Zoic Men's Ether Mountain Bike Shorts with RPL Essential Liner

I bought these shorts as an upgrade to wear Nike running or soccer shorts during bike rides. The bonus of having padding has made for a much more comfortable ride during many hours of pushing through trails. The quality is very high and I have not seen any signs of wear or loose threads. Ventilation and flexibility of these pants is also great.These do fit slightly tighter than your run of the mill athletic shorts but that is to be expected as these are made for biking. It is nice to be able to lean back on the bike and not have sagging shorts catch on my seat.The only gripe I have with these shorts are the very small straps which connect the outer and inner portions of the short. They have not broken and I do not see them breaking in the future but it is sometimes a bit difficult to work with.

Others recommended going with an extra-large for a 35 inch waist - I think a large would have been a better fit. While the XL does fit my 34-35 inch waist, I think that overall it is a little baggy, and that these might have been designed to fit a little snugger on the waist, with a little more stretch in the elastic. The chamois in the liner is absolutely built for someone with a much larger butt or something - it feels like I'm walking around with a diaper on. I've worn plenty of bike shorts in my day, and they should fit snugger.But the design of the shorts is great. Plenty of nice sealed zippered pocket to store stuff, and a good combination of breathable materials, stretch materials, and durable materials, all where you need each to be.

For the last several years i've been looking for bike shorts that are reasonably priced, have lots of secure pockets and won't catch in different parts of the shorts as I get on and off my bike. That last one has been a real problem for me and I have the scars to prove it. After the last emergency stop with the rear wheel in the air when a pedestrian suddenly made a sharp left turn right in front of my bike and my big box store cargo shorts once again got caught on the bike seat as I tried to put a leg down and couldn't, I decided to check Amazon to see if they had bike shorts that could keep me upright on my bike while getting on and off.Long story short, Zoic Mountaing Bike shorts solved my problem.Two deep zipper cargo pants side pockets, one zipper back pocket, one zipper cell phone pocket, a microfiber sunglass wipe,and two deep side pockets with no zippers and no tendency to get caught on my bike seat as I get on and off. Too bad I didn't know about these pants years ago.The shorts also come with a detachable padded liner inside for longer rides. Nice combination of shorts and padded liner, but for my usual 10 to 20 mile rides, I take out the liner. For rides up to 27 miles the liner works fine for me. For rides over 27 miles I put my thicker padded Pearl Izumi's on under the Zoic Shorts.My waist is 34 inches and the XL shorts are a perfect fit with a bit of extra room for padded liners on longer rides.The material is very light and more comfortable for daily use than any of the big box store shorts I've been using for years.Not cheap, but well worth the $.They work so good for me that I purchased 3 more for a total of 4 Zoic bike shorts.

I liked them enough to buy two more pair. I ordered Zoic Black Market shorts at the same time, for about the same price, but I liked these better. A zipper broke second time I wore the Black Market shorts, apparently due to poor QC, but that was after I ordered more of these. Hopefully there won't be a problem. The shorts are a little tight on my thighs, especially if anything is in the pockets. After I washed the liners they weren't as snug and felt better. Instructions say hang them to dry, but they went into the dryer and came out more comfortable than before. It might be that if I continue ignoring washing instructions they'll loosen up too much.Added September 3 2013: I am less enthusiastic...good shorts, but I ended up getting Pearl iZumi liners, which are more comfortable for me. As happened on another pair of Zoic shorts, a zipper broke...slid off the bottom of the track. I put it back on and stitched it so it wouldn't slide off again. Knocked my rating from four stars to three.

These shorts are more than I expected. Tough material with a breathable stretch fabric along the belt line where you sweat the most. Great tapered look with functioning waterproof zippers. Only drawback for me is they tend to scoot down the backside, but then I have no butt (lol); then last concern is the elastic draw belt is curling on the edges, so I'm a little concerned about the durability of the fabric (minor since the belt still functions; just keep an eye on it). The liner is a very comfortable material, and not bulky like other shorts I've tried on, but still yet it's a diaper of protection between you and the seat. I wear this as a casual short without the liner because they have a nice fashion look to them. Great short. I'm buying a plaid pair next. A helpful size note: I am 5"9 with a 34 waist. I ordered a large. The short length is to the bottom of my kneecap; the waist can be adjusted by the pull tabs, but with my build the back can still scoot down some while riding (all shorts do this). The style-cut, and maneuverability of the material makes for a very comfortable ride.

I'm disappointed in the sizing of cycling gear in general. Why do trail-shorts need to be so tight? I'm a 42 and the 3x should have fit. Laying these over my 42 jeans gives a whopping 2.5 inch difference. Why can't these companies just say 40 inch waist? The liner is actually loose but the shell is very tight. The pocketing is good with front hands pockets, two zipped, a cell phone with ear bud opening (a no-no around here, they'll cite you), and a zippered back. The cell phone pocket will hold my Motorolla Razr Android but only without any case, so it's tight. An iPhone will fit fine. These are stylish and I'll buy another pair after I drop a few pounds.