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There’s nothing extra annoying than a pair of ill-fitting bike shorts. You need to have the ability to deal with the experience, not struggle together with your shorts. Girl shredders used to should make do with a pair of shrunken males’s shorts, however these days are lengthy gone.
We’re glad to report that there’s now all kinds of biking shorts made particularly for girls. We’ve been driving trails throughout the U.S., together with a number of miles in Oregon and Colorado with take a look at notes from expert riders, newbies, {and professional} mountain bikers.
And whereas there isn’t a single pair of shorts that works for each physique and driving model, we’ve included a wide range of choices. Under, you’ll discover the perfect shorts and chamois that can make hitting the paths that rather more enjoyable. Get able to go well with up and experience out.
For extra details about girls’s mountain bike shorts and the varied design options to contemplate, take a look at our purchaser’s information and FAQ. Additionally, take a look at our comparability chart to steer your decision-making. In any other case, we divided this listing into helpful classes so you possibly can simply discover the perfect girls’s mountain bike shorts in your wants.
Editor’s Be aware: We up to date our Ladies’s Mountain Bike Shorts information on November 22, 2023, to verify every overview has probably the most up-to-date data.
The Finest Ladies’s Mountain Bike Shorts of 2023
Finest General Ladies’s Mountain Bike Shorts
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Inseam
Varies by dimension, falls above knee (dimension 4 is 10.5″, for instance.) -
Pockets
2 entrance pockets, 1 zippered pocket, 1 snap-closure pocket -
Liner
Not included -
Materials
Recycled polyester-spandex mix -
Waistband
Elasticized with mid-rise zipper and double-snap closure -
Dimension vary
XS-3XL (00-24)
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Distinctive, eye-catching patterns -
Waistband strikes with you and doesn’t bunch or open on-the-go -
Giant dimension vary with tailor-made inseam lengths
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Not the warmest or longest quick when you want extra safety from chilly climate, the weather, or brush
Finest Funds Ladies’s Mountain Bike Shorts
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Inseam
12.5″ -
Pockets
1 zippered pocket -
Liner
Not included -
Materials
90-denier recycled polyester and spandex with DWR end -
Waistband
Button with adjustable elastic closure for personalized stress -
Dimension vary
0-18
-
Seamless, streamlined design -
Stretchy, comfy cloth -
Shorts and chamois are designed for compatibility
Finest Minimalist Ladies’s Mountain Bike Shorts
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Inseam
6″ -
Pockets
Drop-in pockets in liner -
Liner
Sure, detachable -
Materials
Recycled polyester and spandex shell; recycled polyester, elastane, and polyester liner -
Waistband
Extensive, elastic -
Dimension vary
XS-XXL
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Easy -
Nice value -
Multi-use design for utilizing on the health club, park, or round city
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Not the perfect protection for rugged rides -
No exterior pockets is a draw back for sure riders
Better of the Relaxation
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Inseam
12″ -
Pockets
2 hand pockets and 1 low-down zippered pocket -
Liner
None -
Materials
Stretch polyester and spandex -
Waistband
Zipper and two snaps, huge -
Dimension vary
0-18
-
Lower cost but nonetheless sturdy -
Comfy, thick cloth
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Telephone pocket is down decrease on the leg, and heavy gadgets are inclined to swing round
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Inseam
12″ -
Pockets
3 -
Liner
Not included -
Materials
91% recycled nylon, 9% elastane UPF 50+ cloth -
Waistband
Wider, high-waisted match with double snap closure, additionally adjustable -
Dimension vary
XS-XL
-
Extremely-durable -
UPF 50+ and PFC-free DWR therapies -
Aspect zipper for venting is superior
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Not as a lot stretch as different shorts -
Dear
-
Inseam
12″ -
Pockets
5 pockets -
Liner
Detachable chamois liner included -
Materials
TransTextura 4-way stretch -
Waistband
Average width, double-snap closure, and zipper plus Velcro strap adjustment and belt loops -
Dimension vary
XS-XL
-
Ample pocket choices -
Constructed-out waistband with choices for a Velcro adjustment or belt loops
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Not streamlined sufficient for some riders
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Inseam
7″ -
Pockets
Sure, two! They’re giant, additionally -
Liner
Serving because the liner, the pad ranges from 2 mm to 14 mm thick in focused zones -
Materials
Buttery nylon-spandex, OEKO-TEX 100 Licensed -
Waistband
Excessive-reaching waistband-free -
Dimension Vary
XS-3XL
-
Lovely chamois you can really feel good sporting solo or underneath shorts -
Extraordinarily comfy waist-free high-reaching higher -
Cloth is tremendous tender and stretchy
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Lengthier than different chamois when you desire a brief attain
Ladies’s Bike Shorts Comparability Chart
Scroll proper to view the entire columns: Value, Inseam, Pockets, Liner, Materials.
Bike Shorts | Value | Inseam | Pockets | Liner | Materials |
Shredly MTB Quick | $108 | Varies by dimension, falls above the knee | 2 entrance, 1 zippered, 1 snap | No | Recycled polyester-spandex mix |
Wild Rye Freel Shorts | $129 | 12″ | 3 | No | 4-way stretch nylon |
Patagonia Infinite Trip Liner & Filth Roamer Bike Shorts | $100-129 | 12.5″ (Filth Roamer) | 1 zippered | No | 90-denier recycled polyester and spande |
Norrøna Fjora Flex1 Quick | $149 | 15″ | 2 zippered, 1 thigh pocket with inside mesh pocket | No | Artificial mix with wind and water resistance |
Pearl Izumi Prospect 2/1 Quick With Liner | $75 | 6″ | Drop-in pockets in liner | Sure, detachable | Recycled polyester and spandex shell |
Shredly YOGACHAM | $78 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Pad (polyamide and elastane) |
Wild Rye Kaweah | $99 | 12″ | 2 entrance, 1 low down zippered | No | Stretch polyester and spandex |
Membership Trip Eden Shorts | $100 | 7″ | 5 | Sure | 89% polyester, 11% spandex |
Norrøna Fjora Heavy Obligation MTB Shorts | $179 | 12″ | 3 | No | 91% recycled nylon, 9% elastane |
Velocio Path Quick (With Path Mesh Bib Liner) | $169 | 11″ | 2 zippered | No | Polyamide and elastane |
Liv Passo Dishevelled Shorts | $100 | 12″ | 5 | Sure, detachable | TransTextura 4-way stretch |
Shredly Biker Cham | $98 | 7″ | 2 | Sure | Buttery nylon-spandex, OEKO-TEX 100 Licensed |
How We Examined Ladies’s Mountain Bike Shorts
The GearJunkie testing group is made up of novice to knowledgeable highway cyclists, bikepackers, mountain bikers, and racers. We’ve ridden cross-country and steep alpine trails all around the West, together with in competitions, whereas bikepacking throughout the Rockies and on self-supported journeys just like the 142-mile Kokopelli Path.
Ladies’s mountain bike shorts are important for staying comfy whereas in movement and loading the bikes, hanging out with pals, or establishing camp after overlaying miles. Over time, we’ve examined many various mountain bike shorts, and this listing contains the perfect of the perfect.
To level, Senior Editor Morgan Tilton has examined mountain bike shorts for near 320 miles of rides with 47,000 ft of ascent/descent in 2023 alone. Apart from testing bike gear, she helps handle the gear-testing flock.
Whereas testing girls’s mountain bike shorts within the subject, we assessed sturdiness, total match, ease of motion, safety, cloth really feel, breathability, and performance. We’ve examined shorts whereas pedaling in blustery wind, intense solar, rain, and hail storms from close-to-town singletrack to distant backcountry tundra.
Past our group’s expertise, we additionally thought of the most well-liked, extremely rated, acclaimed, and bestselling shorts available on the market in addition to a broad vary of value factors, options, and types to fulfill the wants of assorted varieties of bikers.
Purchaser’s Information: Select Ladies’s Mountain Bike Shorts
Chamois
One of many first items of recommendation we give first-time riders is to exit and buy a pair of shorts with a very good chamois. It’s the one most essential (and infrequently missed) piece of drugs that can make or break your experience.
In any case, we’re speaking about your butt right here! For those who’ve ever skilled a saddle sore, you recognize what we’re speaking about. And when you haven’t, let’s attempt to preserve it that manner with a few of our favourite shorts.
Pronounced SHAM-mee, the chamois is the pad that’s sewn right into a biking quick to guard the groin space towards the saddle. The chamois is constructed with a pad that has cushioned foam with a variety of densities — some designs provide extra cushion than others. Sometimes, the supplies additionally wick moisture and are tender.
In mountain bike shorts, the chamois may be built-in into the quick, however usually the chamois is built-in into a brief, tight-fitting liner worn beneath the outside bike shorts. Even when a brief doesn’t have a chamois, it most probably is gusseted on the crotch to permit for consolation and stretch within the saddle.
Carrying a chamois as an alternative of standard underwear additionally eliminates seams, which might rub and trigger chafing.
Materials
As the value goes up on mountain bike shorts, a part of that tag is overlaying the improve of extra premium supplies.
To level, the Norrøna Fjora Flex and Norrøna Fjora Heavy Obligation have a tricky, stretchy cloth constituted of an artificial mix that provides wind and water resistance, plus it options 50% recycled fibers and a PFC-free DWR. The Shredly MTB Quick feels softer and lighter — it’s made with a recycled polyester-spandex mix and prices much less.
The Wild Rye Freel is constructed with a WR Duraflex Nylon (88% nylon, 12% spandex), which is hard towards reachy trailside branches. Comparatively, the Wild Rye Kaweah is made with the WR Bomber Stretch Poly (90% polyester, 10% spandex), a mix that’s nonetheless sturdy however not as powerful and at a lower cost level ($99 versus $124).
Waistband
A variety of waistband designs exist, and they’re distinctive for every quick. What’s most essential is that the waistband doesn’t fold over or pop open or pinch your decrease abdomen when you lean ahead in your bike.
It’s additionally good to have a waistband with adjustability so you possibly can forgo a belt however tighten your shorts up as wanted, particularly if the experience is especially lengthy, sweat-ridden, or wet.
Among the many most minimalist waistband design is the Pearl Izumi Prospect 2/1 Quick, which has a large, stretchy elastic band that slides simply up and down — no fuss in any respect. The Velocio Path Quick additionally has a narrower waistband that’s glossy, however with a zipper and slide-in button plus an built-in slender belt to assist tighten up the waist.
With a average waistband, the Wild Rye shorts have a double-snap, zip closure, and huge width that’s stretchy plus belt loops when you determine to go that route.
For probably the most adjustability, you possibly can attain for the Norrøna Fjora Flex or Liv Passo Dishevelled Shorts, each of which have double-snap closures with a zipper. The Passo options belt loops plus an built-in Velcro belt, so you possibly can swap it up.
The Fjora doesn’t have belt loops, however the built-in Velcro belt is huge in comparison with the opposite designs we’ve chosen, and the bottom of the band is higher-waisted. Contemplate reaching for the next or huge waistband when you put on a hip pack or backpack whereas on a experience, too.
Pockets
Pockets may be useful for a spot to rapidly stuff your experience gloves on a snack break or to heat up your fingers whereas tailgating. Different pockets secured with a zipper could be a great spot to carry a telephone or bank card, whereas pockets with a snap closure could be a good place for a snack bar.
Some mountain bike quick designs include minimal pockets just like the Pearl Izumi Prospect 2/1 Quick, which doesn’t have a pocket within the exterior shell (there’s solely a slide-in pocket with no zipper within the detachable inside liner). Different shorts provide tons of pocket choices just like the Liv Passo Dishevelled Shorts, which have two again pockets, two facet pockets, and a further pocket with a zipper closure.
Most shorts provide one thing in-between with a mean of three pockets just like the Wild Rye Kaweah, which has two hand pockets and one low-down zippered pocket.
In a well-constructed improve, the Shredly MTB Quick now contains a zippered pocket and the position is greater on the thigh to assist take away the jostle of a telephone when you pedal. In distinction, many zippered pockets on different shorts are down decrease on the leg and inevitably swing round when you experience.
Inseam Size
The very best inseam size comes down to non-public choice, the kind of experience you wish to do, and the weather you’ll be in. For those who’re occurring a protracted experience in sunny, uncovered (as in, no tree protection or shade) terrain, contemplate sporting longer shorts to guard the tops of your legs from getting sunburned.
Longer shorts also can defend the facet of the legs from thick brush or tree branches or bugs when you’re driving in a buggy space or on a wild, unkempt path.
For those who’re bikepacking or alpine driving on steep slopes and getting on and off your bike, the longer cloth also can assist defend your legs from getting scraped up.
The inseam lengths of the ladies’s mountain bike shorts in our information vary from 6 inches to fifteen inches with 9 to 12 inches being the candy spot for many path rides.
Then, with finely tailor-made inseams to varied feminine physique shapes, Shredly gives an adjusted inseam size for every design and every dimension inside that design. As an illustration, the Curvy 7-inch quick has a 7-inch inseam throughout all sizes, whereas the MTB Quick, featured amongst our high picks, has a unique inseam size throughout the sizes:
- XS (00): 9.75″
- XS (0): 10″
- S (2): 10.25″
- S (4): 10.5″
- M (6): 10.75″
- M (8): 11″
- L (10): 11.25″
- XL-3XL (12-24): 11.5″
Match and Dimension Vary
Most manufacturers provide a dimension run from not less than dimension 0 to dimension 18.
Velocio gives a good broader dimension vary (XXS-3XL). Extra particularly, the Velocio XXS suits a 22- to 24-inch waist and 31.5- to 33.5-inch hip dimension. In distinction, Wild Rye, for example, begins at a dimension 0, which inserts a 25.5-inch waist and 36.5-inch hip.
Shredly additionally gives a higher number of sizes with a 00 to 24 dimension run (XS-3XL), which begins at a 24-inch waist and 33-inch hips and goes as much as a 43-inch waist and 52-inch hips. Kitsbow’s shorts additionally provide a much wider dimension vary with waist sizes from 26-37 inches.
Remember to double-check the scale chart for every pair of shorts you contemplate shopping for, and to measure your self earlier than making an order or cease by a retailer to attempt on a pair first. Mountain bike quick sizes and the exact measurements for every dimension usually are not common and differ throughout manufacturers.
Value
Most ladies’s mountain bike shorts hover round $100. That features Kaweah ($99), Passo ($100), Membership Trip Eden Shorts ($100), and Shredly MTB Quick ($108) in our information.
Mountain bike shorts with a extra premium development that’s even harder towards the weather and a beatdown embrace the Wild Rye Freel Shorts ($124), Norrøna Fjora Flex ($139), Velocio Path Quick ($169), and Kitsbow Madrone Quick ($169).
It may be difficult to search out great-fitting, well-made mountain bike shorts under $100, however a few our high selections embrace the Prospect ($75) and Filth Roamer ($59-99).
FAQ
The straightforward reply is protection. While you’re driving a motorcycle, regardless of the bike or your driving degree, the very last thing you need is cloth that rides up, rides down, or doesn’t present sufficient protection or safety.
While you bike within the mountains, desert, or different environments, you’ll need pores and skin protection and safety towards the weather, together with sunshine (even your legs can get burned!), wind, rain, or hail. The additional you enterprise out from a trailhead and the upper in elevation you go, the extra doubtless you might be to get caught in a wide range of circumstances (with no fast bailouts), and the publicity turns into stronger similar to being nearer to the solar.
You’ll additionally need pores and skin safety towards abrasive vegetation on the facet of the path. Whether or not you’re blazing slim singletrack that’s surrounded by lush wildflower fields or scratchy bushes, you’ll be glad when your dermis isn’t uncovered.
Think about that you could be need a good supportive or padded liner beneath, and longer shorts are the best way to go. We’ve examined a slew of shorts that vary in size from 6 to fifteen inches on the inseam.
A few of our favourite mountain bike shorts on this listing that include a chamois (a padded liner to guard the groin space when driving) are the Patagonia Filth Roamer with Infinite Trip liner and the Reside Dishevelled Shorts.
Alternatively, when you’re in search of much more assist, contemplate shopping for no matter shorts go well with you finest and including your personal chamois. (Many shorts right here which have liners are detachable for this goal and for laundry.)
For those who’re in search of a brief that has a thicker, supportive cloth, take a look at the Wild Rye Freel or Kitsbow Madrone on this listing above.
The very best mountain bike shorts, our testers discovered, have been those that supplied a cushty and supportive match, work with a liner or no liner, and are sturdy, breathable, and might maintain as much as climate like water and wind.
Relating to the options of mountain bike shorts, like inseam size or variety of pockets, that is private choice however can be influenced by the circumstances you’ll be driving in, the encircling circumstances and setting, and the period of the vast majority of your rides.
Our testers most popular having not less than one pocket with a safe closure, and both adjustability or an elastic stretch part within the waist. Additionally they typically desire shorts that fall simply above the knee however for sure aims, the ultra-long lengths are higher — like longer bikepacking journeys in harsh daylight.
The match of mountain bike shorts total is usually baggier than you might be in all probability used to. Much like operating shorts, the reasoning for that is vary of movement. You don’t wish to really feel too constricted when you are pedaling and transferring round in your bike.
Mountain bike shorts are additionally sometimes thicker cloth for sturdiness, and a looser match means extra consolation as nicely. Particularly since many riders select to put on a liner, or chamois, beneath their shorts. Exterior of bagginess, shorts are available in a wide range of suits and lengths — a few of our favorites with a extra relaxed match embrace the Liv Passo Dishevelled Shorts or Norrøna Fjora Shorts.
There are some causes for selecting extra athletic or becoming shorts for mountain biking although: one is choice, one is sizing (for instance, in case your hips are a lot wider than your thighs or vice versa), and one is setting. The place you might be driving performs a job.
If the vast majority of the time you mountain bike in sandy and dusty desert environments, you could desire to go along with a slimmer quick — or an extended quick just like the Filth Roamer — over a chamois.
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