You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I'm after a goldilocks short- Light material with DWR on the front panels, but a goretex or similar arse-zone to prevent being perma soggy on long days. Breathability is a must, to stop Betty Swallocks making an appearance.
This is for longer rides/bikepacking in the uk. I find it doesn't really matter what I wear on rides < 50k. Price isn't too important, but durability is!
I have owned;
endura singletrack 2- great short, lasted well but when it got wet never dried. Causes sweaty crotch syndrome in hotter months. Eventually ripped on the arse after 2.5 yrs. DWR doesn't work on back panels (it won't on any short once it's splattered in mud.)
endura singletrack 3- same as above, but still going strong.
Fox Flexair lite- Light and comfy, great in summer. Dry quickly when they wet out. Arse stitching failing after 6 months.
Alpine stars- some light model short- comfy and wicking, but died after a few months use, fairly hopeless.
Endura MT500 Spray has waterproof seat area and the rest is DWR-coated.
ah is it actually waterproof!? I looked at those but it only mentioned DWR. I'll have another look, cheers!
Very impressed with my new Madison Zenith 4-season DWR shorts.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Madison-Zenith-DWR-Waterproof-Shorts/dp/B079RK3BQQ?th=1
They are just what you sppear to be after.
Can't speak to durability, but they seem v sturdy.
Endura MT500 has been my go-to short for grotty weather for a while.
What's the sizing like on the MT500's?
+1 on the Madison. I wore mine for 3 weeks solid on a long tour, were great i.e I never noticed them
Madison are good but size big and are slightly too baggy imo.
I’m after a goldilocks short- Light material with DWR on the front panels, but a goretex or similar arse-zone to prevent being perma soggy on long days. Breathability is a must, to stop Betty Swallocks making an appearance.
I have several pairs of the Pearl Izumi summit shorts, they are a nice fit (slim fit in the leg), DWR all over but dont have the bum panel, they are nice and breathable and stretchy for real comfort.
Odd I aslo had some of the Flex Airs that only lasted a handful of rides before the stitching has all started to come apart. Must be a common problem. Shame as they're one of my favourites.
Very impressed with my new Madison Zenith 4-season DWR shorts.
I find mine too sweaty.
Reserved for cold and wet days.
OP do you use a a mudhugger?
[Madison Zenith shorts] I find mine too sweaty.
Reserved for cold and wet days.
Yeah I wore mine on a drizzly commute and the only bit of me that was wet was my, er, ass (because they don’t breathe at all in that area). As above they are a bit too baggy around the knee for my liking and chafe a bit (I don’t wear kneepads).
But in the right conditions they’re great - eg last night’s sloppy MTB ride.
So there does seem to be a bit of a gap in the market for a really breathable short, that's also waterproof on the back panel... let's face it you always get a wet ass riding in the uk.
I'd like to try a short that's as light as the fox flex air up front, but waterproof like the ones mentioned above at the back.
I have a very small mudguard, but it only really protects the shock pivots on my escarpe. Personally I never found them very effective at keeping me dry (or if using a bigger one it flaps about and more importantly looks daft.)
The Madison ones are so much more breathable than full waterproofs, that it's not an issue for me.
Maybe I'll change my tune if I wear them on wet summer rides, but then I tend not to mind having a soggy bum so much anyway.