When you’re 5’10″ tall and fighting to keep the scale reading under 200 lbs, then lycra clothing is not your best friend. I believe that lycra cycling shorts should come with warning labels like “Do not wear if Body Mass Index exceeds 25″. I can say that as my BMI is 28.
So you must have gathered that I don’t wear lycra shorts. For a few years I wore MTB shorts, but found the nylon material and bagginess to be off putting. The pockets were very useful when off the bike, but I generally just felt like a dork in them. Then Rapha came out with a pair of “Touring Shorts” so I bought them thinking that they would be just right for general riding AND touring.
http://www.rapha.cc/touring-shorts/
The name Touring Shorts is a little misleading as Rapha intends them to be used over regular cycling shorts so you can go into a cafe without scaring the female patrons. Even so I bought a pair to use on my ride from Boston to Montreal and was initially impressed by the soft and light material and the beautiful construction. The legs end just above the knee and there isn’t a pad, so I wear them over padded cycling underwear. They have some reflective piping on the sides and really nice silky hems so that the don’t catch or scratch your legs. There is a small key pocket at the front and an pocket suitable for a wallet on the back just below a rather unflattering stretchy waist band. The pocket openings both lie on seams and the small zip closures are wonderfully sewn into the shorts so that they are almost invisible when closed.
I tested the shorts out on a hot summer day and loved how they felt, nice and airy. So I set off on my tour happy to have my new shorts rather than the old MTB baggies. On the first evening I was washing the shorts and I was alarmed to see day light through the stitching in the rear seam, it was coming apart. Obviously these shorts were not up to the rigors of touring as only a couple of days in the saddle had done for the butt. I got my sewing kit out and did a blanket stitch to bring the seam back together. Once that was done I wrote an annoyed email to Rapha. Rapha were very good and got back to me the next day and offered a replacement, but I’m surprised that they would sell a garment with such a weak seam.
My repair worked well and I worn the shorts for the rest of my trip. But I discovered that the two small pockets aren’t really enough for touring, a couple of side pockets would be far more useful. Also the lightness of the material is nice for hot weather, but when it rains they quickly soak through and they provide little to no warmth.
So as a pair of touring shorts I’d give them 5 out of 10. For day rides in hot weather they are really good and I still wear them through the summer. I hear that the seam has been reinforced in the latest version, so if you’re thinking about ordering a pair check on that. But they are not a great touring short. For that I’d add some pockets and go with a slightly heavier fabric that was water repellent. In fact the Rapha Fixed Shorts (again a bad name as they are knickers or plus fours) have all those features and their wicking and soft yet tough material makes them perfect for touring, so I’ll review those next.
Filed under: Review
