The Assos H FI.Lady Short is their "basic" short, though there's nothing basic about it and it's more deluxe than many manufacturer's high-end offerings. In fact, if you look around, you'll see several knock-offs of this very short.

Assos starts with a women's-specific version of their legendary S-2 chamois. It's a bit shorter front-to-back, and a bit wider in the sit bones. It has stretch throughout the pad and extra protection in all the right places. When seen in hand, the extra padding doesn't look like much, but when worn, the rearward portion has some extra protection for the sit-bones.

The spandex is stitched into a six-panel design. Unlike many shorts, the six panels are not cut "square" with vertical lines extending perpendicular to the ground, but rather cut curved to better fit the body and minimize bunching. And in front, Assos employs flat-panel stitching down the legs to reduce the stretch of the front panels and give greater compression to the legs. Besides moving less on your skin, the squeeze of the compression has been proven to support your muscles, thereby reducing muscular fatigue over the course of a ride.

Assos equates comfort and high performance. All their products are designed for both, which is appropriate, because it's hard to get the maximum performance out of a body if that body isn't comfortable. Discomfort is a performance-robbing distraction. Besides the chamois, and the cut, the grippers at the bottom of the legs are stitched to the outside of the garment and there is a two-part waistband.

This two-part waistband is something that's pretty rare in cycling shorts. Knowing a waistband that goes around the entire waist can feel restrictive, Assos uses elastic only in the back-half of the short. And the band is a wide one, for better load distribution. In front, they've stitched in a wide, soft, band of spandex that will hug the body and not squeeze it. Assos calls this a "smart waist area." We call it great design.

One note to keep in mind: Assos designs all of their clothing with their AEPD (Assos Ergonomic Pattern Design) philosophy. When you put these shorts on, they will pull and bunch when you're standing straight up looking in the mirror. But they're not designed to be comfortable when you're standing in your bedroom -- rather, they're designed to "click" into place when you're on your bike. When you're on the saddle reaching for the handlebars, that's when you'll experience the beauty of Assos fit.

The Assos H FI.Lady comes in all Black as well as Black back with Blue, Red, Yellow, and White front panels. The grippers and waist remain Black regardless of color.