Get ready to pedal all year round with the best cycling shorts, your trusty companion for long rides without discomfort. With winter in full swing, layering up is key, and starting with the right cycling gear is essential.
If you've ever spent more than five minutes on a bike, you know the importance of padded cycling shorts – they're the last defence against chafing and saddle sores, allowing you to tackle hours in the saddle with ease.
There are two main types: waist shorts and bib shorts. Waist shorts are simple and budget-friendly, perfect for newer or casual cyclists. Bib shorts, on the other hand, are favoured by long-distance riders for their supportive braces, though they may complicate bathroom breaks.
Looking to complete your cycling ensemble? Check out T3's best cycling jerseys guide. And if you're in the market for a new ride, our best road bike guide has you covered. So grab your shorts, layer up, and hit the road with confidence!
Le Col's Sport Bib Shorts II are a versatile, affordable option for training and social rides. They feature comfortable chamois with gel padding, effective sweat-wicking, and secure leg grips. The stylish design features the Le Col logo on each leg.
Rapha's Core range offers affordable, high-quality cycling shorts with a comfortable chamois and grippy silicone waist, providing excellent comfort and value without the chafing of drawstrings.
Assos' top-end cycling shorts feature a compressive fit, breathable 9mm foam chamois with 'goldenGate' tech, and wide A-shaped straps. They are ideal for high-intensity rides and are available in two leg lengths.
Hummvee cycling shorts, originally for mountain bikers, now offer a tailored cut for urban riders. They feature a detachable liner for extra padding, blending comfort and style seamlessly.
Albion’s gravel-inspired bibs offer three secure pockets for easy gear access, a high-back panel for support and moisture-wicking, and a comfortable chamois, making them ideal for long rides.
Best overall
A brilliant choice to be relied on for everything from daily training to social rides and longer half-day rides. With a comparatively palatable price, the ‘Sport’ may be Le Col’s entry-level line, but there’s a lot to like here.
Kicking off with the chamois, it’s a good-quality three-layer construction. The outer fabric is 3mm thick, and the main padded area uses gel (under your sit bones), which is 8mm thick for added comfort. For all but full days in the saddle, this is more than adequate and has all the comfort you could ask for.
The perforated mesh uppers come above the tummy button, so they’re higher than some but not overly so. On the back, the panel covers all the way to the upper back, which is good for helping with sweat-wicking. The straps are wide enough that there's no noticeable pressure around your shoulders.
The legs are slightly longer, but they grip well, stay nicely in place and are comfortable. As with all Le Col gear, they look great; the Le Col logo on their own panel on the outside of each leg, with a separate panel around the bottom of the leg – a trademark design feature of theirs.
Best non-bib shorts
The Core range is Rapha’s more affordable range and while still not cheap, you get Rapha quality, which includes a supremely comfortable chamois, and that's the same Rapha chamois pad used in all of the brand’s Classic range.
The Rapha Core Shorts are available as bib shorts and non-bibs. For the non-bib cycling shorts, instead of using a drawstring at the waist as some brands do – which can chafe skin on longer rides – Rapha has opted for the same grippy silicone around the waist as you’ll find around the leg openings. When it comes to balancing quality, comfort and price, we think Rapha's cycling shorts are the best you can buy right now.
Best racing
If your priority is acquiring the best quality gear out there - and you’ve got the budget - top-end Swiss cycling apparel brand Assos is hard to beat. Brand new this season, these are a total overhaul from their predecessor, the S9, and take flagship status in the Race Series line.
True to their ‘race’ pedigree, the chamois mightn’t be their comfort-orientated one (look to their endurance Mille range for that). However, it’s a high-end pad, and its five layers focus on performance for short and punchier rides – but they’re still comfortable enough for anything up to half a day in the saddle.
The main component is a compressive 9mm thick foam, with other layers cleverly helping to offer good breathability and comfort against the skin. Their ‘goldenGate’ tech means the chamois is semi-mobile, whereby it’s only attached at the front and back allowing the main body of the pad to move with the body adding to comfort.
The main material is compressive with a body-hugging feel, so it's perfect for those high-intensity efforts. There are very few seams, and the fit is second-skin-like and mildly compressive, so there’s no bunching of material or movement. The A-shaped straps are wide and stretchy for a comfortable feel over the shoulders.
Silicone grippers around the legs keep them nicely in place, and you can choose from a standard or long leg length, which is a nice choice depending on your style preference and height. These high-quality shorts are made with high-quality materials and craftsmanship and backed up with a two-year warranty. These are a high-spec lightweight pair of shorts for a performance-focused user.
Best urban
The Hummvee range was originally aimed at mountain bikers, but these new cycling shorts have a more tailored cut. They’re designed to take you from the bike to the office or pub, making them a great option for urban riders and more modest road riders.
That's because they look like shorts but are hard-wearing and comfortable. A detachable liner short provides extra seat padding and support – but under your shorts, so nobody needs to know. It's quite literally the best of both worlds. As you'd imagine, this can feel a little bulky and odd initially, but you soon get used to it.
Read our full Endura Hummvee Short II review.
Best for storage
Albion’s gravel-inspired bibs shift the goalposts when it comes to carrying cycling gear on your person – their three pockets offer a viable alternative to frame storage.
They have a side pocket on the outside of each leg: they are stretchy and secure, perfect for easy access to valuables such as a smartphone, gels, or camera whilst on the move. Then there’s a much larger stretch stash pocket across the lower back, which would house jackets, spare cases or bivvy if you’re overnighting.
It is worth noting that this very stretchy horizontal strip of mesh fabric is open at either end - entry is from the sides. Rather than the top, meaning it’s for larger stash items only, as smaller items (such as a gel or phone) risk falling out.
The legs are a good length – perhaps those with shorter legs may find them even a tad too long – and have a wide silicone-lined band at the bottom, which hugs the thigh nicely. It seems flat-locked, so there is no chance of chafing.
The stretchy back panel goes high up the back before splitting into separate straps at the shoulders, thereby helping support the weight of stashed gear in the rear pocket as well as with moisture wicking (so particularly good if you don’t wear a base layer).
The chamois is thicker - 12mm thick in places - and the remainder a more minimal 3mm, so it doesn’t feel overkill and certainly is designed to offer great comfort for even the longest of rides.
The recognisable Albion white rectangular logo on the left leg is discreet but a nice looking touch on these well throughout through and reasonably priced bibs.
How to choose the best cycling shorts
A good cycling short is determined by its cut, materials, build quality, and its chamois (aka, the seat pad). Firstly, decide what their primary use will be – if it's short casual rides and daily commutes, for instance, then a pair of waist shorts will be perfect - they're cheaper, less fussy and adequate for this use case. For longer training rides, sportives or racing, full bib shorts offer more comfort and performance. Then, the rest is down to budget and your style of riding.
All cycling shorts have some degree of padding, which is where they differ from your average pair, although how much is up to you. The same goes for the price. If possible, it's always worth grabbing your bike helmet and going for a test run in new cycle shorts before setting off on a long ride just to make sure everything sits as it should.
FAQ
Are expensive cycling shorts worth it?
Good quality cycling shorts are paramount when it comes to an enjoyable ride – a pair of ill-fitting or low-quality shorts could mean you're uncomfortable and preoccupied for the duration of your outing. Higher prices will get you better quality shorts up until a point beyond which the differences will be minimal and probably reserved for real enthusiasts or those with deeper pockets. Cheaper pairs will be around the £50 marker, £150 will get a pair of high-performance shorts which are comfortable and long-lasting (these are probably the sweet spot for most), and they can reach around £250 for a top-flight pro-level pair with racing spec materials and fit.
What is the best material for cycling shorts?
Polyamide is popular in high-performance shorts, given its good compression strength while still being soft and comfortable. Elastane is also commonly used, albeit in smaller quantities, for its stretchiness, and nylon is also a popular choice—it is strong and stretchy and often used in more durable shorts.
Do you go commando in cycling shorts?
It is always preferable to be commando in cycling shorts. Because of the integrated chamois pad and the compressive second-skin nature of cycling shorts, boxershorts are likely to bunch up, making things even hotter and sweatier and reducing the overall comfort of bib shorts.
Should you size up in cycling shorts?
You should not size up in cycling shorts – the last thing you want is baggy shorts with a chamois pad that moves around too much or fabric that bunches. They are designed to be body-hugging and, therefore, not move at all to help avoid any chafing or flap in the wind.
Do padded cycling shorts make a difference?
Padded cycling shorts make a massive difference to cycling. There is a lot of pressure on a very small area of your bottom, quite often for hours at a time, so the pad (aka, chamois) is hugely beneficial at providing some welcome respite, easing the load and making the whole experience much more enjoyable.