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Endura Humvee Shorts
Endura's Hummvees have been around for ages and the latest incarnation is every bit as good as its predecessors. They're not perfect, but for a general purpose commuting/leisure/MTB short they're pretty hard to beat.
Construction is from Teflon coated nylon fabric which is durable and does a decent job of shrugging off the showers. I've seen reviews of the Hummvees that mark them down for being heavy, which for me is missing the point: This isn't race gear and I'll take the extra durability over a weight saving any day. The mesh rear panels and zipped side vents mean that you can keep cool even on hot days. Quality of construction is excellent and cut is good both on and off the bike.
Pocket-wise there's an abundance of riches: four at the front and two big ones on the sides at the rear that are great for stashing an OS map. You don't want much in your pockets when you're riding but off the bike they're handy, and the knee pocket is a good place to stash a phone on the move.
The Hummvees come with a six-panel ClickFast liner that attaches to the shell with poppers. Previous incarnations of this liner haven't been great; the new one is better, with an improved pad, but it's still not quite up to the standard of a decent cheap lycra short, and the ClickFast system means the belt of the liner is too low for my liking. I prefer to just wear them with a standard short underneath if I need the padding, for my (short) commute the shorts on their own are plenty comfy.
The belt needs work – it loosens too easily – and I'd prefer a catch or button to a popper as the main closure, but these are pretty minor grumbles and as an all purpose leisure short the the Hummvees tick all the right boxes. £49.99 is a good price too.
Verdict
Good quality performance leisure wear at a decent price
road.cc test report
Make and model: Endura Humvee 3/4 baggy short with liner
Size tested: XL
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
About the tester
Age: 36 Height: 190cm Weight: 100kg
I usually ride: Schwinn Moab, urbanised with 700cs My best bike is: Trek 1.5 with upgrades
I've been riding for: 10-20 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mtb, Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling, track
Dave is a founding father of road.cc and responsible for kicking the server when it breaks. In a previous life he was a graphic designer but he's also a three-time Mountain Bike Bog Snorkelling world champion, and remains unbeaten through the bog. Dave rides all sorts of bikes but tends to prefer metal ones. He's getting old is why.
8 comments
I have the short version of the Hummvee for my commute, and really like them (v. handy for keeping my train ticket & work id card in). The one dissenting note I'd sound is that they feel horrible once they're wet, and don't seem to dry that quickly. (My Altura Ascent shorts were better in that regard).
Another plus is the sizing, which seems to be spot on - Altura sizes are so far on the large side as to be comical.
fair comment: they're not the quickest to dry when they do get wet, because the fabric is quite thick. my point really was the fabric doesn't get wet that easily: the teflon coating does its job pretty well. I didn't find them uncomfortable when they were wet though, at least no more than any of my other baggies (race face, altura)
Great review.
I've been thinking of getting some 3/4 baggies for commuting and general rides, and these were top of my list.
But, given the amount it rains around here and the lack of drying space in the office, I may give these a miss. I've been massively impressed with my Altura kit so may have a look at theirs...
got mine on in bed now
they're pretty comfy but i don't think i'd sleep in them, too many zips...
...plus the key hook would dig in...
I have the "regular" shorts version, though these are long enough (I do haev short legs, though).
They do have a plethora of pockets and features, which makes them very practical.
I found that the liner short is awful. It's been worn once, and now resides in the back of the kit drawer.
Belt is useless - this is a standard complaint from MTB forums.
Build quality can be variable. Mine after only a couple of rides had loose sticthing, and I've heard pretty much the same.
Overall they're good, though the above issues for me mean that I'm not sure £50 represents good VFM.
ourmaninthenorth: how old are yours? the liner has been changed and it's a lot better than it used to be, although it's still not the best thing ever.