did wear them a couple of times when the temperature was below zero with a pair of leg warmers and though they were better than a pair of summer bibs, though I felt it would have been nice to have something a bit thicker.

I had no qualms about the quality of the chamois. This is made from four layers of foam of varying density, and I have to say that I found it comfortable and supportive for me – though as with any chamois, this is of course a subjective statement. It offered me a good combination of cushioning, support, and wicking, which meant I was comfortable throughout longer and rougher rides.

The second element that makes them so comfortable is the stretch in the fabric, which allows the shorts to mould easily around you as you're riding. It also means they offer you a good deal of freedom of movement, so I didn't find them at all restricting while I was pedalling.

These have been designed for bikepacking and gravel riding, so they're both more robust than regular road shorts and they have a couple of cargo pockets on the side and the small of the back for a bit of extra storage.

These are useful, but as I always wore these shorts with a jersey – with its larger and more accessible rear pockets – the shorts' rear pockets would be pretty much unusable if you were using the jersey pockets.

The mesh at the back starts higher than it would on most bibs, which is because of the positioning of those pockets – and this also makes them warmer. It also means the back isn't as breathable as a pair of summer-weight shorts, but I didn't have any issues during my autumn and winter testing.

The mesh panel connects to two wide, flat, stretchy straps running over the shoulders and down the front – these sat flat on my body and didn't cause any irritation whether used over a base layer or worn direct against my skin.

The surface of the shorts has received a DWR (durable water-resistant) treatment, which I feel is a must for a pair of bib shorts designed for use during a UK winter. This proved effective, I didn't notice any water ingress and when I used these in wet conditions the water beaded off them nicely. As with any DWR treated material this coating will naturally become less effective over time, but for the duration of the review I had no issues with it.

At the bottom of the legs silicone grippers kept the shorts in place effectively and prevented any bunching or creasing.

I wasn't massively keen on the olive brown colour I tested, which I think could work for chinos, but looks a little jarring on bib shorts. That said, they are also available in black, grey, and blue, and in seven sizes from XXS to XXL.

Value

The £240 RRP puts these are very much in the premium bracket when it comes to bib shorts.

The Cafe Du Cycliste Cecile Men's Thermal Bib Shorts are even more expensive at £265, and while Hollis liked them, they don't have the gravel-specific or water-resistant elements of the Pas Normal shorts.

I reviewed the Assos Equipe RS Spring Fall Bib Shorts S9 a couple of years ago, which are just as comfortable, but like the Cafe Du Cycliste shorts they lack features for gravel riding, but they are warmer and have a fleecy lining.

Stu tested the Santini Gravel Bib Shorts a while back, which he found robust and liked the pockets, but he felt the chamois was road-biased.

And Hollis really liked the Albion ABR1 Pocket Bib Shorts, which he thought were a near-flawless pair of gravel shorts, and at £155 they're also cheaper than any of the above.

Conclusion

I have to say that I really like these shorts – though they're pricy and there are some design elements that I was unsure about. But I found them comfortable and they were a good choice for gravel rides or extended efforts on the tarmac, thanks to their supportive chamois and the freedom of movement the stretchy fabric offers. I wasn't keen on the colour tested, which is of course subjective, they are undoubtedly expensive and I'm not sure how useful the back pockets are.

Verdict

Practical, comfortable and weather-resistant gravel-cum-adventure shorts – but they are very expensive