Review: Terry Bellas, the Silky Sister of the Bella Prima

This review is part of the “Bottoms Up” series of reviews of Terry biking bottoms in the performance category.

I put my Bellas on today with the intention of gathering notes for this review while on my ride, and then I forgot about them. They felt so comfortable that I wasn’t aware of them at all during my ride. This was on a standard ~20-mile ride from my house, on road, to a trail head, with a loop of trail, and then back on road to my house. I rode my XC bike today since my gravel bike is in the shop at the moment. Because I was on an XC bike and there was no need for getting aero, I wore a pair of shorts over the regular-length 8.5″ inseam Bellas.

Bellas shine for me as a go-to, forget-about-them, everyday chamois for road, trail, and gravel riding. Personally, I would reach for them for any workday training ride and up to a medium-length weekend ride (3-4 hours or so).

I think of Bellas as the “little sister” of the Bella Prima short, which are my first choice performance high-compression chamois bottoms for longer rides and races. While I think the Bellas have a tiny bit less compression than the Primas, Bellas have something that the Primas don’t: silkiness. I didn’t know that I wanted silkiness until I had it, and now that I have it I want it everywhere. Bellas have a “satiny matte” finish that is buttery and somewhat addictive. (The Bella Max also has the same silky finish, with slightly longer legs and a pocket!)

Pad: The Bella pad, called the Flex Air, is my second favorite performance pad in Terry’s collection. From the website, “Unique to Terry, the Flex Air offers the best shape and construction for women. Seamless chamois with 4-way stretch Elastic Interface Technology provides freedom of movement on the saddle; multi-level foam padding is perforated for increased breathability; light, channeled microfiber fabric in Terry pink is antimicrobial and enhances moisture transfer; soft wing construction reduces bulk at inner thigh to avoid chafing. Made in Italy.” For training rides and days in the saddle that are more predictable timing-wise, I like this chamois. If I’m racing or the day could go sideways from 4-6+ hours, I prefer the Bella Prima shorts with the Flex Air Carbon chamois. At first glance, the two pads appear very similar: same shape and size and a similar thickness feeling. But up close, the Bella Prima’s pad appears more airy and perforated than the regular Bella pad, and it is made of a different material. If you need more absorption or to keep things drying out, that could sway you more toward the Bella Prima short. See Terry’s chamois comparison chart for images of all their pads and more details.

Feel & Function: Terry calls the Bellas “high compression” shorts, but I would also classify them as comfortable compression. Maybe it’s that satiny finish playing tricks on my mind, but they feel less compressive and structured to me than the Bella Primas do. They have the same waistband as the Bella Prima: it lays flat, tucks me in, and stays up nicely. I’m a fan. The other noticeable “feel” difference is in the leg grippers. At the bottom of the legs on the inside, there is a thin ribbon of silicone that keeps the legs from moving. I find myself manually adjusting the grippers after I pull the shorts on because they are so grippy and I want them in just the right spot, but once there they stay put. I do prefer the wider band of silicone dots on the Bella Prima, which has less of an elastic-band feel, yet when I say the regular Bellas are so comfortable that I forget about them mid-ride, that goes for the leg gripper, too. Did I mention how much I love their silky feeling? Bella also work superbly as an mtb liner short. They are easy to pull on and off.

Look: If you’re in cycling chamois shorts with a pad, you have chamois butt. However, not all chamois-butts are equally ridiculous looking. On the body, Bellas look great, a lot like the Bella Primas do. I like their paneling and stitches that help make these shorts more flattering. You can even order grey stitching or pink stitching as a highlight feature (personally, I love the black stitching). Here’s a big difference between the Bellas and the Bella Primas: Because the Bellas have a strong ribbon of silicone gripping the thigh, they have a more pronounced grip of the thigh than the Bella Primas with their wide band of tiny silicone dots. When I pull them on, I have to adjust the gripper to where I want it on my thigh.

Sizing: They are true to your measured size. I am at the top end of Terry’s measurements for small bottoms (waist 28, and hips 36.5-37) and I am happy with a size small. I would even go so far as to say that there is still some extra give in the material in the size small when I am on the bike, but I don’t think I could get away with an XS (nor do I really want to try to squeeze into an XS).

My overall impression of the Bellas is that I am so taken by their buttery silkiness, comfortable compression, performance, and tendency to disappear from my bodily radar while riding that they are pretty perfect for any ride up to 3-4 hours long. Use them for road biking, gravel riding, and mountain biking, and wear them alone (they have style) or under shorts or pants on trail rides.