ALTURA ESKAR TRAIL TROUSER

£75

SPECIFICATION Weight: 279g • Sizes: S-XXL • Colours: black, navy • Contact: altura.co.uk

Part of Altura’s relaunched mtb and gravel range, the Eskar Trail Trouser is a modern riding pant with a slim, tapered cut and four-way stretch fabric. There’s plenty of elasticity to the Eskar, so that it gives decent freedom of movement and allows Altura to keep the cut slim without restricting pedalling, even when wearing kneepads. In terms of fit, it’s not as tight as Fox’s Ranger pants, but closer-fitting than Rapha’s Trail Pants – somewhere in the middle then.

With no waist adjustment, it’s important to get the right size. Our medium sample was bang on for a 36in waist, with the heavy-duty stretch hip panels helping to keep the pants snug, while the offset old-school button fly and small pop-stud ensures the barn door doesn’t fly open inadvertently. For a belt and braces approach, there are also loops around the waist.

There’s reasonable length in the legs and an elasticated ankle cuff keeps the Eskar pants out of the drivetrain and helps with undressing. Altura has also added a Durable Water Repellent coating that’s effective at fending off spray, along with an extended back panel that aims to help prevent mud from splashing inside the pants. With no taped seams, though, we wouldn’t consider them proper winter trousers.

Whether on or off the bike, the Altura Eskar Trail Trousers are very comfortable. They’re subtle enough to wear to the pub, or just for general outdoor activities, but also look the part if you’re after that trendy DH style. At £75 they’re a good price, too. In terms of performance, one simple change could really improve their rating. With only one pocket, the Eskars are really compromised on storage. While you can happily carry a phone, you can’t carry a house or car key separately, so you risk them rattling against each other and getting damaged. The single pocket is also low on the front of the right thigh, which is really annoying when pedalling and moving around. It would be much better on the side of the thigh or even closer to the hip. Add another pocket on the other side and Altura would be onto a winner.

Although the Chromag Synth has a large platform and a good amount of concavity, the grip and feel are a step back from the highly-rated Burgtec Composite MK4. It’s also not as good value, especially when you can get the MK4 online for £36.