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giessegi redoute bibtights

giessegi redoute bibtights

every year at art college, just before the end of the christmas term, there was a dance held at the school known as the 'revels'. since we were all supposed to be creative, if not necessarily pargmatic or even logical, the theme for the 'revels' changed each year. as i recall, in my first year the theme was black and white, while the following year's event demanded that we scour the wide world of science-fiction or fantasy for our costumal inspiration. though it does my street-cred no favours whatsoever, i had my mother knit a ridiculously long woollen scarf and went as 'dr. who.

a fellow in my year, who was an excellent artist from, shall we say, the less salubrious part of glasgow, decided to assume the identity of a female rob roy. his costume featured the expected tartan kilt, accessorised with a beret variation of the hat allegedly worn by bonnie prince charlie, a pair of tights and high-heeled shoes. the latter were quickly dispensed with before he began drinking in earnest, but the humorous part (as if the foregoing weren't funny enough) was his acquisition of the tights.

giessegi redoute bibtights

imagine, if you will, a tall, red-haired, broad-shouldered glaswegian with an accent to match marching into the house of fraser and asking the young lady behind the counter in the lingerie department for a pair of tights. she enquired if it was ladies' tights he required, to which he replied with a straight face "naw, i want men's tights". under flashing lights and a modicum of darkness it was impossible to tell whether he had actually been sold men's tights or women's, though i'm not too sure if any of us would know the difference.

of course, if wearing tights is good enough for stalwarts such as fabian cancellara, tom boonen and johann museeuw, then it sure as heck is dinky-doo for the rest of us. even when domiciled in the hardier regions of scotland's west coast, where wandering along main street wearing a kilt doesn't garner a second look, trudging to buy one's daily paper clad in lycra bibtights probably would. unless, of course, this particular mode of dress is carried off from the saddle of a bicycle. very much a case of odd, but probably past the point of saving.

such a healthy tolerance for the velocipedinally inclined is currently most welcome, for the majority of the g.c. ristorante peloton have, particularly in recent days, stowed the shorts and bib-threequarters somewhere safe and opened the bibtight drawer for the foreseeable future. the only problem remaining is quite what thickness of lycra and density of insulation might be found most appropriate. after all, keeping warm is one thing; overheating, altogether different.

giessegi redoute bibtights

founded in 1984 by former professional road and track rider, simone fraccaro, giessegi is one of italy's top five custom bikewear manufacturers. uk retailers, prendas cclismo kindly sent a pair of the italian company's redoute bibtights, replete with a rather garishly coloured hd ergonomic seat pad. fabricated from a four-way stretch fabric with a modest level of fleece backing, the giessegi bibtights feature double-stitched flat seams throughout, making for a particularly comfortable garment.

though only available in black, there are reflective inserts on the outer section of each knee accompanied by a reflective logo just above your bum. the pad, despite its almost fluorescent hue, offers a thicker seat than most but steers clear of making you feel as if you're wearing a pampers nappy. though it's perhaps not the perfect combination to try out a new saddle wearing an untested bib-tights pad, in practice, even in sub-zero windchill, i cannot claim to have felt undue discomfort.

however, the real proof of the pudding is just whether that fleece backed lycra is of sufficient substance to fend off the worst of the hebridean winter. granted, we're some way from experiencing that so early in the season, but wet, windy and a smidgeon below zero seemed like a good place to start. there's no doubt that the more expensive bibtights on the market often sport a thicker constitution, but that's not always a guarantee of leg-warming-ness. in the case of the giessegi redoute bibtights, the cosiness level seemed more than adequate as far as yours truly was concerned.

giessegi redoute bibtights

that pudding offers greater proof in the face of adversity when infiltrated by a cooling shower or two of rain. it never occurred to me to measure just how long the redoutes took to dry off, but while i was well aware of the rain at the time, i do not recall chittering as i pedalled.

the flattened, thin bib straps are amongst the more comfortable of the genre, resisting any inclination to twist and turn when navigation requires that you do just that, while the rear reaches to the shoulder blades and shields the lower back from draughts. this panel seems geared towards providing superior breathability at the expense of thermality (is there such a word?), a stance easily countered by varying the thickness of the baselayer underneath. unusually these days, the ankles feature foot-loops, making them a bit easier to get into than the contemporary trend for very tight elastic at the hem.

but the masterstroke of such a quality pair of bibtights has to be their extremely economical price. while others inhabit the headroom close to £200, the giessegi redoute bibtights are being offered at a remarkable £59.95 by the chaps at prendas. while the latter have always been keen to keep the peloton stylishly dressed for less, i'd nab a pair or two now, before andy realises his calculator needs batteries.

giessegi redoute bibtights

tuesday 21 november 2017

twmp ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................