Review: Assos Mille GTS Bib Shorts

The second-generation of the Assos Mille GTS Bib Short builds upon the first and adds some notable improvements. Staying true to their semi-attached chamois design, the new GTS offers a refined fit for the longest of rides and delivers a quality ride for the most demanding riders.

Assos Mille GTS Summer Bib Shorts Features:

• Optimized for the longest rides
• Uses OSSIDIA compression fabrics reduce fatigue
• Stretchy, comfortable Xbib straps
• Dual-density memory foam chamois
• Unique, semi-attached chamois design (unique to Assos bibs)
• Two year warranty with crash replacement
• MSRP: $230

Assos owns the chamois game

The magic sauce of any pair of bib shorts is the chamois. Yeah, there are other elements to it, but it boils down to the fit and feel of the chamois. That all-important pad is the intermediary between your butt and the bike and Assos flat-out owns this game. Nearly every other pair of bib shorts feature a fully-attached and sewn chamois, but Assos does it differently. The dual-density chamois is attached at the front and back and “floats” in-between.

With their latest Mille GTS Summer Bib Shorts, Assos has stayed true to their recipe of success and their floating chamois wins once more. It’s pretty obvious, but that floating chamois is free to move with your body instead of being locked into the bib shorts. For the longest rides, I always choose a pair of Assos and the Mille GTS Summer Bib Shorts are now on that list. The chamois always stays in the right place, which is even more important on mixed-terrain rides. On my typical routes, I’m rolling road, gravel and singletrack, so there’s lots of standing, sitting and body English involved that can give other bib shorts fits. I don’t worry about a thing and never do I experience discomfort, nor have any sensitive body parts been susceptible to undue impact with all that movement (I can’t say the same for many other bib shorts in my collection).

Wide leg cuffs keep the shorts in place, for the most part. I do notice that they creep upwards every so slightly throughout a ride. I’m talking maybe a half inch or less, but it becomes noticeable in a world where inseams are fashionably long. The chosen fabrics are durable and provide good compression. Many times, you can see through some bib shorts when stretched, but not here.

The straps move with you and are ultra-comfortable with or without a base layer. The crisscross pattern allows the bibs to remain snug where needed and also stretchy where needed. The lower-back straps are stiffer whereas the upper straps are stretchier and softer where it counts. Up front, the bibs have added coverage for even the shortest of jerseys, but it does push against the man-bod when not on the bike. Once on the bike, that largely goes away. And, even if they are tall in the front, it’s easy to stretch them for mid-ride nature breaks.

Fit: I’m 5’11” and 170 lbs. and the size Large fits nicely.

The Good

• Floating chamois is life-changing
• Comfort for days
• Great compression and overall fit
• Mix of stiff and stretchy bib straps keep things in place
• Black goes with everything

The Bad

• Legs creep up about 1/2″ throughout the ride

The Bottom Line: Assos Mille GTS Summer Bib Shorts

It’s hard to say much about a pair of Assos bib shorts other than they are life changing. Granted, you can’t have a closet full of them (unless you have unlimited expendable income), but just a couple will last a long time. With the latest Mille GTS Summer Bib Shorts, you’ll enjoy supreme comfort on the longest, mixed-terrain rides you can imagine.

Buy Now: Available at CompetitiveCyclist.com