The dhb Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights are aimed towards performance riders wanting to train through the coldest winter conditions.
Overall, dhb has done a good job of balancing the needs of the faster, racier rider with those who want to gather steady winter miles.
However, those sitting at either extreme may find their needs aren’t wholly met.
dhb Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights details and specifications
The dhb Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights are the Wiggle-CRC owned brand’s flagship winter bib tights – the most expensive in the brand’s range.
Given that some brands sell bib tights for £250 or more, there’s an immediate case to consider the Aeron Labs a good-value proposition – if the performance stacks up.
dhb has opted to use a softshell fabric from Swiss textile company Schoeller.
Offering alternatives to the likes of Gore-Tex, it supplies fabrics to ‘premium’ clothing brands, such as Assos.
The fabric outer is said to be highly breathable and has a DWR (durable water repellent) treatment, while the inside is lined with patterned fleece on the front-face thigh panels, lower back, flanks and around the lower leg.
Brushed fleece has been employed at the knee and around the front gusset, and the outer is more flexible to promote ease of movement.
dhb says the bib tights are recommended for use from 0-12ºC degrees, but this depends somewhat on the kind of riding you’re doing.
The bib section is relatively lightweight, with a mesh middle section to help excess warmth escape. The elasticated straps sit flat on the shoulders.
There aren't any zips on the ankles or around the waist – the ankles feature elasticated cuffs.
Inside, dhb has employed a pad from specialists Elastic Interface. The Paris HCS Men’s model is designed with a 13mm-thick high-density portion at the sit bones.
The dhb Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights are also available in a women’s version, with a women’s-specific Paris HCS chamois and a different cut.
The tights are available in six sizes (XS-2XL). I tested a size large, which fitted snugly but without issue.
dhb Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights performance
The dhb Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights are well-considered in their construction, offering a decent blend of protection from the elements while managing to feel distinctly performance-oriented.
The cut is ideally suited for a rider in a more aggressive position and the articulation around the knee is excellent.
The Schoeller fabric is very good at offering an essential barrier to splashes and light rain, but doesn’t feel overly thick. I found it breathed very well, which proved perfect for my faster test rides.
If I rode at a sedate tempo, around zone 2, I would start to feel chilly in near-freezing temperatures, but picking the pace up generally solved this.
Riding hard in milder conditions (around 10ºC) caused some overheating. However, both are extreme cases – I found the general comfortable operating window to be relatively wide.
A few washes have seen a small degradation in the effectiveness of the DWR treatment, especially around the more flexible knee-zone fabric, but this is to be expected.
Many will happily trade the overall comfort of a flexible fabric in exchange for a little less weatherproofing.
The hip area felt a little looser on me than the rest of the body (and compared to my old, soon-to-be-retired Castelli Sorpasso 2 bib tights), but it was something I got used to with a few rides.
Tension across the bib section felt well distributed and the chamois pad was comfortable for longer weekend rides of around three hours.
As ever, fit is subjective and it’s well worth trying on before buying, if you can, but I encountered no red flags once the tights were on.
The ankles were a tight squeeze to fit my size UK11/EU47 feet through. Careless shoving caused the seams to stretch, with the telltale crack of a stitch breaking not far away.
Extra care needed to be taken, due to the lack of zips. It's a minor inconvenience, but one that only needs to cause significant damage once.
dhb is well regarded for pricing its garments competitively and these tights are no exception.
The Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights are £20 cheaper than the Sportful Total Comfort Bib Tights and a clear £60 and £70 cheaper than the Castelli Sorpasso RoS Wind and Rapha Pro Team Winter Tights with Pad II respectively.
All of these bib tights provide similar levels of comfort. However, while the Castelli and Rapha tights are arguably a bit more protective in the worst conditions, for the vast majority of the time I have to question why anyone would bother spending more.
dhb Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights bottom line
The dhb Aeron Lab Winter Bib Tights are very strong performers. In most of the criteria that matter, they're the equal of more expensive premium bib tights from the likes of Rapha and Castelli.
While the weather protection feels a little limited versus some deep-winter bib tights, you gain great comfort and articulation in exchange.
The fact that you get all of this for markedly less money than the premium brand offerings, raises them above those rivals.
How we tested | bib tights
Our test bib tights were subjected to a series of shorter and longer rides, in typical wintry UK conditions. This included sunny dry rides with sub-zero wind chill and wetter weather.
Each pair of bib tights was washed with reasonable consideration – excess muck was pre-rinsed off, before being washed on a normal cycle with ordinary detergent to better reflect typical wash habits.
In 2024, we focused on bib tights claiming to offer greater weather protection, in theory making them more suitable for deep winter riding.
Bib tights on test
Product
| Brand | dhb2 |
| Price | 210.00 EUR,180.00 GBP |
Features
| br_gender | mens |
| Features | Sizes: XS-2XL Fabric: Schoeller softshell Colours: Black |
