When the R&D bibs first arrived at Excel, our staff acted as if somehow the Sportful designers captured lightning in a bottle. Rife with new ideas, yet streamlined to a simple design. It appears Sportful has found a perfect balance between function and features with an essential and mimimal approach. This was all made possible by using the Tinkoff-SaxoBank team as not only test subjects, but sounding boards for important input.

The main fabric used in the body of the bibs is called Sensitive Power. At 215 grams, it's compressive as you would expect, but not so much so that is restrictive and uncomfortable. With much buzz around the word compression, many manufacturer's offer it in too much quantity providing a tight and almost leg-choking sensation. The amount Sportful uses in the R&D is seemingly perfect. The unique uppers feature straps that are super thin and anatomically placed so they wrap around the body. They are also perforated and elastic so they feel non-existent. Another unique-to-Sportful feature are two small elastic bridges located in the lower back and center of the back that keep the two suspenders in sync for added support. The legs are slightly longer to offer a bit more muscle support. The leg cuffs also have a thin perforated skirt which serves as the last few inches. It has less compression than the rest of the bibs and breathes better due to added perforations. It makes the shorts feel shorter than they actually are. Simply brilliant.

At the heart of any quality bib short lies a great seat pad. In the case of the R&D bibs, its Sportful's TC Pro (Total Comfort Pro) pad. Another end product of testing with Tinkoff-SaxoBank riders, the seat pad features stretch and elasticity, an anatomical cut and offers 3 layers of progressive density foam which serves up to 13mm of padding. The TC Pro is what Contador and company have been riding in all of the major tours. This type of testing means happy days in the saddle for you as a rider.