Coeur Sports Cycling Zipper Bib Shorts; Terry Bella Prima Bib Shorts

By Sheri Rosenbaum

Coeur Zipper Bib Shorts

Terry Bella Prima Bib Shorts

Innovative Women’s Bibs for Faster and Easier Nature Breaks

The number one reason many female riders have not embraced wearing bibs is the inconvenience of nature breaks. If you are an avid reader of my product reviews, you know I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect design. Leave it to two women-run companies to develop two innovative designs: Coeur Sports and Terry.

While the two designs are vastly different in the way they approached the bathroom break dilemma, they both work quite well. If you’ve been wanting to try bibs for the first time, either of these designs are priced right and provide easy on/off features.

Coeur’s unique leg zipper design

I met Coeur’s founder at last year’s Interbike. The company was introducing the new leg zipper design at the show. Having a zipper that went the full length of my leg made me a bit leery for two reasons. First and foremost was wardrobe malfunction. I just pictured being at the farthest point of a ride and the zipper breaks, leaving me with my “assets” exposed. Second, I was worried about chafing where the zipper lay against my thigh.

But neither of those fears transpired. The zipper stayed closed and never opened unexpectedly while riding. It locks in place nice and secure. And they’ve designed the shorts with a piece of fabric that protects your skin from the zipper, so it never chafed.

The zipper runs from the leg opening up to the waist line. So when it was time for a nature break, you just unzip, pulled the right leg over to the side, do your business and zipped up again. Very nicely designed. I tried it both with dry shorts and after I had been riding a while and the shorts were sweaty. Didn’t matter. In both conditions it was quick and easy on/off. Bravo, Coeur!

I tested these bibs both during both indoor training and outdoors on the road. I found the flat-locked seams and fabric very comfortable. The mesh bib straps were breathable and also very comfortable.

I did find myself in between sizes and thus felt the fabric did not have the leg compression I prefer. The sizing issue could also have been the cause of the pad shifting slightly during rides. So after 30 miles I started to feel a little discomfort. I sense if I go down a size it would make for a better/tighter fit.

One other negative was the zipper seams over time would became wavy and did not lay smooth against my leg. This did not impede performance of the bib, just visually not a clean smooth line on my leg.

This was my first encounter with Coeur apparel. I was impressed with the attention to detail on the bibs and decided to purchase one of their fashionable jerseys. I selected the Tropical Punch design and have received numerous compliments. The fit and performance is awesome.

What also impressed me was how the item was packaged and shipped. There was a personal note and inspirational messaging. I’ve been seeing this trend with a number of women-specific companies, and it makes for a very impressive presentation.

Terry’s halter bib design

The Bella Prima bib short is Terry’s first venture into designing bib shorts. Terry has carried other manufacturer’s lines in the past, but the Bella Prima is the first under the Terry label. For a first attempt, I think Terry did a really nice job. I hope they take the comments from myself and their customers and apply them to the next generation design for a truly awesome bib short.

Terry designed the Bella Prima with a halter top. This makes it easy to leave your jersey on when nature calls. The opening is large enough to lift over your helmet, pull down your shorts and then slip the halter back on. Quick and easy.

In the past I’ve seen this design with other brands. But I was always concerned that the halter strap around the back of my neck would add pressure when riding. However, it turned out to be very comfortable.

Where I suggest Terry improve on their design is in two areas. First, the bib portion should be black, not white, for a couple of reasons. If the bib portion is black, you can’t see where the shorts end and the bib starts if your jersey hikes up a little while on the bike. Second, it’s no secret that women sweat. So the straps will eventually soil and no longer be pristine white. Black hides everything.

In addition, the bibs section should be shorter. After wearing and washing several times, the halter strap stretched and became too long by several inches (and I’m 6 feet tall), and thus did not provide any benefit to keep the shorts in place.

The second area that could be improved is the location of where the shorts end and the bib starts. The current design has the shorts ending too far below the waist line, both on the sides and the back. So coverage is minimal in these areas. Reading some of the customer reviews, women complained of the shorts slipping too low sometimes, revealing butt crack. That is not a good look for plumbers, nor cyclists.

I’ve worn Terry apparel for many years. One area the company has always excelled at is their chamois. The Flex Air Chamois in the Bella Prima bibs is no exception. It features a soft feel and great comfort.

Bottom line

Coeur and Terry are two women-run companies that have developed unique designs to solve the nature break issue keeping female riders from wearing bibs.

Both are priced right for first-time bib users to jump in and see what the fuss is all about. Both companies’ liberal return policies provide worry-free purchases. I’ve been wearing bibs for almost 3 years now and rarely wear shorts. Yes, it is frustrating when you have to take off your jersey when nature calls, but the added comfort outweighs the negatives.

But now you have viable options for staying dressed while taking care of business. Both Coeur Sports and Terry have brought to market some positive first attempts at solving the number one complaint about women’s bibs. Kudos to both for the effort, and here’s hoping they continue to evolve and innovate.

Sheri Rosenbaum

Sheri Rosenbaum regularly contributes articles and reviews products for RBR. She’s an avid recreational roadie who lives in the Chicago area and a major advocate for women's cycling, serving on the board of directors and volunteering with the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club. Click to read Sheri's full bio or visit her web site sunflowersandpedals.com.