Assos Equipe R S9 bib shorts long-term review
High-performance kit for big rides out on the road
Photo by:
Matt Stetson
With the Assos Equipe R S9 bib shorts, you get a superb fit and some serious comfort for your road rides. In the company’s lineup, the performance-oriented shorts sit just below the WorldTour level Equipe RS bibs. The Equipe R, however, is a more versatile piece of kit. Put it on for races, or simply wear it on big days in the saddle. Also, the Equipe R will cost you fewer Swiss Francs.
Durability of the Assos Equipe R S9 bib shorts
I’ve been wearing and testing the Assos Equipe R S9 bib shorts for months. After many wash cycles, they still look pretty good, which is nice as they come in a classic, dark black colour. Of course, I’m not against blue, red or some other shade of shorts, but it’s nice to have kit in a rich, classic hue. The gripper and chamois also seem good as new, which is not always the case with bibs after you’ve worn them a while.
Assos Equipe R S9 strap design
You’ve probably seen the top-end Equipe RS bib shorts on the cabooses of riders on Tudor Pro Cycling, a team owned by Fabian Cancellara. One of the elements that stands out on those shorts is how the bib straps run externally and attach above a rear panel.
The advantage of this construction, Assos says, is that it keeps the insert in the best position, as you corner or get out of the saddle. I’m not a fan of the straps-visible-past-my-jersey look. I mean, if I was riding for a Swiss pro team, I certainly wouldn’t mind, but I prefer the standard placement of my Equipe R’s straps.
Peter Hammerschmidt, the senior director of product management at Assos, explains why the company changed the design for the Equipe R, and forgo the “rollbar” construction that they use on the RS and the even higher end RSR shorts, where the straps go down to the back seam of the insert. “With the Equipe R, we slightly modified the pattern of the panel wrapping around the back and the hips to deliver a tight and snugger fit especially in this area,” he says. “Together with the asymmetrical stretch of the new Lycra material, we manage to stabilize the shorts in that part and to prevent the insert from sliding to the front without having the bibs going all the way down.” The shorts use the X-Frame straps, which were modified from the A-Frame of the Equipe RS.
For me, I found the Equipe R S9’s straps felt lighter on my skin compared with other shorts in my collection.
Absorption and moisture wicking
The Equipe R uses Asoss’s Type.443 fabric. It’s a trickle-down feature from the Equipe RS, which uses Type.441. Both are knit materials that compress and support your muscles as you ride.
I tested the Type.443’s breathability in one of the toughest lab conditions: my indoor trainer setup, where—and brace yourself for this—there can occasionally be a Great Lake of Sweat pooling below my bottom bracket. (Yes, I clean the bike regularly to prevent sweat damage.) I was pretty shocked when the usual saline puddle was absent from my floor after some long indoor rides. That’s all thanks to the fabric of the bib shorts. Since they perform this well indoors, I’m looking forward to taking them outdoors this summer. For the Assos Equipe R S9, those rides are sure to be a breeze.
The insert in the Assos Equipe R S9
The bib short’s chamois uses Assos’s proprietary goldenGate tech. The insert is attached to the short only at the insert’s front and back, leaving a gap in the middle. The chamois, in effect, floats. It moves well with your body whether you are standing or sitting. SInce the bibs are aimed at the racer, the pad is a little thinner than the endurance Assos’s Mille GT bibs. It’s 9 mm instead of 11mm. The shape, as well, has been created with the racer in mind.
“The Equipe R should give a bit more of a direct feeling with the saddle and the road, but still enough cushioning for taking most shocks while riding,” Hammerschmidt says. “The shape of the two foam parts of the R shorts, which are not as wide as on the GT shorts and slightly longer and wider on the front, offer more comfort in the aero position.”
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On the trainer, where you really notice your position, I appreciated the comfort provided by the pad. Doing some Zwift races, when I would find myself riding more toward the tip of the saddle, I liked the slight added width of the chamois at the front. It’s just these little details that confirms it’s for racing and performance.
Grip and length
Assos uses 6-cm ultralight leg grippers in the Equipe R S9. Those are the same ones used in all of its premium bibs, and you can tell it’s the good stuff. The shorts stay where they are supposed to, and even after a few months of using them, the elastic still feels new. The quality grippers come after years of research. “We have tried out many elastic bands over the years and have worked hard with our supplier to have the right stretch and return-module in these leg grippers,” Hammerschmidt says. “It’s paired with a yarn that has a soft touch and will feel nice on your skin. The goal is to hold the textile on the legs in place throughout the ride (not having them sliding up and bunching) but make them in a way that you don’t notice them while riding.”
The legs, I feel, are also the right length. I’m a bit particular about leg length. I don’t like them too long—almost touching the knees—or too short. I find the Equipe R S9 look just like bib shorts are supposed to: just a bit of quad showing, and not so short that they’d make you look like Richard Simmons in one of his old workout videos.
Price point of the Assos Equipe R S9 bib shorts
The Assos Equipe R S9 is $260, while the Equipe RS S9 is $330 (the Equipe RSR are even more spendy at $425). So how, you might ask, does Assos manage to make a quality bib at a lower price without cutting corners? Having a goal to make a great-valued bib at a decent selling point is noble, but the question is, what’s lacking? Not much, according to Assos. “We wanted to speak to a wider group of consumers,” Hammerschmidt says. “By simplifying the bib construction on the back and by having a bit less complex construction of the insert, we managed to shave off a bit of cost in production.” Alhough this is Assos entry level offering, it’s still far from the cheap end of the spectrum. But considering they offer very similar performance to the RS and RSR, the Equipe R is seriously good value. After months of riding in the Equipe R, I agree it’s not missing much.
If you need a new pair of bibs to add to your rotation for races or group rides, the Equipe R’s will give you excellent comfort and performance as you cover mile after mile on the road.
