Chapeau Gravel Shorts

Chapeau's Gravel Shorts are comfortable, stretchy and fast drying, and can be worn over padded liner shorts for all-day comfort. The snug fit doesn't flap around, while still allowing air to circulate and looking decent when wandering about mid- or post-ride.

The rise in popularity of gravel or non-road riding on drop bar bikes has both been enabled by and has borrowed from mountain biking, in first technology and now clothing. It was disc brakes that enabled drop bar bikes to go wider than 28mm tyres (yes, yes, canti brakes – but we're talking decent real-world tech here, not stuff that eats your rims and needs endless faffing). Thru-axles make swapping wheels to use different tyres for different rides child's play, and 1x drivetrains make everyone's lives easier and cheaper.

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But what to wear in this new fat-tyred, drop bar paradise? With the emphasis on slower trips of exploration and being present in your surrounds instead of racing through, do you really want to be clad in skin-tight Lycra while mixing with fellow diners, tourists and the general hoi-polloi? Thus the rise of the 'gravel short': not as baggy as full-gnar mountain bike trews, yet affording comfort, breeze and modesty while you peruse the aisles of your mid-ride artisanal wholefood store looking for that perfect Instagrammable sodabread loaf...

So what we're looking for here is shorts that are comfy on a bike, but blend in with general society. Ones that will dry quickly and don't flap about, but can store a wallet/glasses/stuff when needed off the bike. Enter the Chapeau Gravel Shorts.

At 211g they are seriously light for their length, coming almost to the top of the knee on me in a 32-inch waist – and I'm 6ft tall. The fabric is thin yet strong, with a fair amount of give in it to make bending and moving easy, on or off the bike.

The fit is definitely on the snugger side and pretty accurate at the waist, so if you have chunky thighs for your waist measurement they might be a bit tight. The 'medium' is 32 inches, and the XL is 36 inches – which is close to Italian 'cyclists are skinny, yeah?' sizing. It would be good to see Chapeau cater for people larger than a 36-inch waist.

Technical features are minimal. There's a zip fly with a button closure at the top, and belt loops if you want to use a belt; otherwise, there are low-profile tabs at the sides that cinch down for a snug waist fit (the waistband is also a bit stretchy).

The front pockets are zipped, and are plenty deep enough. The two rear pockets aren't zipped, so are best used for temporary storage of non-valuables when off the bike.

The fabric is DWR-coated, and water is still happily beading off a few months and many washes later. Honestly, the fabric is so light I don't think water retention would be an issue even if it were untreated, but it's a nice touch.

The waist is high enough at the back that even with a fairly forward-leaning position on the bike there's nary a hint of plumber's immodesty. I wore them over a pair of minimalist yet fully padded liner shorts and everything felt fine.

On the bike, they do what any good shorts should – disappear, in the figurative sense. Even on four-hour-plus rides they were fine, and I could see them working just as well for multi-day epics where their quick-drying nature means they would easily double as swimming trunks for river, loch or sea dips.

At £60 they are priced pretty sharply – and currently if you sign up for Chapeau's newsletter before purchasing you can get a further £10 off.

> Buyer’s Guide: 12 of the best baggy cycling shorts

Our guide to the best baggies, linked above, points to the Chapeau Gravel Shorts being great value compared with the competition, even the already comparatively low-priced Vulpine Gravel Shorts, which lose marks for being not-that-breathable cotton.

Chapeau also offers what appears to be lifetime free crash replacement with proof of purchase/registration of the product, which, if you're accident prone, could be a deal-maker.

If you're after a reasonably close-fitting lower half that is light, comfortable, sheds water and will dry very quickly, the Chapeau Gravel Shorts should be high on your short(s)list.

Verdict

Lightweight, fast-drying shorts for the slimmer of leg