I saw these on closeout from Chainlove.com last week. I did a quick check on the Endura site to see what they were all about, then emailed Chris. He said that he had a set of Endura shorts from last season, and they were really good, so I decided to give them a shot and ordered a pair. Chris recommended that I go up a size, so I ordered a “Large”. My waist is about 88cm (34”), and these fit perfectly. The outer short is made from Teflon water-repellant treated Cordura nylon. They should be very durable, but time will tell – I only have one ride on them. The crotch gusset area and some small side inserts are a stretch nylon material. The stretch crotch is nice because it keeps that area in body contact and prevents snagging on the saddle nose or tail. There are some reflective details sewn on front and back. The inseam is 30cm (12”) and is appropriately long.
There is a Velcro closure and zipper fly, which makes getting them on and off easy. Webbing waist adjusters fine-tune the fit, and elastic across the back allows for movement. I would like to have seen a snap closure for repeatability – if you close the velcro then adjust the tabs, when you open and reclose the Velcro, the waist adjustment is off. On the front of the legs of the outer short are laser-cut ventilation holes backed with mesh. The vent mesh is bonded from behind, but as a security measure, is also stitched. There is a fair amount of this kind of manufacturing technology on these shorts. There are two front pockets and one left rear pocket. The pocket openings are also laser-cut, and the zippers bonded in. Like the vents, stitching is provided for insurance. The rear pocket has some kind of rubberized material applied around the perimeter also. The zipper pulls are of the locking variety, but the long, rigid pull tabs tend to get lifted by your jersey – into the unlocked position. I haven’t had the zippers open though.
The mesh liner is sewn-in and has a 3D anti-microbial chamois pad. The pad is as comfortable as the ones found in most other contemporary shorts. The liner provides a good amount of compression and has silicone leg grippers on the hem elastic – not the typical rubber loops that decompose and get all sticky, or cause allergic itching. There is no bellows or attachment at the legs, so there is neither limitation in freedom of movement nor airflow. These shorts stay cool even with the fairly impermeable Cordura outer fabric.
After a long ride on Saturday that had road, trail, and hike-a-bike components, I agree with Chris that these are really good shorts. The ride comfort was good as was the temperature control. The freedom of movement was excellent and they were exceptionally snag-free. The only negative thing I experienced with these is the branding immediately peeling off. “Endura” was screen printed with puffy ink on the front of the left thigh, and the rear of the right leg. On arrival, the logo on the rear was already gone! The front logo and all the letters were coming up at the edges. I’m not sure about the manufacturing process, but I’d venture a guess that the ink won’t stick to the Teflon water-repellant fabric treatment. I ended up peeling off the rear letters before the ride, and the front letters except for “D” came off or were peeled off by ride end (you can see that on the top picture if you click on it to get the bigger version). These are great for normal to hot weather, but might not be enough for colder night rides or late fall in temperate latitudes where closable vents would be preferable.
Highly Recommended
About $66 USD on closeout, delivered
Now I want to try their “Humvee” knicker-length shorts for Monday Freeride!
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