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Mar 25, 2024

Scott RC Team Bib Shorts review

Swiss brand's budget bibs This competition is now closed By Matt Baird Published: August 24, 2023 at 9:00 am The Scott RC Team ++ Bib Shorts are the Swiss brand’s entry-level bibs, coming in at a

Swiss brand's budget bibs

This competition is now closed

By Matt Baird

Published: August 24, 2023 at 9:00 am

The Scott RC Team ++ Bib Shorts are the Swiss brand’s entry-level bibs, coming in at a sub-£100 price point.

However, as a result, the specification list is relatively slender.

The grippers are functional and the rear mesh area is effective, but Scott has much better bibs in its armoury.

The RC Team ++ bibs sit at the budget end of Scott’s 16-strong range of bib shorts (topped by the RC Ultimate at £199.99), costing a penny shy of £80.

There’s a sizeable mesh back area for wicking sweat and ventilation, silicone grippers on the leg hems and Scott’s own ‘Performance Padding’ chamois.

Further Scott-specific tech comes in the form of the Duroxpand material and its touted four-way stretch, married to DRYOxcell tech inserted with the aim of wicking sweat and hastening the drying process.

First up, kudos to Scott for offering an array of colour options. While the black/dark grey pair on test are the least eye-catching, the black/’sulphur yellow’ and black/’fiery red’ options add some flourishes of colour on both the leg grippers and upper material area.

That upper area has a sizeable panel at the rear to aid ventilation, with the perforated material extending around the waist.

The rear panel means I wouldn’t hesitate to use the bibs for indoor training, and they handled British summertime adequately (although Scott makes no claims about UV protection).

Scott’s own chamois has enough spongy plumpness to last a day in the saddle, while it’s tidily finished with minimal lip between fabric and pad.

The pad extends pretty far forward, giving added comfort when riding in the drops (or aerobars), also preserving extra modesty on mid-ride café stops.

The silicone leg hem grippers are efficient at keeping things in place (but not excessively so), while the length of the legs is about standard.

There’s a touch of reflectivity on the grippers and the RC Team logo on the rear back area, although I have a few durability concerns about how long the latter will stay attached to the fabric.

Internally, the finishing quality is adequate (it’s at its best around the pad), but there’s a lack of flatlock stitching (which is not unusual at the price point). I saw a few frayed seams showing at the end of my test period.

Scott touts these as a ‘slim’ fit but, when worn back-to-back with other bibs, their sizing felt pretty standard.

One of my sizing comparisons was the RC Supersonic Edition +++ (£108.99), among my personal favourite bibs of recent times for their comfort, style and versatility.

They’re an instant step up from the Scott RC Team ++ in their material composition and feel, warranting the extra £30 spend.

The Scott RC Team ++ also face some tough competition from the likes of dhb’s Classic Bib Shorts (£60), but I prefer them to Pinnacle’s Bib Cycling Shorts (£89.99).

The Scott RC Team ++ Bibshorts are functional and affordable with no major flaws, but there’s also nothing here to clearly elevate them above the competition.

There are also better shorts from Scott for a little more outlay.

Editor of Cycling Plus magazine

Former 220 features editor, Matt, is now editor of Cycling Plus magazine. During his 13 years on 220 Triathlon, he raced everything from super-sprint to Ironman, duathlons and off-road triathlons, and is the author of 'Triathlon!' from Aurum Press