Troy Lee Designs Flowline Shorts (with liner) review

Troy Lee Designs describes its Flowline shorts as 'minimalist', which is accurate, because they have one of the shortest spec sheets of any mountain bike trail shorts.

Featuring only a hip pocket on either side and a twin-poppered waist fastener with Velcro adjustment to help keep them in place, they are without doubt a simple design.

Clearly, most of the cost has gone into the excellent fabrics and cut, making them among the best mountain bike shorts for fast trail use.

Troy Lee Designs Flowline Shorts spec details

One-way stretch fabrics are used throughout the construction of the Flowline Shorts. There's also a full-stretch panel at the base of the back to prevent the rear being pulled down when you're riding.

The hip pockets are deep enough to be worthwhile and lined with mesh to keep the weight down.

They are finished with a chunky YKK zip fly and you get a removable Troy Lee Designs liner.

With a 13in inseam, our 34in waist shorts, without a liner, weighed 216g.

Troy Lee Designs Flowline Shorts performance

I quickly grew to love the slick look and slim fit of the Flowline shorts. They're designed perfectly for long days on the trail.

They sat perfectly on my hips through all conditions and bursts of high-intensity effort thanks to the stretch panel at the base of the back and a little stretch through the body of the shorts.

While the Velcro waist adjustment worked well to keep the shorts in place, I've previously found this type of design doesn’t stand the test of time well.

Often, the hook and loop design becomes worn and less sticky the more you wear them, so that's something to be aware of.

However, it was easy to forget I was wearing the Flowline Shorts due to their comfortable, light, uncluttered build.

The pockets were well proportioned and useful when off the bike, but mesh-lined pockets generally snag when used to store keys.

A lack of zip closure means you might not want to keep valuable items in them when riding.

They easily swallowed a large phone though, which is handy for post-ride storage.

The liner is low-profile, yet very comfortable and up there with the best I've tested. The fact it can be removed helps with multi-ride trips. It also makes it easy to wear your favourite bib shorts underneath instead.

Troy Lee Designs Flowline Shorts bottom line

Although their price is high, these are quality-feeling, well-made shorts for those of us who take on big days on the hills.

The lightweight fabrics and unfussy design make them blend readily and comfortably into the background.

Despite the lack of a zipped pocket, they're an excellent choice.