7Mesh Women’s Foundation Bib Shorts – for comfort in the heat of summer

This product was selected for our Editors’ Choice Awards 2022, as published in Singletrack Magazine Issue 146

In the Editors’ Choice Awards we highlight our standout bikes and products from the past year. These are the bikes that we’d like to have in our sheds. These are the components and clothing that we still use long after the nominal test period has expired. Only 15 products and six bikes made the grade this year. This is the good stuff. 

To make the cut, each thing must have proven itself out on the trails. They’ve got to have been reliable and ride-enhancing. We don’t do technology for technology’s sake. Nor are we overly swayed by showy, high price tags and bling materials. That said, we don’t prioritise anything solely because it’s cheaper than its rivals. Nor do we penalise a genuinely great product if it is conspicuously expensive. Performance is what matters in Editor’s Choice.

These are the 20 star performers of The Class of 2022.

7Mesh Women’s Foundation Bib Shorts

• Price: £120.00

I’ve had these shorts since spring 2020, and they’ve become my go-to pair for warm weather riding. Why has it taken me so long to recommend them? Well, they were comfortable from the get-go, but I couldn’t help but wonder how durable the mesh would be. I can now confidently say they’re up to the job. If you’re like me and simply must wear a liner short, but don’t want to go full Lycra in summer months, then these are lovely and cool to wear under some baggies, and the fairly thin chamois keeps your undercarriage comfortable. As a bonus, the straps feel like they’re barely there, no tugging at my shoulders or digging in. At a – literal – stretch the ‘Pull2P’ lets you have a wild wee without stripping off top layers. This does feel like it’s testing the limits of the seams – and my balance – but the feature is there if you really need it.

7Mesh Foundation Bib Shorts Full Review

These bib shorts are most definitely for wearing under other clothes. There’s just about enough coverage from the chamois and panel of solid fabric for a modest change of outer, but they’re not really for public consumption. Of course, there are plenty of other bib short options out there for those that don’t want to be so revealing – these are designed for those that want the comfort fit of a bib short, but don’t want to overheat once they’re layered up with baggy outers. I do prefer bib shorts – I find they stay in place so much better than a chamois short with just a waistband – but layered up in summer in can sometimes feel like a bit much. These looked like they might prove a useful addition to my wardrobe.

The straps are soft and stretchy ‘barely there’ numbers – strong enough to give support and keep the shorts up, but soft enough that they won’t dig in to your shoulders. The straps also run around the sides of your boobs, which I rather like – straps which run more down your front often have me wondering about nipple/strap arrangements, and do sit so well as these.

The strap configuration can take a little figuring out when putting them on, but that because they attach out at the side of you rather than the back. This gives them the ability to be carefully pulled down for a mid-ride wee if required, using the ‘Pull2P’ design. It’s a bit of a gymnastics effort to pull off, and will test your squatting muscles and balance, but it’s certainly preferable to stripping off all the layers somewhere in the wilderness. Watch what you’ve got in your pockets if you do perform this feat – the two small pouches are best emptied, just in case…

The straps have more stretch to them than the shorts, so wriggling the mesh lowers over your hips does have the odd alarming stitch-stretching sound to it, but despite these manoeuvres these almost fishnet shorts have held together well. They fit snugly without any pressure points, and the silicone on the legs keeps the legs where I want them without irritating my skin.

I have worn the Medium shorts, and for me the top/bottom proportions are good. Perhaps if I was wanting to do a lot of Pull2P action I might size up to make them fit more easily over my hips. But for my purposes the Medium has been a good fit – sometimes I’ve had to size up in bib shorts to get prevent shoulder straps being too short and digging in, but that’s not the case here. The chamois is a comfortable balance between thin and thick. It’s bulkier than some I’ve used, but definitely not nappy like, and I’ve had no problems with any unwanted rubbing or bunching.

Overall

These are noticeably cooler to wear under baggies, and in warm weather I’ve really appreciated this. They’ve proved durable, and the straps are really comfortable too – I’d certainly consider trying out other ‘normal’ 7Mesh bibs on the basis of my experience with these. But these 7Mesh Foundation Bibs are for the specific purpose of getting the security and comfort of bibs while also wearing baggies, and not overheating. In that niche, these perform excellently.

Head here to read all our Editor’s Choice picks!

While you’re here…

Review Info

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

More posts from Hannah