A low-profile, lightweight design with water-repelling tech makes these an excellent three-season bib choice…
Oakley Endurance Ultra Bibshort
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$165 / £142, oakley.com
Pros:
- Simple blackout styling
- DWR treatment
- Compression panels
Cons:
- Fairly long legs
Comfort: 4/5
Design: 4/5
Style: 5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5
The Oakley Endurance Ultra packs a lot of features into a streamlined design and I appreciated its blackout styling – no eye-snagging logos here. The cut is unfussy and I found riding on a muggy day a breeze thanks to the lack of an unnecessarily high waist. Its breathable mesh upper also helped, allowing my jersey do its wicking job. Check out how it stacks up against the rest of the best cycling shorts.
Oakley Endurance Ultra Bibshort features
Even though the Apex chamois pad of this bibshort didn’t feel very thick, the triple density foam held up well over longer distances, thanks to its high density insert. The short lower also felt more breathable than most, perhaps due to the Hydrolix moisture tech. Oakley says it’s added compression panels for a performance benefit, but this was hard to evaluate in the saddle.
I suspect these compression panels were the reason for the leg being slightly longer than usual, but the laser-cut hem with silicon grippers still felt comfy, mostly because the bibshort lowers stretch with your movement.
I did get caught in a few summer showers, but these were shrugged off by the DWR treatment, and as night fell I was pleased to see that the low-profile logos became reflective.
Oakley Endurance Ultra Bibshort performance
Oakley’s long-distance bibshorts seemed to sit in the sweet spot between lightweight breathability and well-padded versatility, which made them a simple, go-to choice on days when I just wanted to head out and ride, especially with the no-nonsense blackout styling. I also was impressed with the overall breathability of these bibshorts, which means they could even be worn under a light mountain bike short, if required.
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