In September 2018, Assos announces the S9 generation. This is more than an update — it’s a generational shift. The S7, on the market since December 2013 and an industry standard within five years, is being replaced. The new Equipe RS S9 hits stores in January 2019.
What changes
A-Lock Engineering is the core concept. Every fabric panel, every strap and every seam is designed to keep the shorts and chamois in position — even when the rider gets out of the saddle, accelerates out of the saddle or leans into a descent. That sounds obvious, but it wasn’t. Pad slipping and shifting is the most common problem with bib shorts.
The rollBar is the most visible part of this solution: a stabilising element in the straps that restricts vertical movement of the pad. It works together with the ergoBox — a three-dimensional construction in the crotch area — and the Butterfly cut pattern, which uses just two main panels. One large panel wraps both legs and converges at the back.
Two variants: RS and RSR
The Equipe RS offers the full A-Lock system with rollBar. The Equipe RSR does without the rollBar to save weight — for riders who prioritise maximum lightness over maximum stabilisation. Same textiles, same pad, different strap system.
Assessment
The S7 shaped the modern bib shorts market: goldenGate, Memory Foam, floating chamois. The S9 answers a different question — not “how does the pad feel?” but “does it stay where it belongs?”. Six years of development for an answer you feel within the first ten minutes of riding.