The Vermarc Veloce bib shorts are seriously impressive. At a little over 80 quid they are well-made and look great, providing comfort and support for all but the very longest of rides.
Reasons to buy
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High quality construction
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All-round comfort
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Excellent fit
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Understated good looks
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Wide range of sizes
Reasons to avoid
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Could be slightly more comfortable on the longest rides
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Everything about the Vermarc Veloce bib shorts oozes quality. They perform well and look great, with all the boxes ticked without an price-tag that makes you look twice.
If you’re not familiar with the Vermarc names, it’s a Belgian brand that has been making cycling clothing since 1977, supplying clothing to Etixx-Quickstep for the past few years. And it’s clear that all that experience has been brought to the table when designing the Vermarc Veloce bib shorts.
I was impressed by the quality of construction of the Vermarc Veloce bib shorts
The first thing that struck me about these shorts is the quality of the construction. At £81.99 the Vermarc Veloce bib shorts can reasonably be considered mid-range, and yet have many of the features that you’d usually associate with high-end shorts. That means that the hems of the shorts are lazer cut, flat-lock stitching is used throughout, and they come with a compressive fit that should give some performance gains depending on what science you look at.
They also look great. When it comes to shorts you should be able to buy any colour as long as it’s black, but Vermarc has still be able to add some subtle colouring and thankfully hasn’t gone over the top with its deployment of its own name and logos.
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But that’s all well and good, what you really want to know is how the Vermarc Veloce bib shorts perform.
Well, the best place to start is with the pad, which is Vermarc’s LD (Long Distance) pad. Compared to some other pads, such as the ultra-complicated one used by Santini in the slightly-more-expensive Santini Mago bib shorts, this pad is relatively simple with a two-piece construction. There is, however, high density foam that is “placed in key points to provide maximum comfort, while the upper layer is an “Aloe vera microfiber material”. Nice.
The straps are supportive and breathable
After testing the Vermarc Veloce bib shorts on a handful of long rides of over 100 miles, I was fairly impressed. I didn’t find the comfort to be absolutely exceptional, and still found myself easing up out of the saddle occasionally after four or five hours, but then that’s the case with every pair of mid-range bib shorts I’ve tried, and compared to their direct competition the Vermarc Veloce bib shorts perform well.
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Aside from the pad, everything else is really comfortable too. The straps are a tight mesh and are nice and a good width, providing plenty of support while still being breathable when riding in hot weather. There aren’t any silicon grippers around the hems, but don’t let this put you off, as the fit is so good that I never had a problem with the Vermarc Veloce bib shorts riding up.
Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
