Review: La Passione Dreamer Bib Shorts
(2024) There are cycling garment companies atop the quality list that have continued to specifically improve their premium bibs. La Passione, an Italian-based cycling product company, certainly resides at the top of the list of premium quality cycling gear. After several unseasonably warm days in the northeast of the United States, we collected enough information to shine some light on the Dreamer bib shorts.
La Passione has set out to create quality cycling gear that meets the needs of the most demanding riders. There is intense attention to detail within each La Passione piece. Their colorways are simple yet noticeable. Every line has a reserved, dependable color like black or navy blue while exhibiting a bolder color such as Sugar Blue or Evo Sunset. They are solid color kits with minimal features of four reflective dots to aid in identifying La Passione fabrics. It is the minimalist design that keeps us coming back to La Passione.
We set the expectations of the Dreamer bib shorts quite high. Based on our satisfaction with La Passione’s entry level Club bib shorts alongside their top-of-the-line Prestige, we knew what to expect from the Italian cycling manufacturer: quality fabrics, comfortable design and fit, lightweight construction, and the utmost dependability. These were our expectations of La Passione. Other companies are doing well if they meet three out of four of those expectations.
In a blindfold test, most people would be able to identify La Passione bib shorts on feel alone. The soft material is a dead giveaway. Where other companies have a dazzle feel to their fabric, La Passione bibs feel silky soft and substantial construction. Per La Passione’s website, the bib shorts weigh a cloud-like 170 grams. La Passione has followed other companies by eliminating mesh around the suspender connection area, reducing the overall weight. While wearing the Dreamer bib shorts, they feel independently light while also providing a barrier to the outside world. Somehow these bibs are light and strong at the same time.
Should this summer be the year of the longest ride ever, the Dreamer bib shorts would be the kit of choice. The chamois offers nine millimeters of foam yet it feels incredibly thin. Further, the back of the chamois feels clipped, preventing the dreaded rear end shelf that tends to happen when standing in line at the coffee stop. Yet again La Passione manages to eliminate material while improving comfort. Meanwhile the bib straps were the lowest profile of any ever tested. They simply could not be felt through the jersey, though they remained in place each and every ride. Even the minimalist silicon strips at the bottom of the bibs are smartly selected. Small trinkets of quality add up to make far rides possible, especially for arguably the most important piece of cycling gear.
The Dreamer bib is clearly made with the utmost quality. Using four panels of Italian fabric, these bib shorts could be in rotation for several years. Of all the companies we’ve collected at creakybottombracket.com, only La Passione’s bibs have avoided the dreaded transparency fate. Their quality fabrics stand the test of time. Even older La Passione bib fabrics have resisted stretching at the contact point, an issue that becomes frustrating when trying to return to the saddle.
Our days out in the Dreamer bibs reinforced La Passione’s naming of the gear. While testing them in abnormal springtime temperatures, we dreamt of upcoming summer epic rides now coming into view because of the calendar, but also because of these bibs. Each pedal stroke was isolated in thought because we forgot we even had these bibs on. This notion highlights where other bibs slack in an area or two. We know certain bibs are there because they fall short in one category, but La Passione’s bibs have continued to deliver mile after mile, season after season, year after year.
It’s always a great time to test out new gear, especially when it’s La Passione kit. The bibs deliver in quality, comfort, construction, and dependability. We can add one more attribute to the list - the addition of longer rides. Any time a cycling company creates gear that elongates the cycling experience is operating in the realm of premium quality.
