It took six long years of development, but Assos of Switzerland is ready to release their next generation of shorts.
As the successor for their hugely popular S7 family, the S9 comes loaded with features one would expect from the Swiss high end apparel maker. Besides the usage of new technical fabrics, the S9 uses just two panels – a very different way of shaping a bib where we used to count the number of panels one could incorporate. The layered chamois has been redesigned with shaped memory foam to increase comfort and airflow. But that’s not all. Perhaps the most obvious is its bib strap.
Assos calls it A-Lock Engineering. It’s a bracing system made of a few different textiles to get the right amount of stretch in a controlled manner. Instead of having the straps joint to a mesh panel in the rear. Assos replaced it with two crossed straps that extend far down the rear of the bib. The result, according to Assos, is better stability in which the chamois will stay in its place.
Two versions of the S9 bibs will be available to choose from: the Equipe S9 RS will focus on further stability with the addition of the rollBar, a strap that extends from the A-Lock to the chamois to counter horizontal movement as riders shift their weight from left to right. The second bib, called the Equipe S9 RSR, will forgo the rollBar in favor of shaving a bit of weight off and will instead rely solely on a higher compression fabric for stabilization.
Price has yet to be announced but the S9 bibs will be available nationwide in January 2019 along with the full collection of Assos’ race-oriented Equipe RS collection.
