If you asked us the last time that we’d seen a pair of bib shorts which featured six separate fabrics in their construction, you’d be looking at our blank stares. However, the Giordana FormaRed Carbon Bib Shorts are made with just that amount. But, don’t think that Giordana is simply adding fabric for fabric’s sake. Instead, the materials are specifically placed in order to continue the FormaRed Carbon’s dominance as one of the best feeling, and certainly best fitting, bib shorts ever created. Starting with the bulk of the shorts’ construction, Giordana went with its compressive HC-44 fabric. With a nylon/Lycra composition weight of 180g/m2, the FormaRed Carbon (FRC) bib shorts take on a nearly medical compression level (240g/m2). And while dissecting the fabric title, we find that ‘HC’ designates ‘high-compression,’ while ’44’ stands for the material’s threads per centimeter (TPC). As Giordana puts it, the highest prior thread count hovered around 36 TPC. This means that, compared to most competition, the HC-44 is softer, more conforming, and has a higher level of wicking capability. And remarkably, HC-44 achieves this at a lighter weight than most Lycra blends. Why is this important? Well, if you’ve worn compressive fabrics, you’ll have noticed that they’re heavy in comparison to traditional Lycra. HC-44 encompasses their key traits, like inhibiting muscle oscillation and promoting a positive circulation, without the detriment of a weighty, poorly-breathing composition. Moving to the inner legs and seat panel, Giordana placed an even stronger fabric called Zaffiro. This material is a certified Power Lycra with a composition weight of 200g/m2. But, unlike HC-44, Zaffiro features a purposefully denser weave with Giordana’s SUPER 40 construction technology. This guarantees a continuation of HC-44’s aforementioned characteristics, only with a higher level of durability and friction-reduction at the highest points of saddle abrasion.