Gore Ultimate Men’s Bib Shorts review

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Gore’s Ultimate Men’s Bib Shorts are among the first shorts to use Elastic Interface’s new 3D-printed Expert N3X chamois.

The chamois is claimed to be more comfortable than a traditional foam pad, thanks to its unique 3D design. The thought process makes sense at first glance, given 3D-printed saddles are increasingly common.

Gore says the Ultimate Bib Shorts are the perfect companion for long road and gravel rides, while providing “the ultimate support for intense rides”, suggesting they’re also designed for racing. The asking price of £251.99 / €279.95 is high.

Overall, these shorts have fared well in testing and impressed with their fit and ventilation. I didn’t find the 3D-printed chamois any more comfortable than traditional chamois pads, though, and there’s a flaw with the leg grippers in warmer temperatures.

Gore Ultimate Men’s Bib Shorts construction

First seen at Eurobike 2022, the Elastic Interface N3X is the first 3D-printed chamois pad and has only now made its way into production cycling shorts.

The insert is manufactured in Italy using a specially designed 3D printer. It’s claimed to be more comfortable than a traditional pad because Elastic Interface has more control over its technical properties, such as its density, during construction.

The open-cell lattice structure is also claimed to improve airflow, while the unnamed hydrophobic material used in the 3D-printed sections is said to be quick-drying and ideal for hot conditions. 

Pad aside, Gore has some lofty aims with these shorts. The brand says they’re “made for your most demanding days in the saddle”, with long-lasting comfort, optimal compression and breathability the key aims.

With a 79 per cent polyamide and 21 per cent elastane construction, the Gore shorts are impressively lightweight, weighing 188g in a size large on my digital scales. 

This compares well to similarly high-end bib shorts such as the Rapha Pro Team Powerweave (155g in a size medium) and the Velocio Luxe (160g in a size medium).

The way the front of the pad is attached in these Gore shorts is also interesting, using a suspended insert (separate from the main panel), which eventually meets the front of the hem. According to Gore, this further helps to keep the pad in place.

The leg grippers are also minimal and have discreet reflective graphics behind them. Sticking with the minimalist theme, the bib straps feature small, dotted perforations to boost ventilation.

The shorts are available in five sizes (S to XXL) and only in black.

Gore Ultimate Men’s Bib Shorts performance

I tested the Ultimate Men’s Bib Shorts on both road and gravel rides of varying distances over the last couple of months, including a 100-mile / 160km gravel epic with a giddy 3,350m of elevation.

The shorts have been used with four saddles during testing – a Posedla Joyseat 2.0, a MOST Lynx Ultrafast Superflow L and Specialized’s Power and Romin Mirror Pro.

I am typically a size large in Gore shorts and found these fitted identically to the brand’s shorts of old – no bad thing.

The short’s fit is excellent, with the straps reassuringly tight off the bike but comfortable when assuming a riding position. The only element of the fit I didn’t quite get on with is that the suspended insert makes the pad fit quite tight around the front.

On my first couple of rides, I found it quite uncomfortable, particularly when out of the saddle, but fortunately, the material broke in after a few rides. But the fact the fit is tighter in this location was still something I noticed throughout my testing and it highlights the importance of trying before buying.

I found the 3D-printed chamois reasonably comfortable on all my test rides, but not quite up there with my preferred traditional pads – such as those specced on high-end Assos, Castelli, Q36.5, Rapha and Velocio shorts. The pad is quite thin and, while there’s a bit of a squish to it, thanks to the open-cell lattice structure, it's on the firmer side.

On my longest, 10-hour gravel ride, I started to notice the shorts more after six hours, but I wouldn’t say I was uncomfortable by the end of the ride. This was also true on some of my longer rides on the road.

On the plus side, ventilation is a real highlight of these shorts and even after riding in temperatures bordering 30°C, I never felt the pad get saturated with sweat.

Ultimately, this chamois would make for a formidable racing option because it delivers top performance without the bulk, combined with impressive ventilation. But I think Gore slightly overstates the shorts' versatility for longer endurance rides.

Otherwise, the only other real flaw with these shorts is the leg grippers. In hot weather, I consistently found the legs would move slightly if you touched them, with the sweat underneath effectively causing them to slide.

This isn’t something I’d expect to see on bib shorts costing £251.99 / €279.95 and it feels like a design oversight.

Finally, there’s no getting around the fact the Gore Ultimate Men’s Bib Shorts are a very expensive proposition. They’re more costly than the Assos Equipe RS Schtradivari Bib Shorts S11, which outperform these shorts on all but the longest rides and cost £215 / $280 / €250 / AU$480.

However, they’re not quite as expensive as the Rapha Pro Team Powerweave bib shorts at £300 / $380 / €345 / AU$500 or the Velocio Luxe at £279 / $279 / €251 / AU$335. Both of these options outperform the Gore Ultimate Men’s on longer rides and are worth the extra outlay.

Gore Ultimate Men’s Bib Shorts bottom line

Gore’s Ultimate Men’s Bib Shorts are an interesting showcase of the new Elastic Interface N3X 3D-printed chamois.

They mostly impress with their fit and ventilation, and while the pad doesn’t quite cut the mustard on longer escapades, they’re a potent racing option.

If Gore had positioned these shorts as a race-oriented option, they would score very highly bar the leg-gripper flaw.

But I’m not so convinced they are the best all-rounders.

It will be interesting to see how 3D-printed chamois technology is further developed and, as with any new cutting-edge tech, it’s likely to eventually trickle down to lower price points.

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