Vulpine Men’s Gravel Shorts

Vulpine's Gravel Shorts are a stylish cycling short made from stretchy ripstop cotton fabric. I've enjoyed wearing them on and off the bike, and at £70, they are certainly not the most expensive out there.

These are at the casual-shorts-that-also-work-for-cycling end of the spectrum, as opposed to seriously technical shorts that look vaguely normal. They have a diamond gusset construction in the saddle area to avoid chafing, though, and they work perfectly fine on the bike.

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Although I didn't find many issues on more intense rides, for me they are most at home on a casual ride where you'd feel more comfortable not wearing lycra. More going to the pub or the shops, and less smashing the gravel hard for a couple of hours.

The biggest issue is that cotton is not the most breathable fabric out there, and not particularly quick drying either. On the upside, the fabric is 2% elastane and has a ripstop weave. The result is pretty stretchy and has a durable feel to it.

The two front pockets are deep; I can comfortably fit in my whole hand up to my wrist. They easily take any size phone and keep it in place. The two back pockets are as just deep, and you also get a zipped coin pocket on the righthand side.

These shorts use a button and a zip, and while the zip is a quality YKK one, it's a bit shorter than on other shorts / trousers, and looks a little odd to me.

The Vulpine branding is pretty subtle, and there are no reflective details. I reckon these shorts look pretty stylish.

Sizing

I'm normally a medium in shorts (apart from Italian bib shorts, they seem to use a different scale of sizing altogether). A medium is what we have here, and it's the right size for me in the waist, though the legs are edging towards snug.

Vulpine's sizing chart – which goes by your 'natural waistline' halfway between belly button and ribcage – says I should wear a large.

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As the medium is pretty perfect on me, I suspect I'd have too much room to spare in a large. I'm wearing these with a belt as it is, and with the stretch in the fabric I can almost take them off without opening them.

The legs are fairly tight, but as the fabric is so stretchy, it's not really an issue; they feel a lot like slim-fit stretch jeans.

I suspect the cut isn't quite right for my body shape, and that these shorts get away with it because of the stretchy fabric. Even if that is the case, I have no issue with the end result; I love wearing these.

Value

£70, though not cheap, is about what I would expect to pay for shorts like these – in our 12 Best Baggy Cycling Shorts roundup, most are around this price and up.

You can find cheaper, though: for example, Endura's Hummvee Short II costs £59.99 and comes with a liner.

Meanwhile, Endura's GV500 Foyle gravel shorts cost £10 more, but have a water repellent finish and are better suited to serious rides. You can pay a lot more, if you want. For example, the Rapha Men's Trail Shorts are £110.

Conclusion

The Vulpine Men's Gravel Shorts work well on the bike and look stylish off it. They size up a little large and aren't best suited to hard or very long rides, but they're great for more casual riding, are priced very reasonably, and prove very comfortable. Basically, I love wearing them.

Verdict

Stylish, feel great off the bike, and work well for all your mellower rides