We tested the men’s version of the MAAP Team Bib Evo bib shorts a couple of years back. Now it’s the turn of the Women’s Short Team Bib Evo, the shorter legged version of the standard Women’s Team Bib Evo bib shorts. We’ve got lots of other women’s bib and bib-less shorts in our best women’s cycling shorts buying guide.
MAAP Women's Short Team Bib Evo: construction
The Short version is an exact replica of the Women’s Team Bib Evo aside from a 5cm shorter leg length. The Short Team Bib Evo comes in six sizes and two colors (black or light grey). If you want more choice in your life the standard length Evo comes in 11 different colors.
The Evos have a compression-type cut and use an anti-abrasion and thinning material to save your future dignity. The main material is designed to be breathable and moisture wicking, and the bib section has ribbed-mesh to add to the breathability. Unlike the men’s version we previously reviewed, the material doesn’t have any sun protection or water resistance.
The bib section is a traditional design with two broad elastic straps and no easy-pee design to complicate things. There’s a multi-density chamois which is unique to the Women’s Evo bib which sits neatly in the shorts.
In line with MAAP’s ethos, the bibs are constructed from bluesign materials that are produced by sustainable methods. Though unlike some of MAAPs other products, the shorts don’t contain recycled materials.
MAAP Women's Short Team Bib Evo: The ride
The Short Team Bib Evos have a sturdy compressive feel to them. The four-way stretch material happily accommodated all my lumps and bumps and nothing felt too stretched or loose. The Shorter leg had a high-mid-thigh finish (I’m 5’6” with fairly proportioned legs and wore a small). If I was 20 lbs lighter and 20 years younger this new shorter cut might be for me, personally I prefer the standard length and to keep my thighs under wraps.
The multi-density chamois performed well and coped well with several hours in the saddle. Its dense structure keeps the bulk low which minimising the risk of additional pressure points. I particularly liked how the thickness tapered at the sides which provided a little protective padding around the saddle without causing any chaffing.
The broad leg hem elastic and silicon gripper do a good job, holding the legs firmly in place and preventing the shorter leg riding up my thigh. It is quite a heavy duty band though; personally I prefer something with less dense material and silicon.
All the other flat locked seams were perfectly comfortable. On the downside there were a couple of areas of stitching which hadn’t been properly finished; either leaving tail-ends or – in one instance – not being properly overlocked off so starting to unravel which is a bit disappointing.
The non-thinning Lycra does give the shorts a heavier feel than many others but they weren’t unduly warm. Whilst I can’t vouch for their performance on hot summer days they’ve been surprisingly comfortable on some hot and sweaty indoor rides.
I found the bib section extremely comfortable. The front has a low-ish cut so you don’t feel overly tucked in and the simple broad elastic straps are really comfortable. I was a little sceptical about how the ribbed mesh of the bibs would feel but it was pleasingly unnoticeable.
MAAP Women's Short Team Bib Evo: value and conclusion
At $295 / £225 the MAAP Short Team Bib Evo are a little pricier than the Café du Cycliste’s Adeline ($273 / £209) and Velocio Ultralight bib shorts ($260 / £196).
Objectively there’s nothing negative to say about the MAAP Team Bib Evo Short, they have a nice fit and the chamois performs really well. The bits I was less keen on – the leg gripper and general styling - were about personal preference rather than hard facts. But given they cost twice as much as any of my other bib shorts (like the Sportful Classic and Rapha Core), there was nothing that made them stand out either. Even accepting that more sustainable materials and practices will have a higher price tag than mass market ones, the cost of the Evos still feels steep. If I was paying this kind of money I’d expect really high-end finishing and quality control too which wasn’t the case on the set I had on test.
