The Giro women’s Arc shorts are a simple and unfussy pair of shorts that are ideal for summer trail riding, however, the fit wasn’t perfect and they come up a tad short in the leg to be worn with knee pads.
The Arc shorts are available for both sexes and it’s the women’s version we’ve had on test here. Giro says that the short are designed as a go-to mountain bike short which offers a flattering fit and is packed with all the essentials. The shorts are fairly understated in black as we tested them, the rip stop material is really light and although there is no stretch at all in the fabric, the shorts proved comfortable enough to wear and moved easily over our own lycra chamois.
The fabric offers a sun protection factor of 50+ and had a DWR coating too. Despite the water-resistant coating the shorts are very thin in nature and I’d recommend them for summer months only where they will see off trail splash with ease.
The shorts sport a casual style with open hand pocket and belt loops if you need them. There are also waist adjusters on each hip, but using these causes the material to creases and fold at the rear, creating unsightly bunching. More stretch incorporated into the material might allow the fit of the shorts to be refined somewhat and eliminate this problem.
I’m a size 8-10 dress size and wore a size small shorts which would equate to a UK size 8. The shorts came up a little large and I needed to employ the waist adjusters to get the right fit. Sizing down would have meant a shorter inseam, something I wanted to avoid as the short I tested were still too short in the leg to cover knee pads properly when pedalling.
Lastly, there is a secure zip pocket on the middle right hand leg, a tad small for my iPhone 8 Plus but would happily house smaller mobiles, cash or cards. The pocket is placed mid thigh meaning items inside don’t inhibit movement when pedalling.
The Giro Arc shorts are a light short that is best for summer use, best suited to those that don’t wear knee pads. At £59.99 the Arc’s are cheap(ish) and have fared well in terms of robustness, if you want a light, fast drying short for sans knee pad spinning with some pennies left over these are worth a look. For those who want a more gravity orientated short, there are better options.
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