Ibex El Fito Bib 3/4 Knickers

I have been enjoying a set of Boure' knickers for years now.  I discovered long ago that I was a fan of the extended coverage of the knicker style short for cooler weather.  My knees are happier when they are covered up a bit and the knickers do just that, extending to part of the calf as well.

However, the Boure's have finally gotten threadbare.  When you can see through, not just the lycra, but the chamois, it is time to move on.  I knew I wanted another set of knickers, but I also wanted them to be a bit warmer.  For Fall through Winter conditions, I was looking for a heavier fabric that would not need to be covered over with tights if possible.  In So Cal, a full tight is not really that usefull for mountain biking in my thinking.  It can get cold here, but typically we begin in cold temps and then by mid morning, the sun is out and it will get warm enough that a full tight with chamois is too much but cannot be easily shed.

A knicker can be layered more effectively.  Add a set of light weight baggies and some leg warmers and you have a 3 part system that is pretty good for a wide range of situations.  Warmer than that and regular shorts is all you need.

So when a rider who's opinion I respect mentioned he used Ibex clothing, I went to the source of all knowledge and poked around the Ibex Clothing website.  Right away I could tell that they were all about Merino wool blends.  I have been stoked ever since I found the Merino wool Swiftwick socks so the thoughts of that fit and benefit built into cycling clothing peaked my interest even more.

Plus, they had knickers.  Oooohhh!!  Merino wool knickers!  How good is that?  One thing led to another and for the last 2 dozen or so rides in this Fall moving into Winter, I have worn nothing but the Ibex El Fito Bib 3/4s.

It has been an unusually cold Fall in So Cal and we have been riding consistently at night after work, so temps have been regularly into the 40s and below.  As well, the wind has been formidable and took the temps down into brrrrr.  That said, let's get to the fit and details of the El Fito 3/4s and then we will see how they perform on the trail.

Now to begin with, I ended up with the bib type just because they were out of stock on the normal 3/4 knickers.  I had never worn a bib short before, but I know that many serious and experienced cyclists use them and swear by them.  So, taking the El Fito bibs out of the box, I was struck by the weight of the fabric in the main shorts.  Ibex calls this fabric Bike Ponte Heavy.  From the website:

Designed exclusively for our bike shorts, knickers, arm and leg warmers, this fabric is made with New Zealand Merino wool, a small amount of nylon for extra strength, and Lycra® to make a garment that fits snugly and moves with you. Wool provides the greatest temperature regulation, especially for stop-and-go sports like cycling. Midweight, soft, durable and machine washable.

 It felt very substantial and smooth, not itchy as wool used to be.  More info from the website:

TECH SPECS:
92% Merino / 6% Poly / 2% Spandex on body
87% Polyester/13% Spandex on seat and back legs
Climawool Lite® softshell knee front
Form-fit
13 panel construction
4-way stretch, seamless liquicell chamois with progressive ergnomic ischiatic support where needed
chamois - 10.5mm; Density : HAP 90-20
Gripper elastic hems
Non-friction gusseted panels

Made in the USA

Retail is $145.00

The knees have a panel over them that looked to be very wind friendly and the bib section had a mesh panel from the waist up onto the mid back with stretchy straps.  Pulling the El Fito 3/4 Bib on was interesting.  It was a very snug fit.  Per the Ibex website, the sizing had put me into a Med size with a 32" waist size.  But I am also 6'2" tall.  How do I account for that considering that this is a complete garment, short AND top (of a sort)?  More on that later, but overall it was a very tight fit and pulling the straps over my shoulders was at first quite uncomfortable.  Should I be a LG?

Out onto the trail on a very windy and cold evening, I normally would have had shorts, baggies, and knee warmers layered up.  I wore only the Ibex knickers with the normal jersey and windbreakers choice.  Right away I could tell that the fabric was doing a very good job of shedding the wind.  If I was 90 degrees into the wind, for instance, standing and pedaling,  I could feel cool air moving through the crotch, but if I was seated and pedaling, it was barely noticeable.  Nice.  It also was a very, well, I have only one word that comes to mind here...snuggly...feeling to the fabric...like a nice pair of fleece jammies, but way tighter.  In fact they were still very tight on me and the straps over the shoulders were actually pulling hard enough onto my muscles that they were causing some discomfort. Time will tell, I suppose, but I still had thoughts of the LG size for my tall body.

So, after many, many hours of riding in temps from the high 60s into the mid 30s, what do I think?

• They are good to the 40s by themselves as far as I am concerned.  Below that, I have added leg warmers over them and that covers up the calves and adds another layer over the knee to lower thigh.  I have worn them twice with baggies over them for a wind shell and that and the leg warmers was too warm unless it was in the mid forties or below (or was very windy).
• They seem to be wearing well.  I have hand washed them so far and layed them out/hung them dry.  They are machine washable, but I have not tried that yet.  Do not machine dry them and use a wool approved fabric wash in cool water.
• The chamois is very comfortable.  The longest I have sat in them at any one time was 6 hours and I wore them with just a light coating of Chamois Butter.  I never even needed to shift around for comfort.  They also are treated with an anti-microbial and they do seem to resist 'da funk' pretty well.  I wore them for three rides before washing them just to see (yes, I did that for you, dear reader).
• The whole bib thing has grown on me.  I understand why riders like them as they keep the shorts pulled up and prevent them from sagging into a cyclist's version of plumber's crack.  The bummer is when nature calls and you need to shed the top layers to answer the phone.
• I love the panels over the knees, but I do kinda wish that they stayed lower onto the calves as they tend to ride up under the knee a bit.  Not a big deal, but it bugs me sometimes.
• They feel better on the bike then off.  Standing and walking around points out the strap pressing down and the shorts pulling up...not that comfy, but on the bike, it all works and they are super.  And really, that is the point, yes?

So, are they perfect?  No.  I still struggle with the sizing.  I called Ibex and based on my measurements, it was obvious that the LG size would have compromised fit in the shorts/crotch area and led to bunching up and a looser fit.  Not good.  The flip side is this:  you can be 5'7" tall and have a 32" waist and you can be 6'5" tall and have a 32" waist.  So how do you size a garment that is a short AND comes over the shoulders?  I was able to pull up the shoulder straps by a few inches above my shoulders so I am still able to grow a bit, but they were annoying at first.  Now they have gotten more comfortable (stretched most likely) as time has moved on and I do not even think about it anymore, but I have to think that a way to adjust that strap tension would be good.  Either that or add a Med-Tall size to the selection so that there is some allowance there.

The Ibex El Fito Bib 3/4 knickers are my favorite item in my gear bag right now.  I am actually kinda bummed knowing that when spring comes that I will need to pack them away till next Fall/Winter.  However, it does leave room for some lighter weight wool shorts for the rest of the year and I sure will be looking at the Ibex catalog again.