Specialized Men’s Prime SWAT bib shorts review 

Specialized’s Men’s Prime SWAT shorts are the brand’s first cargo shorts, designed with adventure riding and bikepacking in mind. 

There are four pockets, two on the thighs and two on the lower back, to store your riding essentials. 

With cargo shorts a proliferating category and most clothing brands offering an option, it was about time Specialized joined the party. 

In testing, these shorts are a commendable first effort, and providing the fit works for you, they’ll be a comfortable companion on your adventures. However, there are a few changes I’d suggest for a future iteration. 

Specialized Men’s Prime SWAT bib shorts construction

Specialized revamped its Prime (pronounced ‘Preem’) premium clothing range in February 2024.

The brand says it aimed for a 'second-skin feeling' with the Prime SWAT bib shorts, achieved by a 46 per cent polyamide, 38 per cent polyester and 16 per cent elastane main fabric construction. 

The shorts are designed around a “supportive, yet unrestrictive mid compression fit”. The fully sewn waistband construction is designed to be unrestrictive and durable. 

In terms of storage, you get two mesh pockets on the thighs for storing your riding essentials, with one either side of the lower back. 

Specialized specs an Elastic Interface-produced Triple Density Body Geometry Contour 3D chamois, intended to deliver high comfort over long distances. 

A lot of work seems to have gone into the straps, with Specialized using a stretchy elastic that’s said to be soft against the skin and a Brushed Tricot Suspender Anchor to hold them in place. 

There’s an elasticated hem at the bottom of the leg, with a silicone gripper to keep the shorts secure. 

The shorts are only available in black and come in five sizes, from S to XXL. 

Specialized Men’s Prime SWAT bib shorts performance

I’ve been testing a pair of size large shorts on both road and gravel rides of varying distances and temperatures, ranging from 9 to 25°C. 

This included a 100-mile off-road bikepacking trip on the Reading to Winchester leg of the King Alfred’s Way in some of the foulest conditions imaginable. 

To put into context how miserable a state the trails were in from the sustained winter deluge, there were four occasions on the ride where I had to wade through standing water up to my knees. 

The bib shorts were tested on four saddles – a Fizik Argo Tempo R1, Fabric Scoop, Bjōrn Setka and a MOST Lynx Ultrafast Superlow L. 

Specialized has got the fit mostly spot on at the lower half of the shorts. There wasn’t any excess bunching and the pad sat close to perfectly for me (although, of course, positioning is subjective). 

The bib straps are not the most comfortable, though, and I found them quite tight-fitting, even when assuming a riding position. 

Fortunately, they didn’t dig into my baselayer or skin, but this was my most significant gripe with the shorts – it’s strange how the more rigid material feels at odds with the softer main panels.  

My other (smaller) qualm concerned the leg grippers, which are functional but heavy-feeling. Rather than integrate the gripper into a raw leg hem (which many of the best bib shorts now utilise), Specialized has used a traditional wide elasticated band, which doesn’t feel very premium. 

It’s an issue contributor Katherine Moore raised in her review of the Specialized Women’s Prime Bib Shorts. 

However, there’s a lot going for the Prime SWAT shorts across the rest of their features. 

The Elastic Interface chamois looks visually similar to the Proprietary Signature Chamois found in the Velocio Luxe bib shorts (among my current benchmark bib shorts), albeit with significantly thicker inserts.

The pad proved very comfortable on my longest gravel escapades with my preferred Fabric Scoop saddle. It was only in the last couple of hours of my King Alfred’s Way effort that I began to get uncomfortable – accounting for food and (many) stops with a temperamental rear tyre, this was a 14-hour stint. 

I didn’t find the pad quite as cosseting on faster-paced road rides though, where the saddles I tested the shorts on were firmer in profile. 

The ventilation was sound in the maximum 25°C temperature I tested the shorts in, although I’d probably opt for a different pair for even hotter rides. 

The pockets are well-designed, with the soft mesh material hugging what was predominantly riding snacks I stored in there. They’re spacious and I couldn’t feel the contents when pedalling. 

I wasn’t as hot on the lower back pockets, which are awkward to access positioned just in front of the rear bib strap. Pockets in this location are usually relatively difficult to access, but more so here. 

Although they’re also not straightforward to access on the Assos Mille GTC Kiespanzer C2 cargo bib shorts, Assos trumps Specialized in this regard by angling them slightly with a green pull tab, which makes locating the entry ‘port’ easier. 

On the subject of competitors, the Specialized Men’s Prime SWAT bib shorts aren’t cheap at £165 / $220 / €180 / AU$260, but they do undercut several key rivals. 

They’re more reasonably priced than the aforementioned Assos Mille GTC Kiespanzer C2s at £210 / $270 / €240 / AU$420 and the Rapha Men’s Carbo Bib Shorts at £240 / $310 / €270 / AU$400. 

if I was asked to part with my cash, I would stump up the extra for the Rapha and Assos shorts over the Specialized for the more luxurious construction and more comfortable bib straps and leg grippers.  However, if £165 is your absolute limit and you get on with the fit, these are a solid option. 

Specialized Men’s Prime SWAT bib shorts bottom line

Specialized’s first cargo shorts are a good effort, with a comfortable chamois, well-designed thigh pockets and generally sound construction. 

The oddly firm, quite tight bib straps are the biggest low point, while I’d like to see a lower-profile design at the legs to keep the shorts in place (in keeping with most rivals). 

As for the lower back pockets, they could benefit from being angled down slightly or perhaps omitted altogether, if you’re happy to wear a jersey with pockets over these shorts.   

But there’s lots of potential here, and if you get on with the fit, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with these shorts for the asking price.