Assos has the bike apparel market cornered like Sidi does shoes: They're not trying to entice everyone in the world to ride their stuff, just the folks interested in riding the best stuff. You can never pay too much attention to the touch points of your body and the bike, and with the F.I. Equipe Assos delivers tailored fit and comfort in terms of bib shorts a world ahead of their competition (and we're loath to call it "competition" since Assos is so distantly best-in-class).

What is the F.I. Equipe, and how does it fit in the Assos bib short line? It's actually simpler than you might imagine: Think of it as a slightly modified version of the F.I. Mille A.360 bib short. And before cataloging the modifications, let us detail the things that are identical: For starters, the chamois (what Assos refers to as the "insert") is identical -- it's the legendary Mille "long distance" insert with its slightly thicker profile than the one used on the F.I. 13 S-2 bib. You get the same A.E.P.D. cut of A.360 fabric for a superb balance of lightness and silkiness to the material itself, while still providing you with the same compression effect to support your muscles.

So what's different? It's mainly two things: (1) Aesthetics. It comes in only one color: Black. And unlike the Black version of the A.360, there are no Titanium-colored triangles on its inner thighs. Black means Black! One other cosmetic difference: Instead of the tiny "A" logomark to distinguish it as Assos, you instead get a totally-Pro-looking "Assos" sublimated on each side panel. Which leads us to: (2) The side panel itself is not made from A.360 material because it's more or less impossible to sublimate A.360. Rather, it's more of a traditional Lycra. There's a tactile difference to them. It's not a substantial difference, but you can feel it when you run your fingers over it.

The Equipe comes in Black only, in sizes Small through TIR.