CANYON MTB PANTS

£126.95

SPECIFICATION

Weight: 544g • Sizes: XS-XXL plus long in M and L • Women’s version: Unisex • Contact: canyon.com

Canyon doesn’t just do bikes – the German direct-sales Goliath has a rapidly expanding range of clothing and accessories to choose from, including these MTB Pants. As you can see by the weight, they are very heavy duty, with a thick polyester fabric that Canyon inexplicably describes as ‘lightweight’. In fact, our sample pair was almost twice the claimed weight from the product page. Part of the reason for that extra weight is that there’s a full mesh liner – something made obsolete by brushed interior fabric. Annoyingly, it’s easy to catch your heel on the liner when taking them off, which pulls the whole thing out.

Given that it’s blended with only 7% elastane, there’s a surprising amount of stretch, which is good considering they are one of the tightest pants on test, with one of the shortest in-seams. Knee-room is minimal, so they do feel a bit restrictive when wearing pads, and the tight fit generates extra friction, creating heat that the fabric just can’t get rid of. And, while there’s a decent DWR coating, they are not waterproof, and the back of the knee is heavily vented, so they’re not particularly suited to winter conditions either.

In terms of features, there’s an Mx-style ratchet waist closure and two zipped hip pockets to keep valuables safe. Canyon hasn’t added an internal phone sleeve, but the pants are so tight your phone can’t go anywhere.

Too hot in the summer, and not waterproof enough for the winter, the Canyon MTB Pants are an odd product that might suit a crisp autumn day, but little else. Factor in the extra weight, and tight fit, and it’s difficult to recommend them compared to options from Rapha and even direct-sales rival, YT.