Bike Perfect Verdict
Decent levels of trail comfort and big storage capacity make these a good buy, the fact they are often discounted heavily sweetens the deal
Pros
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Comfortable fit
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Thin pad
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Very competitively priced
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Huge, easy-to-access pockets
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Almost always discounted
Cons
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Rear pockets sit low and can flap when riding
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Thin pad
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Long legs could interfere with pads
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No fly
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Alongside their range of well-priced performance bikes and components, Nukeproof also does a wide range of clothing and apparel to match. Blackline is Nukeproof’s ‘premium’ trail collection, although it’s considerably more affordable than most top-of-the-range kit around. Like the rest of Nukeproof’s riding clothing, the Blackline Storage bib liner is designed and developed in Belfast and offers a high performance-to-price ratio.
The Blackline Storage bib liner has enough performance to easily take a spot in our best MTB liner shorts thanks to their comfortable pad, decent fit, and plentiful storage options.
Design and specifications
The Blackline Storage bib has a tidy construction using two different types of material for various different panels with neat stitching holding it all together. There is a thicker Miti fabric used down the front of the shorts and up the rear of the shorts. Mesh panels are positioned down the side of each leg and the upper portion of the back. Deep but lightly elasticated cuffs feature a silicon print to hold the legs in place.
For the pad inside the shorts, Nukeproof has reached out to chamois specialist Elastic Interface. The chamois is a MTB Performance 2 pad that is expected to deliver comfort for seven-plus hours of riding.
There are three pockets on the rear and another on the outside of each leg. The rear pockets are half sewn into the back of the shorts rather than fully anchored to avoid overlapping with your waistband.
Nukeproof offers a couple of different pattern designs with a gold splatter design and a Day of the Dead design. Although considering this is a strict undergarment, it's really only for your eyes or those who catch a glance of you awkwardly changing in the trailhead car park.
Performance
Pads in bib liners are always going to be a personal preference but I found the one fitted to the Blackline Storage bib liners is a good middle ground in terms of thickness. Comfort was good even on long rides and I have even used them for bikepacking trips too.
The overall fit of the shorts is also a really good balance of relaxed yet supportive too. Bib straps sit comfortably over the shoulders and there is plenty of stretch to assure a close fit without any bunching. The legs are a little long if you are wearing pads, that said I didn’t suffer from any conflicts of interest layering the legs over the top of the pads, but it's worth keeping in mind. Whether the hems were overlapped with pads or against the skin they did a good job of staying in place while riding. Mesh panels did a reasonable job of keeping temperatures manageable, although they aren’t as cool wearing some of the more meshy designs.
The rear pockets are a really good size and capable of swallowing loads of stuff, only half sewing the pockets on means the depth is particularly good, especially if you want to store longer items like a mini pump in there. It does mean the pockets can have a tendency to bounce around a bit if they are packed with small heavy items and not weighed down by clothing. While this can be a little distracting, I haven't lost any items while riding. They also sit quite low so if your riding jersey is on the short side, the bottom of the pockets might stick out a little.
As I prefer riding in the best MTB pants, rather than shorts, leg pockets are less important to me. However, they offer a good amount of storage which I found particularly useful for bars and other slim-shaped snacks. The leg pockets have a dividing stitch at the hem of the pocket, I'm not sure what its function is and it can make removing items a little trickier.
Verdict
The Nukeproof Blackline Storage bib liner is a great buy and the fact that the $90 / £75 asking price is regularly sweetened with big discounts on Wiggle or Chain Reaction Cycles. That means they are often some of the cheapest MTB cargo bib liners around.
There is a lot to like about the Blackline Storage bib liners too. The thin pad adds enough comfort for a long day on the trails and, other than the legs being too long when worn with pads, I found the fit to be very good. Mesh helps regulate temperature and there’s loads of usable storage from the rear and leg pockets. You do need to pack the rear pockets carefully though as they can flap a little when loaded with heavier items, that said I never lost anything out of them while riding.
Tech specs: Nukeproof Blackline Storage bib liner
- Price: $90 / £75
- Materials: 80% Polyamide, 20% Elastane
- Colors: Black, Black/Gold, Day of the Dead
- Size availability: S to XXL
