Know your shorts
FLY
Buttons, buckles and poppers – not the stomach contents of an 80’s raver, but different ways of fastening a fly. Whichever method is used, it needs to be quick and easy to fasten and unfasten, as well as secure. The last thing you want are your shorts falling down when you have to get off the back of the bike on a steep chute.
POCKETS
As riding packless has become increasingly popular, useful pockets have become more and more important on trail shorts. You don’t want huge cargo pockets that let you carry around the kitchen sink, as these will just flap against your thighs, but you do want enough space for a phone and a key at the bare minimum. Ideally the pockets should keep the contents secure against your body so they don’t rattle around.
CUT WAIST ADJUSTER
To add an element of adjustability, and room for a post-ride slice of cake, most shorts come with some form of waist adjuster.
These can be subtle and hidden or external and easy-to-access.
Fashions come and go, and with them hem lengths. Most trail shorts now have a relatively tailored, slim-line cut with a length at or around the knee. While length is really down to personal preference, it does depend to some extent on whether or not you wear kneepads. Too high and the short can ride up above the pad and expose an unflattering band of skin – known as the pad gap.
FABRIC
All the shorts tested here use some variation of nylon/polyester/elastane mix. On average there’s around 10-15 per cent elastane to add sufficient stretch to the fabric. Flatlock seams are popular to join panels of material as they are strong and low profile, so there’s less rubbing on bare skin. Some shorts are now ultrasonically welded, or taped, which not only creates a more waterproof join, but is also impressively unobtrusive, eliminating chafing altogether.
VENTILATION
Zipped vents let you tune the amount of cooling air that can enter your shorts on a hot day, but these add weight and cost. So the latest trend is for laser-cut holes around the inside thigh.
DURABLE WATER REPELLENT
Known as DWR. This is a treatment, or coating, added to the fabric to make water bead on the surface and run away, rather than pool and be absorbed. It’s useful on shorts to prevent an uncomfortable wet bottom while pedalling.