Craft is no slouch when it comes to cycling apparel. With several World Tour teams under their belt and currently outfitting the ORICA-Greenedge squad, they have a great test bed for their goods. It’s been a few years since I’ve put a pair of Craft bibs through the ringer, so it was good to get the EB Tech Bib Shorts out on the road.
Craft EB Tech Bib Shorts Features:
- Body-control fabric with 4-way elasticity reduces muscle vibration and focuses power for optimal comfort and control
- Very elastic and soft fabric for great support and comfort
- Wide, soft and elastic leg ending with silicon print keeps the bib shorts in place
- Bib construction for great support and fit with hexachannel fabric for active cooling effect
- Ergonomically placed seams follow the anatomy of the moving body
- Partly taped
- Very Lightweight
- Reflective details
- Craft Infinite Comfort Pad
- MSRP: $199
EB Tech Bib Shorts are Ultralight
Looking the EB Tech Bibs up-and-down, they have all the proper makings of a great pair of shorts. As with all top-shelf shorts of today, they feature wide leg cuffs to keep things in place — a thing of beauty. I found the cuff to bunch up a little when off the bike, but on the bike they always stayed flat. The shorts feature a 7-panel design for a nice, contoured fit. In fact, the fit is so nice that you don’t even notice them at all as they tend to just hug every curve with perfection.
The bibs stretch on nicely and stay put very well. The Infinite Comfort chamois is nice and breathable, but not super thick. I’m down with its thickness, but if you’re looking for a super cushy pad, this may not your kind of bib. It does work well with a variety of saddles and allows for easy movements fore/aft and I found it easy to return to the sweet spot after sprinting.
As mentioned, the bibs do fit quite well… so much so that I began to feel like I was almost naked. The fabric is so light, airy and breathable that you don’t feel like you’re wearing a typical pair of bib shorts. This is good and bad because sometimes I appreciate the compression aspects of a pair of bibs, but on mid-day scorcher rides, the EB Tech Bibs were fantastic at shedding moisture and keeping things cool.
The mesh uppers are also very breathable, however the mesh is quite scratchy. After my first ride in them, I was the proud recipient of some moderate nipple chaffing (yes, I did just say that). With a long climb at high effort (both seated and standing), the straps had their way with me and left me quite sore. On subsequent rides, I opted to wear a summer base layer just to prevent it altogether.
Over time, I’ve been able to ride on the road with these chaff-free, but when used for mountain biking, all the movement still produces chaffage. I do think the straps have softened a bit after repeated washings, but keep that in mind that if you use these for mountain biking or spirited climbing (without a base layer), you just might suffer the cheese grater effect.
When it comes time to go to the bathroom, the front of the bibs stretch nicely for easy relief. I’m also surprised at the durability of the fabric. I’ve worn them mountain biking and actually kept them on one morning for some moderate shrub trimming (hey, life happens) and they got poked with all kinds of branches and don’t show any sign of wear. The labels and such are remaining in place quite well, also.
I’ve worn these with several saddles from Bontrager, Specialized and Fi’zi:k and each saddle mated quite well with the chamois and fabric for a naturally-comfortable and catch-free experience.
In most cycling wear, I can go either Medium or Large, but the size Large is about perfect on my 5’11” – 170 lb frame. I could size down for a very, very race fit, but these are about as snug as they should be with proper bib length to keep things comfortable.
The Good
- Streamlined chamois still offers excellent comfort for well-traveled backsides
- Wind penetrates right though for maximum cooling
- Great fitting shorts that become invisble
- Excellent breathability — both the bibs and the chamois
The Bad
- The bib straps are very scratchy
- Could offer a little more compression
The Bottom Line: Craft EB Tech Bibs
Craft has honed their skills and delivered a pair of bib shorts that become invisible on the bike. I like how breathable the EB Tech Bib Shorts are, but keep in mind that the uppers may be scratchy at first.
Buy Now: Available at CompetitiveCyclist.com
