Club Ride Women’s Eden Bike Shorts
Color: Light Caravan
MSRP: $80 (Now on Sale)
Features:
- PowerWeave fabric
- Abrasion-resistant
- Seamless crotch gusset
- Zippered leg openings
- Rear zippered storage pocket
- Adjustable waist cinch
- Reflective accents
- Inseam: 7″
Reviewer Info: 5’3”, 120lbs. Usually wears a Small.
Days Tested: 20+
Locations Tested: Grand Targhee, WY; Salt Lake City, UT; Revelstoke, Canada; Hood River, OR
Club Ride’s biking attire aims to strike a balance between fashion and function. The Club Ride Eden shorts are designed to be comfortable on long trail rides, but have a casual, stylish look. Since I don’t like to wear only spandex or long, baggy shorts while mountain biking, the shorter Eden shorts are a great compromise.
Fit and Style
I generally wear a size Small, and the Small Eden shorts fit true to size. At 5’3” and 120lbs, the Small fits me well in the waist, crotch and rear. The shorts have a stated inseam of 7”, but I measured it to be 6.5”. Since I usually wear longer shorts, the Eden initially felt quite short, but I quickly got used to the length. Despite the shorts’ slightly tighter fit, they can easily accommodate and camouflage my thick Castelli chamois.
I really like the casual look of the Eden shorts, and feel comfortable wearing them in public after rides. Because the fabric and style is so versatile, I found myself grabbing them for most outdoor activities, including hiking, backpacking, and climbing.
My only fit issue is the length of the shorts when paired with my own chamois. Since the Eden shorts are pretty short, my Castelli Body Paint and Majoja chamois liners hang out the bottom of the legs, which doesn’t look great. While this combination did not inhibit my ability to ride, a shorter chamois would have looked and felt better. A good solution might be to order Club Ride’s DamselCham removable liner, which is a shorter chamois meant to be worn under the Eden shorts.
Breathability
The Eden shorts were great on hot summer rides. The lighter fabric and shorter length allowed for more airflow to my upper leg, which prevented me from overheating in Utah’s oppressive August heat. The Eden shorts have zippered vents on the bottom of the legs, which improved the shorts’ range of motion, but I never felt a noticeable increase in airflow. After accidentally spilling water on the shorts, the fabric dried out pretty quickly, and I began to wear them on mellow paddleboarding days, too.
Features
The Eden shorts have two nylon straps on the waistbelt to help achieve a more precise fit. I didn’t find the straps to work that well though, and the clasp would often open during rides, causing the webbing to fall out of the clasp.
The front of the shorts has two snaps and a zipper, all which seem solid. The Eden shorts also have two snap loops on the inner waistband so that the Club Ride DamselCham chamois can be clipped into the shorts. I did not use the DamselCham liner, but found that my chamois were still comfortable under the Eden shorts without being clipped in.
The Eden shorts have two fairly large front pockets. I really appreciated the larger pocket size, since a lot of female bike shorts have small, shallow pockets. As a point of reference, my whole hand fits in the front pockets easily, and they are lined with a comfortable mesh that feels nice next-to-skin while hiking.
The two rear pockets on the Eden shorts are also large, without feeling bulky. The right rear pocket has an outer zippered section, which is too small to fit my IPhone 5.
Durability
The Eden shorts are made out of Club Ride’s PowerWeave fabric, which they tout as being lightweight, breathable, and abrasion resistant. So far, the fabric has held up well to biking and hiking. After sitting on sharp rocks and brushing up against trees, the shorts don’t have any damage. The material is also pretty stain resistant.
Bottom Line
The Club Ride Eden is a comfortable and versatile pair of bike shorts that look great around town, too. Given the length of the Eden shorts, I would recommend pairing them with a shorter chamois.
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