The Finest Mountain Bike Shorts of 2024

How We Tested the Best Mountain Bike Shorts

Our cycling team has been reporting on the latest cycling-related news, technology, and products for well over a decade. In addition to writing about all things bike-related, cycling is a passion that all of our staff share. Every single tester and writer is an avid rider, and it’s a dream come true to be able to test and review products and share our knowledge, experience, and love of riding bikes with our audience. We feel very fortunate to be in a position that allows us to spend time on the bike while analyzing products and providing insight that may help people make more informed purchase decisions.

Our mountain bike shorts review author, Jeremy Benson, has been professionally testing and reviewing mountain bikes, accessories, and apparel for over eight years. In that time, he has tested more than 30 different pairs of mountain bike shorts, including the 15 models in this review. Benson is an avid mountain bike rider and racer who started riding as a youth in the early 90s. He’s spent the past 23 years living in the Sierra Nevada mountains in and around Lake Tahoe, CA, obsessively riding the many hundreds of miles of nearby world-class singletrack, much of which is accessible from right out the door. Benson enjoys all styles of riding, from lung-busting XC and gravel races to massive backcountry epics, shuttle runs, steep skidders, and long hike-a-bikes, you name it. The amount of time he spends in the saddle makes him particularly tough on and critical of the gear he uses, and he’s always searching for the best products to enhance his experience and improve his performance out on the trails. Years spent testing all kinds of gear has helped him develop a keen ability to analyze and scrutinize products and convey his findings in reviews. Benson has also contributed to several other buyer’s guides including mountain bike helmets and the best mountain bike shoes, as well as cycling sunglasses and hitch bike racks for transporting your rides.

For this buyer’s guide, we rounded up 15 pairs of the best mountain bike shorts on the market to test and compare side by side. We spent months riding in these shorts in every weather condition and temperature you can imagine on rides ranging from casual trail rides with friends, all-day suffer fests, big shuttles, and even a few races and gravel grinds. While testing, we focused on important performance characteristics like fit, pedal-friendliness, ventilation/breathability, and pocket design. Each model was worn with and without knee pads to test compatibility, and friends were asked to comment on the style. After hundreds of hours and thousands of miles in the saddle, we honed in on our favorites and those that excel in specific areas compared to the rest.

Buying Advice: How to Choose Mountain Bike Shorts

With so many brands and models of mountain bike shorts on the market, finding the right pair can be tricky. There are a number of factors to consider when choosing your next pair of shorts, and we’ll break down some of the most important elements of mountain bike shorts below. Getting the right fit is the most important, but you’ll also want to get shorts that suit your riding style, personal style, weather conditions, and budget.

What Type of Riding Do You Do?

As there are many different styles of mountain biking, there are just as many different mountain bike shorts to suit the needs of different riders. It stands to reason that a person who rides cross-country has different needs and wants from their shorts than someone who rides chairlifts at the bike park all day. As such, manufacturers design shorts for the various sub-genres of mountain biking using different materials, inseam lengths, and designs. If you participate in several different styles of riding, it may make sense to have several pairs of shorts that you can switch between. Likewise, different seasons have different demands, and having shorts of different weights or weather resistance may be helpful when the temperature or weather changes.

While many cross-country riders, and especially racers, may prefer to wear lycra for performance reasons, there are baggy shorts that are well suited to high-efficiency, high-output XC riding. Generally speaking, cross-country riders typically opt for shorts that are lightweight, breathable, slim-fitting, and super pedal-friendly, which often feel like you aren’t wearing baggy shorts at all. For trail riding, most riders still prioritize pedal-friendliness and may gravitate towards lightweight shorts, though many prefer a slightly longer inseam to work with light-duty knee pads and slightly more robust fabrics for increased durability. Gravity-oriented riders who spend time riding DH at the bike park or smashing enduro laps generally prioritize heavy-duty fabrics for added protection and durability, as well as longer inseams and looser fits that play well with knee pads and/or protective undershorts.

Getting the Right Fit

As with any article of clothing, getting mountain bike shorts that fit right is one of the most important aspects of the purchase process. The better your shorts fit, the more comfortable they will be, and the less they will distract you from the important task of riding your bike. Shorts that fit well typically fade into the background and go virtually unnoticed while riding. Too tight and they put pressure on your abdomen or restrict your movement, too loose and they can slip down and require frequent adjustment while riding. If you wear padded liner shorts, or a chamois, it is also important to consider them as the shorts will need to fit over those as well.

Waist size is the primary factor in the fit equation, and most shorts come in a range of sizes to fit the most typical waist sizes. It varies by brand, but many offer their shorts in numerical waist sizes that typically make it easy to find the size that’s closest to your waist measurement in inches. Other brands offer their shorts in what is known as categorical sizes – Small, Medium, Large, etc., with each size intended to fit a small range of waist sizes. With categorical sizing, always be sure to check a brand’s size chart to find where you fall in their size range. Additionally, many shorts feature waist adjustments that allow you to add or remove tension from the waistband to achieve the desired fit.

In addition to waist size, how shorts fit through the hips, buttocks, and thighs is another factor to consider, particularly for those with more muscular legs or larger body structures. Ideally, you want the shorts to be loose enough that they aren’t squeezing any part of your body and allow for unrestricted freedom of movement without being excessively baggy. Some brands provide hip and thigh measurements for their shorts so you can get a good idea of how they will fit in those areas. 7Mesh even sizes their shorts based on hip and thigh circumference measurements to find the best fit.

Waist Adjustments

Many mountain bike shorts have built-in waist adjustment systems that allow you to add or remove tension from the waistband to dial in the fit. This is particularly important for shorts that are designed to fit a small range of waist sizes, and they typically offer around 1-2 inches of adjustability. There are a number of different systems that brands use to make those adjustments including external or internal velcro straps, ratcheting ladder straps, locking webbing straps, integrated belt systems, and more. The best systems are low profile, easy to access and use, secure, and pull tension evenly with minimal bunching of fabric. In addition to or sometimes in place of these systems, some brands include belt loops on their shorts so they can be worn with a belt as an alternative method of adding tension to the waistband.

Inseam Length

These days, most baggy mountain bike shorts have inseams that range anywhere from around 11 inches to 15 inches. Shorts that hang down around the knee when standing and rise slightly above the knee when pedaling are the norm for most riders. What length works best for you will depend on your riding style, personal style, height, and whether or not you wear knee pads. Shorts designed with pedal friendliness as the priority often have somewhat shorter inseams that are less restrictive of the pedal stroke, while those designed with gravity riding in mind typically have longer inseams for more leg coverage and better compatibility with knee pads. In terms of knee pad compatibility, longer inseams tend to play nicest as they cover the top of the pad and help to avoid “pad gap” which can be considered a fashion faux-pas in certain circles. Of course, a rider’s height is also a consideration, as a 15-inch inseam may fit a taller rider perfectly and look like a pair of capris on a shorter person. Fortunately, some brands vary their inseam lengths by size for a more proportional fit across their size range.

Ventilation and Breathability

Depending on the weather and temperatures you ride in most frequently or even seasonally, how much you perspire, or the level of effort you put in while riding, the ventilation and breathability of your mountain bike shorts may or may not be an important factor to consider. People who live in warmer climates or ride in the heat of the day will generally be more inclined to wear lightweight or well-ventilated shorts than those who live and ride in more temperate regions. If you live in an area where the seasons bring massive temperature swings, it will often be best to have multiple pairs of shorts for different conditions or find the goldilocks shorts that work well enough across a wide temperature range.

Ventilation is approached in various ways by different brands and for different styles of shorts. Most mountain bike shorts are made from technical fabrics that allow for some breathability and dry quickly when wet. Some shorts are made of fabrics that are so light and airy that they barely even feel like they are there, allow air to pass through easily, and dry incredibly quickly. Other shorts combine light or mid-weight fabrics with ventilating features, most commonly in the form of laser-cut perforations on the inner thighs to allow additional airflow. Zippered vents are becoming less common, though some brands still use them, and they work well and allow the rider to regulate the ventilation as needed.

Weather Resistance

Given that shorts only cover about half your leg and have large openings at the hem by the knee, they are inherently not the most weather-resistant garment. Some brands and models of shorts do have weather-resistant materials or features in their designs, however, which may be of interest to those who ride in wet or variable conditions. While the majority of mountain bike shorts use light to mid-weight fabrics that are intended primarily for use in dry and warm conditions, many of them have a Durable Water-Repellant (DWR) finish applied that works to repel occasional splashes from puddles or very light rain showers and drizzle. When combined with the quick drying properties of the materials, these shorts are appropriate for most people most of the time.

While many people who ride in wet conditions frequently will often wear mountain bike pants or trousers for added coverage and weather protection, there are times when some weather-resistant shorts may be a better option. For those times, there are a number of shorts on the market that are either completely waterproof or have strategic waterproof panels to combat tire spray and/or rain. Waterproof shorts are certainly more of a niche product, but we have tested the POC Bastion shorts, which are constructed completely from waterproof fabric and have fully taped seams to combat water from all angles. Endura is another brand that makes several models of waterproof and weather-resistant mountain bike shorts.

Pockets

The number, placement, and design of pockets on mountain bike shorts vary pretty dramatically depending on the brand, style, and intended use. The importance of pockets also varies pretty dramatically between riders and largely depends on how you carry essentials while you ride (fanny pack, backpack, on the bike, in your pockets) and how much you intend to carry in your pockets while riding. Zippers are a common feature on most pockets, so you can close them and keep the contents secure when you’re rattling down the trail. While many mountain bike shorts used to have lots of pockets, there has been a general trend towards more streamlined and minimal designs that have fewer well-designed pockets. All of the shorts we tested have at least one pocket, with most having 2-3 and one model sporting a whopping 4 places to hold your stuff.

Again, consider what you really need to carry in your pockets on a ride. This varies, of course, but space for at least a phone seems like the bare minimum. Some riders also like to stash a multi-tool, snack, keys, chapstick, and more. If you intend to carry more than a phone in your pockets, then shorts with just one pocket, like the 7Mesh Slab or Specialized Trail Air, may not have adequate storage for you. One thing that’s great about modern mountain bike shorts is that many brands have been designing really great pockets that are easy to access and hold their contents securely and out of the way. Often, these are zippered, back-loading pockets on the thighs or hips, and they can typically fit a modern smartphone with good stability so it doesn’t flop around while pedaling or descending. Not all pocket designs are great, however, and some are not as well executed, easy to use, or pedal-friendly as others.

Style

When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you can ride better. Right? Well, maybe it isn’t that simple, but all things being equal, we think that most people can agree that style matters a little bit. And, if you’re paying top dollar for some fancy mountain bike shorts, they might as well look good and line up with your personal aesthetic. Not too long ago, the mountain bike shorts market was flooded with models that looked like they were better suited to a motocross race than pedaling a bike through the woods. Thankfully, those days are mostly behind us, and while you can definitely still find shorts that have a moto-influenced style, mostly on the DH side, there are now plenty of options that come in more subdued colors and have minimal branding that appeals to a broader range of tastes. Looking at the shorts we tested, it is clear that solid colors and small logos are currently trending. Style is subjective, of course, but thankfully there’s lots of variety when it comes to colors and designs that most people should be able to find something they want to wear.

Padded Liner Shorts

Baggy mountain bike shorts are designed to be worn over a chamois/padded liner shorts or bibs. While not everyone rides with a padded liner, lots of folks appreciate the added comfort for seated pedaling provided by the pad, or chamois, in the liner. None of the shorts we tested came with a liner short, although several of the models can be purchased with a liner short included for a slight increase in price, or they can be purchased separately. While an included liner short does add value, these are typically not the highest quality. We recommend finding some good padded liner shorts or bibs that fit well and buying a few pairs to keep in rotation. There are lots of excellent options on the market these days that have higher quality chamois pads and/or special features like bib straps and integrated pockets for storage.

Value

The models we tested range in retail price from $85 up to $185, with most models falling roughly in the middle of that range. Materials, designs, construction methods, brands, and marketing budgets all play a role in the final price of a pair of mountain bike shorts. Often, you get what you pay for, and if you’re willing and able to spend a bit more, you get a higher-quality product. Such is the case with some of the more expensive models we tested, like the Velocio Ultralight Trail Shorts, which are super lightweight, fit amazingly, and have a great design and quality construction. Other models, like the POC Bastion, command a high price due to their completely waterproof construction. At the same time, a more affordable pair of shorts like the Dakine Vectra costs roughly half the price and will cover the needs of most riders and styles of riding while saving you a bunch of cash for more bike parts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mountain Bike Shorts