Assos T.rallyShorts_S7 Lady Bib Shorts - Women's

With the release of the women-specific T. rallyShorts_S7 Lady Bib Shorts, our response was the same as when the men's model was unveiled during the last product cycle. We were surprised. We weren't surprised that the Swiss company was leaving the black ribbon for the dusty trail; rather, we were surprised that we never found it odd that a company based in such mountainous terrain hadn't produced mountain kit before. Like the men's model, the women's T. rallyShorts are set apart from the brand's often-fetishized road shorts by three key elements: padding, a revised chamois, and a new main body fabric. The padding is the most immediately obvious difference, and it's also the feature that most recommends the T. rallyShorts for bumpy riding. The padding centers on the greater trochanter, which marks the top of the femur and the hip joint. The pads consist of 8mm of viscoelastic polyurethane, and they're shaped and positioned to protect against the usual impacts of hard trail riding without compromising pedaling efficiency or mobility. Their low weight and flexibility is further complemented by body perforations, which reduce the suffocating effect of solid pads. They're also removable for days when your XC aspirations aren't as dangerous or you're just out spinning on the road. The chamois is similar to the amethyst inserts found throughout Assos' road line with two differences. First, it's grey, not purple. Second, it has been completely reimagined, shape-wise, to conform to a woman's anatomy. At its heart is a mountain-specific topography of memoryFoam material first introduced in the venerable _s2 FI. 13. This material exhibits remarkable return properties, so it quickly regains its original position after deformation, essentially filling the gaps that your pedal stroke produces while your weight shifts throughout the pedaling motion. The T. rallyShorts are built on Assos' s7 platform, which entails a host of bulk-reducing, anatomical features, but the goldenGa...