Choosing the Best Cycling Tights – It’s a Matter of Degree.
Rain, wind, extreme cold, low light, or a mix of all are no problem with the right cycling tight. This season we once again scoured the cycling universe to bring you the very best in women’s cycling tights for all conditions.
We also put cycling tights to the test in some pretty extreme conditions from wet road surfaces to frigid temperatures. While the option always exists for layering a shell tight over bike shorts, our testers favor the integrated, dedicated cycling tights with chamois. The main reason is less bulk, and therefore a reduction in the potential for chafing at waist, back of knee, and through the crotch, where multiple fabric layers can be extra problematic.
Years of development and sourcing have resulted in what we think is a pretty comprehensive array of options – and the best cycling tights for female cyclists. If you’re a serious rider trying to eke out every rideable day possible, you’ll get your money’s worth out of any one of these bike tights choices.
Best Cycling Tights for Touring and 35º – 60º
Coolweather Tights $139-$149
Coolweather are our best cycling tights for mostly dry, above freezing conditions. Not only are these good for a wide temperature range, we make them for a wide variety of riders (petite, regular, tall and plus). They’re not thermal but the fabric is a densely knitted tri blend designed to wick extremely well. We’ve also added a new option this season with our most padded chamois (Flex Air Tour) designed for all day in the saddle. These will be in the kit for any bike trips the next 6 months.
Castelli Velocissima $130
A lightweight thermal option for mild to cool conditions. Features a combination of warm fleecy fabric, premium pad, technical details, all-around visibility and a new darrk nightshade color that’s next level.
Classic Tights $140
Sportful offers a sculpted fit in a lightweight, breathable thermal fleece with high compression and stretch. Distances of any length are doable thanks to an excellent chamois. Available in black or the much more exciting galaxy blue shown here.
Wayfarer $160
Wayfarer in garnet is new for the ’23 season. Two generous side pockets and satiny UPF 50+ compression fabric make this the supreme choice for an all-season touring tight.
Best Bike Tights for 30º – 50º
Thermal Tights, best cycling tights for mixed weather conditions
Lots of great choices here, all made of a fleece-backed fabric that adds loft and warmth. All three are five-star rated and offer slightly different fits as well as differences in chamois. Of course we’re biased toward our own Thermal Tight, one of our newest introductions, but the others are great options, too.
$130
Recently updated with a handy leg pocket and our ridiculously comfortable soft wing chamois. Wind resistant, water repellent and warm.
Castelli Sorpasso $210
Castelli’s top of the line women’s tight, with a great mix of warmth, stretchy compression, windblock and water repellency. This is the tight that keeps you protected and riding comfortably in the widest possible range of conditions (namely, hail on Beartooth pass). Reflective accents and all-day chamois seal the deal.
Total Comfort $200
Sportful’s ultimate tight for women. Designed for riding in the depths of winter, it’s made of a heavyweight, brushed stretch fabric with 4-needle stitching, and wind– and waterproof paneling below the knee. It’s a workhorse tight with a wide mesh waistband designed to keep the main parts of you dry when you’re working your hardest. Our extremely cold mountain bike adventures put this beauty to the test and she delivered.
Best Cycling Tights for 20º – 50º
Windfront Tights, great for the coldest and/or wettest conditions
These are as good as it gets for the absolute coldest temperatures and the ones we recommend as the best cycling tights for the worst weather.
Terry Winter Tight $160
Our warmest tight yet, designed for the worst conditions. Up front, Polartec Hardface WindPro jersey/velour with DWR water repellency and polymer surface to shed moisture and block wind; Powerstretch Pro in rear for stretch and moisture management. Fully windproof and highly water resistant. Now available in petite length for shorter riders and unpadded for layering and off-bike use.
The new Meno from Castelli is a super padded option designed for harsh temperatures ranging from 25-50 degrees. The fabric combination is what makes this tight divine: AirFlex Thermo fabric in the front is completely windproof and has maximum stretch to support serious riding; Thermoflex Core2 in the rear delivers both heat retention properties and excellent moisture wicking; soft, fleecy, warm insulation is featured throughout.
Best Bike Tights for Visibility
Psychlotight $160
Hi-Viz where it counts – studies show visibility is most effective at lower limbs in motion. The Psychlotight is suited for rides at 40° and up, in a compression fabric with a lovely next to skin feel.
$120
Hits of hi-viz neon at rear calves add just enough to make you a spectacle in low light. What’s more is that these are made of a proprietary thermal fabric with performance characteristics (and a Windstopper lining in the chamois area) you’d expect from GORE. We find this to be an excellent fitting tight that can easily ride into the high 30’s.
Best Bike Tights for Sun Protection
Soleil $140 $109
Designed for use year round to keep the damaging effects of the sun at bay. Lightweight, silky UPF50+ fabric does not rely on coatings to block the sun, so they will hold up long term. A best seller – current stocks may be running low.
Breakaway $110
An economical choice for full sun protection that extends comfort down to moderately chilly conditions. Silky performance fabric, comfortable fit, chamois ready for a full day’s cycling.
Best Choice When Bike Tights Aren’t Enough
GTX Endure Pant $200
Easily packable, and tough enough to take on a torrential downpour. Extremely breathable and robustly waterproof and windproof, with a cycling-specific cut, they’re the secret weapon for all-season riding.
Transit Bike Pant $155
Transit Pant by Showers Pass is waterproof and rugged and made with a 3-layer waterproof, breathable Artex material. A generous helping of reflective trim keeps you visible during low light hours.
How to Choose The Best Cycling Tights For Your Needs
Cycling tights give you full length protection from chilly or freezing weather, or from the sun. Consider the weight of the fabric to suit the range of conditions you’ll be riding in.
To pad or not to pad.
Unpadded tights are normally worn over your cycling shorts or liners, giving the advantage of being useful for other off-bike purposes. The disadvantage is that double layers of fabric can add to friction and bulk which we like to avoid.
Padded tights are cycling specific and a lovely way to go full length without the added bulk of fabric and seams over seams which can cause friction and chafing.
Evaluate the fabric.
A range of options exist, from thermal wind-protective, fleece interior Winter Tights (20-40º), to 3-season, moisture wicking Coolweather Tights (30-50º+). Neither are waterproof, so consider adding a GORE-TEX® shell (pant or short) as an outer layer if faced with wet conditions.
Seam placement.
Pay attention to placement of the seams on cycling tights. Poor placement can lead to chafing, particularly around and behind the knee.
Select the proper size.
Cycling tights should fit tightly, with no bagging or sagging fabric that will catch on your saddle.
Length is important of course, since we’re all shaped a little differently. Our most popular Terry bike tights are available in different lengths to suit taller or shorter riders. If in doubt, our customer service team will be happy to point you in the right direction.
Match your cycling tights to the riding conditions.
Choose fabric weight, lining and water resistance to the weather and road or trail conditions you expect.
Shop our complete selection of bike tights here.
Check out our “how to choose” articles on cycling shorts and cycling knickers, and if you find this information helpful please share with your friends!
Love my Castelli Vellocissima and the Gore tight with windstopper. I ride down into the 30’s in Colorado for several hours on each ride. I tend to run cold and these help keep my rides more comfortabel.
There aren’t enough options for taller riders. I ordered the winter tights last year and the description said they ran long. Nothing could be further from the truth. They were so short I could only wear them with leg warmers. Disappointing. Too many tights with a 28” inseam and not enough with a 30” inseam. If SheBeest still made long tights I’d buy all my winter tights from them.
Thank you for your feedback, Rosemary. I’ll pass your comments along to the team. Thank you for shopping Terry!
Thank you for this…I need the temperature breakdown and so appreciate. I am very cold natured and actually wear two thermal tights, both maybe years old. So when someone says 30-50, I may need 20 degrees. This is very helpful. Adding the degrees to your catalog would be a great addition too!