On chilly days where tights are easily dismissed as overkill, and knee warmers are utterly lacking, the Assos tK.607_S5 Bib Knickers are the simple solution. Insulated to keep your muscles and joints warm, the tK.607_S5 provide the same plateau of Assos quality as the summer-weight T.607_S5 -- only now you get the pinnacle of cool weather protection.

Assos' tK.607_S5 bib knickers use a combination of the exclusive RXQ and stratagonUltra fabrics. The bulk of the construction uses RXQ -- a fabric that starts its life as the illustrious Roubaix material. Moving inward from the side panels, RXQ creates a heightened level of insulation. This is due to what Assos calls its 3D air channel structure. Basically, this open structure creates a micro air cushion between the skin and the fabric. While this creates an insulation layer that's capable of retaining your natural body heat, you don't suffer from sweat in the same way that you do with other fabrics of similar characteristics. RXQ is a low-density, low-volume fabric, so breathability is kept high to maintain even thermo-regulation and dryness. At the abdominal and inner-leg areas, Assos placed its windproof stratagonUltra material. While this obviously takes the bite off of chilly winds, Assos explains that, oddly enough, this reduces your 'need to pee.'

As impressive as the Assos fabric lineup is, the true Assos signature is in its precision fit. Utilizing what Assos calls its Advanced Ergonomic Pattern Design (AEPD) racing cut, the tK.607_S5 benefits from the most thought out designing process in the business. Assos is the first to tell you that high-end materials mean nothing if the cut is bad. That's why it's spent a maddening amount of time on two points of study -- how the body is shaped, and how it changes throughout the movements of cycling. Accordingly, the AEPD cut is made for the shape of cycling, not standing (just a little something to remember when you try it on). With the tK.607_S5, the cut greets the contours of your body and adds a slight compression to aid in muscle recovery and stabilization. It's worth noting that AEPD achieves this without adding a sensation of pressure. Further along these lines, the leg grippers use a no-pressure elastic. To achieve this gentle grip, Assos integrated them with the fabric of the knickers instead of placing them inside the hem. Altogether, the characteristics of AEPD make the knickers 'click' into place for the ultimate in cycling fit.

For the chamois, the tK.607_S5 has been given the Assos exclusive FI.Mille_S5 elastic interface insert. Now, you've probably heard of CyTech's Elastic Interface Technology, but guess who's engineers spearheaded the project? That's right, Assos'. Designed to follow the body in motion, the FI.Mille_S5 uses a variable density throughout the chamois to support the regions that need the most support, without impacting the ones that don't. The support focus is primarily placed at the perineal, ischial, and gluteal areas -- the points most prone to distress from saddle pressure and compression. With its anatomic design, the FI.Mille creates an abrasion-free support that promotes an increased circulation by protecting nerves like the pudendal. Further along these lines, FI.Mille's waffle texture also works to dissipate any heat. Even more impressive, the insert is road-specific. Assos engineers realize that saddles and saddle positions vary throughout different disciplines of cycling, and the insert's chamois density patterns are mindful of the specific pressures of road cycling.

The Assos tK.607_S5 Bib Knickers are available in the color Black Volkanga and in six sizes from Small to TIR. These bib knickers fall under Assos' Clima Range 4, or in human speak, fall/early winter. According to Assos, they're ideal in temperature ranges between 59 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Head over to the official Assos website for more information on the Assos Layering System.