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Bellitanner bib shorts and jersey first ride review

Bellitanner is a brand that probably isn’t familiar to you. It’s a young German brand created by long time bike industry veteran and ex-pro cyclist Roger Tanner. Roger also runs the Pearl bicycle brand. Bellitanner was set up initially to build a range of fixie style bikes and one of his bikes: the New Yorker won a Bikeradar Best in Show Award at Eurobike in 2013 (http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gallery/article/bikeradars-best-in-show-eurobike-2013-38176/6/) It’s a very cool design, so it was a good winner.

Stylish Bellitanner summer jersey from the front

Stylish Bellitanner summer jersey from the front

Bellitanner is in the process of expanding their product range to include clothing and they very kindly sent me an early pair of their new bib shorts and jersey to get out and ride in. Both the bib shorts and the jerseys will be available to order directly from the Bellitanner website initially and the intention behind the product is to create products of a high quality without necessarily a high end price.

I’ve been riding the shorts in particular over the last month both indoors on the  Wattbike and also out on the road (mostly under tights as it’s still been pretty cool).

Modelling the Bellitanner outfit - front view

Modelling the Bellitanner outfit – front view

I ride a medium and I’ve found the sizing of both the shorts and the jersey very good – they’re race cut but not a super thin Italian style fit – they’re definitely slim fitting but in a good way.

The construction of the shorts seems good and they feel like they should last well. The seams inside the shorts I’ve been sent aren’t flat locked but I can’t say I’ve noticed this particularly as a comfort issue. The white upper fabric is a touch stiff to the touch compared to some other brands, but it holds it’s position on the bike fine. The pad is comfortable and generous in its thickness – to me it’s perhaps a bit thicker than I’d have personally specified and it feels a bit bulky when you’re off the bike. You can also feel the extra thickness of the pad you’re riding and it increases comfort but it does isolate you a little from the feeling of the road – which could be good or bad, depending on your point of view.

Bellitanner bib shorts pad and stitching detail

Bellitanner bib shorts pad and stitching detail

Most of the bib shorts I’ve ridden in recent years have tended to have quite a thin multi-density pad so the extra thickness of these shorts has been a noticeable difference. My early impressions are that these are a decent short but they won’t knock my favourites at this price point off their perch (http://girodilento.com/capo-pursuit-bib-shorts-review/). As I mentioned though, these are early samples and the design and materials may well evolve (or may have since I was sent these). Where they’ve been best for me so far is on the Wattbike for longer sessions, where I find I get pretty uncomfortable after an hour. These shorts thanks to the thicker pad definitely help on sessions over an hour long (it still hurts though).

Bellitanner Bib shorts - upper detail

Bellitanner Bib shorts – upper detail

The jersey again is a well sized garment with a good shape and the fabric used feels good to the touch. I really like the shade of blue as well and as an outfit (bib shorts and jersey) they look smart (to me anyway). It’s a summer weight fabric and in the few times I’ve tried it before it’s warmed up too much, I know it’s a jersey I’ll wear regularly in the months to come. As you can see from the pictures, the construction is relatively straightforward: three pockets at the rear, one with a zip. There is some venting around the under arms as well for breathability.

Inside the Bellitanner jersey, some stitching and breathability around armpits detail

Inside the Bellitanner jersey, some stitching and breathability around armpits detail

I don’t have an enormous amount of technical details about fabrics and pad manufacturer, so in the meantime I’m getting out and riding them to see how they wear. Both garments are made for Bellitanner by a relatively new cycling clothing company RH77, who I know Roger from Bellitanner has a strong relationship with.

Jersey rear view with pockets alongside bib shorts

Jersey rear view with pockets alongside bib shorts

Pricing for the bibshorts is expected to be Euro 135 or about £110 and the jersey is priced at Euro 79 or about £65.

If you’d like to find out more, you can visit the Bellitanner website at http://bellitannerbikes.com/

Thanks for reading.

Outfit rear view

Outfit rear view