Troy Lee Designs' Luxe mountain bike shorts are tailored to have a sleek, stretchy waist and hips akin to yoga pants, making for a high-performing and lightweight, minimalist design.
The Lux range includes mountain bike shorts, pants, tank tops and gloves. All are available in a variety of prints and solid colours, with luxury at the heart of their design.
Made from four-way stretch, Bluesign-approved UPF 50+ fabric, the tailoring of stretch-fit panels around the body, side panels and waist negates the need for a fly opening.
True to their minimalist design intentions, there’s only a larger smartphone-sized pocket located over the outside aspect of the lower thigh and a narrow zippered waistband pocket to carry small valuables.
Multiple laser-cut holes perforate a continuous panel of the inner thigh and gusset – a welcome feature for enhanced breathability and perspiration control.
The majority of the seams are flat-locked to keep bulk and stiffness down. A similar design is employed on many yoga pants.
A section of the internal waistband has silicone grippers to help the shorts stay in place.
My pair of small-sized Luxe shorts weighed 179g.
Troy Lee Designs Luxe Shell Shorts performance
The shorts use a range of fabrics with varying degrees of elasticity, giving a higher degree of stretch where required for freedom of movement on the bike.
They feel light to ride in, comfortably living up to Troy Lee Designs' claim of excelling in comfort and fit.
Finishing just above the knee with a 12.25in inner seam (size small), they can be worn with or without knee pads.
Although not specified, they must have a DWR coating because splashes and light rain beaded off efficiently.
The lack of a waistband zip or buckle means riding with a hip pack is comfortable.
The dedicated pocket held my phone securely and the rear pocket is large enough to carry a key and a multi-tool.
Troy Lee Designs Luxe Shell Shorts bottom line
The Luxe shorts live up to expectations, with a high-quality design and manufacturing.
At £119.99, they are expensive, but for the cost, you get a lightweight pair of shorts with exceptional comfort and fit that work equally well on and off the bike.
The varied choice of colours and patterns is an added bonus.
Mountain bike shorts | How we tested
To help you find the right MTB-specific shorts, we sent our testers out on long trail and XC rides in 12 of the latest options, to check all-day comfort. We also put the shorts through the washing machine to see whether any water-resistant treatments held up and make sure no damage occurred.
Women’s shorts tested
- Altura Esker Women’s Trail Shorts
- Endura Women’s Singletrack Lite Shorts
- Fox Women’s Flexair Shorts
- Troy Lee Designs Luxe Shell Shorts
Men’s shorts tested
- Endura Hummvee Shorts
- Fox Ranger Shorts
- Rockrider EXPL500 Combo Shorts
- Troy Lee Designs Flowline Shorts
Product
| Brand | troy_lee_designs |
| Price | 150.00 AUD,140.00 EUR,110.00 GBP,120.00 USD |
| Weight | 179.0000, GRAM (S) - |
Features
| br_gender | womens |
| Features | Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL Material: Main body: 86% Polyester 14% Spandex Vents: Laser cut perforations Pockets: Zippered rear waistband pocket and a phone-specific pocket Inner seam: 12.25 inches - as tested Colour: Rosewood, Wildflower, Cream. (Solid steel green, Solid black, Snake multi, wild cat white) |
