Domino Bib Short
By Jon Sharp

Although we both refer to what we ride as bikes, Cyclists have little in common with Harley-Davidson owners. There is one thing we do have in common: crashes can be bad. Although most of the time cyclists don’t travel quite as fast as motorcycles, we are every bit as exposed as their riders. As a means of protecting themselves, they often wear leather gear from head to toe. We, on the other hand, wear a thin layer of Lycra. The only area that has extra padding is the one area that is very unlikely to hit the pavement. At last, someone decided to address this issue, and tried to bridge some of the gap between the two groups of "bikers." A new company, Domino, was born, and with it came bib shorts with leather panels for protection.

The problem, of course, is that leather, on the whole, isn't a great material to make shorts out of. Though it's fantastic at abrasion resistance, it isn't stretchy enough, and is a bit hotter than polyester Lycra. Domino, by bonding supple leather to a more stretchy fabric, has managed to create leather that is comfortable, and stretchy—albeit only in one direction. Because you are less likely to get a bad road rash on the inside of your legs, they therefore made an anatomically shaped panel out of this leather only on the side-to-rear part of the bibs. This is an area that seems to tolerate less stretch better than other areas. By positioning the leather just right, it actually provides good support in one direction, and adequate stretch in the other.

The chamois they use is a standard multi-density variety. It is comfortable, but less so than a stretch chamois. The bib uppers are made of a fine Lycra mesh that breathes quite well. The Lycra used in the rest of the shorts felt fine, but looked thin to me. I worry about the durability, though I haven't seen any signs of wear. In fact, besides the general aging of the leather as I wash it—which, they've assured me, is just cosmetic—these shorts have shown no signs of wear.

I found the Domino Bibs unobtrusive. That is, once riding, I completely forgot about the leather. Presumably, I would have remembered after a crash, but I never had the chance to try that feature out. One note about the leather: Because it doesn't stretch like the rest of the material does, I blame it for the unusual riding up of the chamois that I consistently experience with these. I have never had that problem with any other shorts—which is why I think it isn't the chamois. I found I could minimize this by not hiking up the shorts as far as I normally would pre-ride, but still encountered it from time to time.

Summary: The Domino bibs are a well made short with a bit of a twist to it. Not only do they maintain the traditional cycling look, but they have the added benefit of leather for protection. Domino also makes a standard (non-bib) version, and baggies. I don’t really see Harley-Davidson owners rushing out to buy these, but perhaps we are one step closer to truly having common ground between us.

Jon Sharp is a contributing editor for GearReview.com who believes bib shorts look manly. Read his blog.

For more information, contact:
Domino
info@ridedomino.com