June 2016 Product Picks: Bopworx, Campagnolo, KindHuman, Prologo, RedWhite, Shimano

RedWhite calls itself a “special bibshorts company”, which is why their catalogue comprises nothing but bibshorts. Based in Singapore, RedWhite makes use of Italian fabrics and Romanian manufacturing to create its products.

The RACE is the newest product in RedWhite’s catalogue and it was designed (unsurprisingly) to suit racers. The company started with the template from its BIBS, and swapped out the plush padding for a thinner, lighter design. The new padding is 30% less dense and 16% thinner; it is also dimpled to encourage extra heat dissipation.

The RACE is made from the same nylon-rich Lycra as the BIBS for a soft, stretchy fit. The straps are made from nylon-rich mesh and the leg hems are finished with a wide polyester/elastane gripper backed with silicone microdots. Buyers have a choice of four sizes (S-XL) and one colour (black with white straps).

According to RedWhite, dimples increase the surface area of the padding, which in turn, increases heat dissipation.

Our take:

When I reviewed RedWhite’s BIBS last year I was impressed with the quality of the fit, the feel of the fabric, the no-fuss leg-grippers, and the plush padding. The RACE retains the same exquisite fit and feel, but the difference in the padding was only obvious once I was on the bike.

In short, the padding is not as plush as the BIBS, and essentially rivals anything on offer by other race-oriented bibshorts such as Castelli, Rapha, Capo or Sportful. As such, it was comfortable and effective, though I didn’t notice any difference in heat dissipation when compared to any other bibshort, including the BIBS.

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All told, RedWhite have created another high quality bibshort that easily justifies its reasonably high asking price. These shorts are very easy to wear but I found myself hesitating to use the RACE for a long ride (4-5 hours) when I could wear the plusher BIBS instead. It’s not that the RACE bibshorts would get uncomfortable, it’s just that the BIBS were always more comfortable.

Price: US$160 (~AU$223) (shipping included).

www.redwhite.cc

RayG

AU$189/US$70 for the sunglasses. That’s some Australian premium. I assume Matt Bazanno delivers them personally.
- Sean parker
  
  seems curious that in 5 minutes I can order a pair from Germany for $AUD100.
- Matt Wikstrom
  
  Looks like I was given the incorrect price, survey of local dealers has them at AU$95-135.
Chris

I love my RedWhite bibs – just plain comfy.
- RedWhite Apparel
  
  Thank you for the compliment Chris :)
  
  Y
  - takethattakethat
    
    you guys desperately need to rebrand that awful logo
VK

Hi Matt, are you suggesting that you could distinguish the difference between the 17mm bed vs. the original 15mm bed using similar width tyres? Shamal and Fulcrum zero are great underrated wheels but I am not sure if it is worth investing in the C17 or snap up some C15 bargain.
- Matt Wikstrom
  
  Absolutely. If you’re after comfort alone, then a 25mm tyre on a C15 rim will do the trick but you will enjoy surer road-feel with a 23mm tyre on a C17 rim. I put this down to the lower profile of the tyre, since the width of the two tyres come out much the same.
bigdo

Call me a cheapskate, but $160 for some bibs… Nope.. won’t do it.. way too spendy. Don’t care if they feel like a Belgian sofa (which they likely don’t) that asking price is nutty to me, but what do I know.

Only item I think I’ll try out on the list is the Kind Human Vegan friendly gloves.. even if they do make other cruelty gloves, the fact that they are presenting vegans with an option speaks to me in a big way. Most companies across the board won’t even do that much.
- Arden
  
  You are not out of your mind, you are just being deceived by another wanabe brand. Stick to the real brands for value and genuine benefits.
  - bigdo
    
    What real brands do u mean? Like Shimano, Castelli and so on?
Jason

Can’t seem to find the Shimano shades on sale anywhere online. Any links?
Arden

Dear Red White. There are so many technical details wrong with your knicks. You are out of your minds trying to pass these off as high end especially at $200+ There are some big names in this category with real tech benefits. Better get your act together and stop deceiving customers. People are better educated these days.
- Mathew Ashton
  
  Hi Arden. I am curious to know what you mean. I purchased a pair of these a couple of months ago and they are superb. Very comfortable. The chamois is very, very comfortable and the leg grippers work even though they don’t feel like they are gripping at all! The rest of the bib is just as good – nice soft straps and mesh in the right places.
  Please explain what technical details you think are incorrect.

June 2016 Product Picks: Bopworx, Campagnolo, KindHuman, Prologo, RedWhite, Shimano

Our take:

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