Road Cycling Clothing

Review: Vermarc Tinto Donna shorts

Can these shorts replace some much-loved bibs? Rebecca tests out the Vermarc Tinto Donna shorts.

Check out the Vermarc Tinto Donna Short Sleeve Jersey if you haven’t already!

Can these shorts replace some much-loved bibs?

The first pair of shorts I’ve worn cycling in a while, having fallen in love with the comfort of bibs, the Vermarc Tinto Donnas have a lot to live up to.

And initially, with their folded waistband that just has a seam at the bottom, and the wide leg cuffs with silicon grippers, I was confident they would. But while the waistband sat comfortably against my stomach, and the cuffs were snug without digging into my thighs, the Tinto Donnas were let down by an almightily uncomfortable join in the fabric in the middle of the pad that had me cycling out of the saddle after half an hour.

To give them the benefit of the doubt, the seam could just be part of an unfortunate fit on me as, taking that aside, the pad is a well-designed one-piece with an antibacterial micro-fibre layer against the skin and effective contouring.

Made from a heavy Lycra with 20% elastane, the Tinto Donna shorts gave a good sense of compression and offer plenty of breathability. Thanks to the technical material, you can be quite flexible with when you wear them – paired up with legwarmers on slightly chilly days to on their own on warmer summer ones, the Tinto Donnas are a good versatile choice, albeit let down by a pesky seam.

Verdict

If it wasn’t for that niggly seam, the Vermarc Tinto Donna shorts were good enough to lure me back from bib shorts. Great material, great padding – just a shame about the construction.

Pros

Decent technical material

Breathable micro-fibre pad

Comfortable waistband and leg cuffs

Con

Unfortunate fabric join in middle of pad

Price: £54.99, available from Vermac Sport.

UK supplier: Chicken Cyclekit.