Test: The Scottish cycling clothing manufacturer Enduro is not very well known in this country. On the island it has stood for inexpensive and at the same time high-quality functional clothing for many years. Our test clarifies whether the British also live up to this reputation with the Endura Thermolite Biblong winter trousers.
The trousers from Endura come across as pretty simple. Lots of black, two small reflective flags on the leg ends and a white Endura print - the bib shorts are not particularly exciting from a purely visual point of view, but if the performance is right, few people should care. The in-house Thermolite material is used on the well-made pants. What's interesting here is that Endura doesn't use a mix of materials like many of its competitors, but rather the entire pant consists of the same membrane. Two layers are only used on the thighs and knees. The reason for this lies in the special nature of the Thermolite material: Although it is not 100% windproof like many products from the competition, it should still keep you warm even at low temperatures - the later practical test will show how well this works.
As is now common practice, a mesh fabric is used for the back and the straps, which has absolutely nothing to complain about. Otherwise, the workmanship is consistently high and doesn't have to hide behind the high-priced competition: Clean seams and high-quality, durable prints know how to please. Only the zippers on the legs are a bit notchy.
The Endura surprises us positively with the fit: The black bib shorts fit very well and the material doesn't feel like winter trousers at all: It is stretchy and never seems rigid or constricting - here the Thermolite Biblong can also stand up to significantly more expensive competition. The seat padding, on the other hand, is very simple and a bit too thick for our taste: it offers a lot of comfort, but it is a little uncomfortable and it also causes a bit of a diaper feeling. Fans of loops on the leg ends can be happy: the straps, which are increasingly disappearing from the market, can still be found on the Endura and ensure the right fit, even if it takes a little longer to put them on.
So how do the Endura pants fare in practice? In view of the omission of completely windproof materials mentioned at the beginning, we were curious. The first thing you notice is the very soft, almost fluffy, roughened inside: our legs immediately feel warm. We get on the bike in temperatures just above freezing and are once again surprised by the very good performance of the pants: we stay nice and warm without getting uncomfortably hot. After a while, however, some gusts of wind hit us and, as expected, the material is a bit springy here: it feels a little like the cold is pressing into your pants. However, if the wind drops again, we stay nice and warm even at higher speeds. The all-encompassing Teflon coating of the pants is also great, which makes the Endura Thermolite Biblong completely water-repellent, whether on the front or back, thighs or calves.
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