Van Rysel Women’s Quick-Zip Sport Cycling Bib Shorts review

These women’s specific shorts from Decathlon own brand Van Rysel are intended to provide speedy toilet stops without the removal of your jersey.

I didn’t get on with them because of the discomfort I experienced and – consequently – the overall poor performance.

There are a couple of nice design touches here, but they aren’t enough to counter the negatives.

Van Rysel Women’s Quick-Zip Sport Cycling Bib Shorts specifications and details

The Quick-Zip Sports are advertised as women’s specific bib shorts for frequent or lengthy rides.

Their standout feature is the half-moon shaped zip over the rear, which spans out to each hip, with a flap of material to unzip for toilet stops.

They have a full-body upper, rather than straps, with a short zip to the front.

There is an in-built pocket on the inside of the bib body, which could theoretically be used for safely stowing valuables, or giving more capacity for spare layers.

The shorts themselves are made from a soft fabric, with laser-cut hems and have an in-built B’Twin chamois pad.

Van Rysel Women’s Quick-Zip Sport Cycling Bib Shorts performance

While the Van Rysel bibs are designed for frequent or lengthy rides, I wouldn’t have wanted to do either of those things. I found the shorts uncomfortable and had multiple issues with them.

The shorts feel over-engineered with a multitude of different materials, including a particularly coarse-feeling upper and a large number of hefty seams.

The full-body upper has a zip for taking the bibs on and off, however it only unzips about halfway down the seam. This makes it harder than you might expect to remove the shorts.

The upper section didn’t fit well, although fit is subjective to a degree.

It was baggy around the back and did a poor job of holding the front of the shorts up.

A coarse mesh material makes up the bulk of the upper. It's strangely abrasive against the skin, while also being sweaty to ride in and poor at wicking moisture.

Two further materials contribute to the upper, and to the seam-heavy design. They are a little less coarse, but the number of seams as a result of having so many panels caused discomfort when riding.

Decathlon states the "upper bib [is] made of material that supports and highlights the bust", which isn’t something I (or most women) are likely to want from their bib shorts.

The pocket on the upper is approximately phone-sized and sits on the rear panel of the bib shorts, midway up the back.

However, it can only be accessed from the inside of the shorts, meaning whatever you’ve stowed there (for example, keys or cards) is inaccessible when riding, and will dig into your back a little too.

This may have been designed to carry a team radio, which for most of us is redundant.

That said, the material of the short section feels good, and the laser-cut hems were both effective and comfortable.

In addition, the chamois is well-padded and not too bulky.

The zippable bottom is designed for ‘easy’ wee stops. It works for this purpose, but it wasn’t worth it for the overall effect it has on the shorts.

I'd have expected a zip in this position to be covered up for some added protection. Instead, the zip and its fabric backing sit directly against the skin.

This was uncomfortable when cycling. The zip itself dug into my skin, and caused an interrupted tension in the fabric, which led to a poor overall fit.

The zip spans round to beyond the hip on each side, and meant the back panel was baggy and struggled to hold the chamois in place.

Water also comes freely through the zip when riding in heavy rain.

Material bunches around the front of the shorts too (around and under the hips), especially when riding.

The concept of wee-friendly shorts is a good one, but only if they perform as well as bib shorts without that functionality. Here, the shorts are compromised significantly, both in fit and in comfort, leading to an unpleasant experience when cycling.

Van Rysel Women’s Quick-Zip Sport Cycling Bib Shorts bottom line

The Quick-Zip shorts are cheap, but the worst-value kit is the kit you won’t use.

I’d much rather take minutes longer on my toilet stops and ride for hours in comfort than have a speedy wee stop but be uncomfortable for the rest of the ride.

There are other issues too: the upper fabrics are uncomfortable and hot, and the multitude of seams means they’re prone to chafing against the skin.

The Van Rysel shorts are a good concept in theory, however the execution is poor, and this results in multiple issues.