Gore Bike Wear Alp-X Pro Lady Shorts

At first look, Gore's Alp-X Pro Lady Shorts seem a strange and fantastical idea- a pair of shorts that are half baggy shorts and half sleek short tights. The Alp-X Pro were designed with mountain biking in mind, specifically technically challenging riding, where the excess fabric of baggy shorts could interfere with ease of body movement, but still giving a baggy short 'look' and style. The main body of the short appears to be a fairly standard loosish fit, yet there's an integrated inner lycra short that becomes external at the section between the legs. The overall effect is therefore one of loose fit style shorts, but with the comfort and performance of lycra shorts.

I was keen to test them out of their natural off-road enviornment because it seems to me that many of the elements of mountain biking shorts work well for recreational road riding, touring, and even commuting. The Alp-X Pros are well featured and put together. The main fabric is a rugged but soft stretch fabric while the lycra short section is tough and supportive with an integral synthetic chamois. The waistband is half broad elastic and half flat (at the front). There's a zipped pocket on one thigh big enough for a mobile phone or wallet, and a Velcro fastening pouch pocket, and small elasticated pouch for energy gels and the like on the other leg. A reflective trim runs round the lumbar area and at the bottom of the legs.

Considering that these shorts are designed for mountain bikers, I was impressed with how comfortable they were for recreational riding and touring, situations in which it's not always desirable to be wearing traditional lycra shorts for reasons of sartorial elegance but where the level of comfort offered by said shorts is still important. They were tricky to wriggle into, with some effort required in positioning the lycra tight element correctly to ensure a comfortable fit at the top of the shorts, but once positioned, they did stay put and offered really high levels of ride comfort. The chamois was excellent- despite officially being an off-road specific design. It was well shaped and gave a good level of cushioning without being obtrusive. The lack of extra fabric between the legs meant that there was no chafing risk or annoyance factor on the bike, but they still looked almost like a pair of low key baggies rather than technical cycling shorts.

On close inspection, it's possible to see the strange effect of the tight lycra on the inner thigh, but the overall look is much more forgiving than standard lycra. When riding, there's no feeling of binding on the thigh, or catching of fabric, and the lycra inners do give a decent feeling of muscle support. I'd not recommend the Alp-X Pro for sportier road riding, mainly due to the pad design which is aimed at a more upright riding position, and also the waistband at the back which isn't as high as some road orientated shorts, but for more upright riding and when a balance of comfort and looks is important, these are an interesting proposition.

They are only machine washable at 30C but they do dry incredibly quickly. Again, this makes them a viable option for touring.

Sizing is fairly true to size, with a size large/EU40 roughly equivalent to a UK 12-14.

These are designed primarily as a technical performance garment so the price is high if you're not making the absolute most of what they have to offer.

Verdict

An interesting hybrid of lycra short performance and baggy short looks primarily for mountain biking but work well for recreational riding and touring, too