2023 GOREWEAR FernFlow Liner Bib Shorts Review

By Rick Schultz

Tested are a pair of GORE Liner Bib Shorts, made to wear under your mountain bike or gravel shorts. For the road, I wear them by themselves during hot summer rides.  As with all GORE products tested, these are of the highest quality and comfort, a perfect fit. And, like before, these bib shorts did not disappoint.

Style: 100942

Color: Black

Fit: Normal Fit

MEN’S SIZING: XS, S, M, L, XL

MSRP: $130 USD

RATING:

https://www.gorewear.com/us/en-us/fernflow-liner-bib-shorts-mens-100942

Designed to be worn under your unpadded trail, MTB or gravel shorts. Wide mesh straps as well as mesh legs keeps you cool on those hot summer days.

HOT:

• Advanced dual-density, dual layered foam seat pad.
• Quick drying materials.
• Silicone hem grippers prevent shorts from riding up.
• Designed with 3 pockets in the rear.
• Super-Stretch meshknit construction.
• Perfect fit, not too tight
• Very comfortableFlat hem seamsQuick dryingHigh Breathability
• Open mesh legs
• Elastic mesh stretch suspenders
• Ideal for road, mtb, gravel

NOT:

• None Identified

This is the latest in the GORE WEAR lineup. A very COMFORTABLE and BREATHABLE bib short using mesh in the legs and suspenders. The mesh REALLY keeps the rider cool.

Designed as padded liner bib shorts, these are so comfortable and cool that I wear them riding my road bike during hot summer rides. Other main uses are wearing them under your off-road shorts.

First Impressions

Opening the package, I noticed how light these bibs are. The next thing I noticed was the open mesh material in the legs and straps. My initial thought was that these bibs will help me stay cool on hot summer rides. They also have Windstopper material in the front and back covering the open mesh, so no need to worry about showing anything you don’t want to.

We have had mostly cool and overcast mornings, so I have been testing these out mainly on the indoor trainer. I consider this a stress test since the indoor rider will get hotter and sweat more than outside. These shorts actually do keep my lower body cooler than regular lycra shorts.

I was able to get out a couple times in the heat and yes, these do work well! Ample 3-way stretch makes these bibs extremely comfortable.

Compared to other brands, these bibs

1. Run fairly true to size.
2. The front is cut similar to other brands.
3. Leg length = see below
4. Silicone grippers in the legs work very well, with no slipping and they are very comfortable.
5. Elastic straps do not have silicon grippers but are comfortable and keep the bibs in place.
   

SIZE	WAIST		HIP		INSEAM
	IN	CM	IN	CM	IN	CM
XS	27.5	70-75	33	84-89	32	81
S	29.75	76-81	35.5	90-95	32.25	82
M	32.25	82-87	37.75	96-101	32.75	83
L	34.75	88-94	40.25	102-107	33	84
XL	37.5	95-102	42.5	108-114	33.5	85
XXL	40.5	103-110	45.25	115-121	34	86

Chamois

2-layer chamois designed for comfort and support on middle (40+ mile) to long-distance (>80 mile) rides.

TOP LAYER: 80 kg/m3 open-cell foam with soft cover sheet for moisture control.

BOTTOM LAYER: 120kg/m3 perforated open cell

MAX PAD THICKNESS: 10.5 mm

Summary

At the writing of this article, I have several months of riding with these bibs. I have found no issue with these extremely comfortable bib shorts, and these are my new favorite bibs.

I recommend these for indoor as well as outdoor rides, whether you ride for 30 minutes or 3+ hours, these will continue to be comfortable.

I’m giving these an overall 5/5-star rating. So far, there has been nothing to complain about, and at $130 retail, these are the best bang for the buck!

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Coach Rick Schultz is an avid cyclist who trains, races and coaches in Southern California. Rick is an engineer by trade, and in addition to being a coach, he’s a bike fitter and prolific product reviewer. He’s the author of Stretching & Core Strengthening for the Cyclist in the RBR eBookstore. Check his product reviews website, www.biketestreviews.com, and his coaching site, www.bikefitnesscoaching.com. Click to read Rick’s full bio.