Assos Mille GTO Summer Bib shorts: First Look

With its new Mille GTO Summer Bib shorts, Assos aim for a radically elevated level of comfort, inspired by the unique demands of long distance riding. With an updated chamois, improved primary textiles and newly constructed straps and leg panels, the GTO bibs aim to be a cut above all iterations that have come before them.

Assos have long been renowned for paying extra attention to detail when it comes to bib shorts, ensuring you don’t clamber off the bike feeling like you’ve just been punched below the belt by Muhammad Ali. The apparel brand has a wealth of experience, helping its riders to over 400 Olympic and World Championship medals, developing and refining garments with the world’s very best athletes. 

Related: Qhubeka-Assos – The Unlikely Giro Success Story

The predecessor of the new GTO design, the S7 Cento, featured a soft fabric section to keep men's crown jewels cozy and friction-free. Our bits and pieces are uppermost in Assos’s designers’ minds. And in a good way. While the GTO design carries the best features of the S7 Cento, the newer bibs come with exciting technological changes as Assos aim to create the perfect bibs for endurance riding.

Plush is the keyword Assos employ for the GTO, and in these days of ultra-distance riding and mixed-surface adventures, it’s a good word to hear. Starting with what your backside will be resting on, the Assos insert is a three-layer construction, tackling shock absorption, moisture build up and breathability respectively.

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The insert also features a newly-developed textile called Losanga, forming a non-pressured environment for the delicate package contained up front. Ossidia, first introduced with the Mille GTS short, forms the remainder of the design, with ultra-thin yarns providing muscle support via a modicum of compression. In theory, this should also help performance: the compression is said to help reduce muscle fatigue. 

The shorts are designed to hold up well in hot conditions, with new sunDeck superlight technology providing some extra room and ensuring maximum ventilation.The icing on the cake is reversed stitch lines to reduce any possible friction, as well as Assos’s rollBar technology in the back of the shorts helping hold the seat pad in place. 

The GTO straps and leg panels have a strong focus on stability: each leg panel features a louvreTec darted construction, which tapers down the outside of each thigh for a custom, wrinkle-free compressive hold. Not only does this avoid any potential chafing where the material could gather, it also will ensure a strong tan line in the summer months. The raw cut hem, Skingrip finish and minimal branding finish off an understated and sleek look.

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On the surface, the Mille GTOs might look like a plain pair of shorts, but the precise attention to detail and impressive innovation means they could revolutionise the world of bib shorts. 

As a premium brand, Assos’s new bibs don’t come cheap. They’re at the top of the Total Comfort line, representing the most luxurious Assos shorts yet. But, there’s one adage regarding cycling apparel that bears repeating on a regular basis: never, ever, skimp on shorts. The foundation block of happy riding; the keystone of miles with smiles. A comfy undercarriage is top of the priority list when it comes to spending hours in the saddle.

To top it off, for those of us with long shanks who invariably end up looking ridiculous in standard-length shorts, there’s the added bonus of an extra 3cm version in the leg department. All in all, plenty of reasons to be cheerful.

Shop the Mille GTO Summer Bib shorts here