The Altitude feels race inspired, from its ultralight shell to the specification of the inner liner shorts. Because that’s the best bit, we’ll start on the inside. Liners are most often a simple four-panel construction, but these have six, cut to articulate with the leg in the way of more expensive skin shorts. And that’s the way they feel to ride with too.
The pad, which feels quite broad at first, soon softens and has a multitude of flex channels so that it conforms to your shape and doesn’t bunch. The outer shell is light with a lot of stretch. The fabric glides easily over the skin when riding and also shrugs off summer showers.
When it gets hot, the large side and inner leg vents do a sterling job of promoting airflow and keeping you cool; the perforated mesh of the liner helps with this too. The legs sit just over the knee and feel comfortable when worn over pads.
The Velcro waist adjusters have been moved to the inside of the shorts to stop them catching on your riding pack, but pulling from back to front keeps everything at the rear snug. There are three zip pockets, one of which houses a useful optics wipe.
Overall, these shorts are a good option for long distance, warm weather rides, but kept from being perfect for us because of a touch of saddle snag due to an over-long rise.
This article is compiled from reviews originally published in What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK magazines.
