The difference in comfort between different shorts can sometimes be put down to a perfectly placed stretch panel or two – and so it is with the Esquire. Although the entire outer shell is stretchy, the back yoke is made of a lighter knit.
This allows the seat to float and move without pulling on the waist, which means we didn’t experience the usual problem of front-to-back adjusters pulling the back of our shorts down. The hip pockets are deep enough and the leg vents are in just the right place, too.
So while the Esquire isn't all bells and whistles, there’s a lot to recommend it. The liner is a light mesh and the pad is plush enough for medium rides. But considering that it costs nearly £85, we would like to see it more highly specced.
