Troy Lee Design’s Skyline trail short is basic, but offers a near-perfect fit and good value.
We found the gravity-inspired Skyline provides ample coverage — via a longer inseam — to prevent the dreaded ‘knee pad gap’, but with a slimmer upper cut to ward off any chance of catching extra fabric on your saddle, even if you’re high-posting it on descents.
The waist is particularly good. With a high back we found could be snuggled in to a close fit with the generous side adjusters. They pull from back to front, giving a secure fit that’s only helped by a knit, rear-yoke panel that allows you to drop off the saddle without tugging the waistband down.
Simple front pockets and a zippered, padded, key pocket out back provide reasonable storage for essentials. If the Skyline is lacking, it’s in the department of a larger secure zippered pocket.
The design features are what you’d expect from a manufacturer with ‘design’ in their name. The waist is cut higher, very comfortable, and sports well-placed and well-working TPU-Velcro tabs for adjustment.
We do have a small gripe: We'd prefer a zipper to the the Velcro fly. Others may point out that the short doesn’t sport any additional ventilation. We didn’t miss the vents, though, even on 90°F-plus days.
The Skyline provides a longer inseam to mesh well with pads, but Troy Lee added a double hem on the bottom of the leg if you want to cut the lower inch or so off — without ruining the overall integrity of the hem, or the short’s warranty.
The Skyline's adjustable hem
Last, but certainly not least, there’s the four-way stretch fabric Troy Lee use for the Skyline. It strikes us as something Patagonia may tout for rock-based adventurers, and it is supremely comfortable on the bike. The brushed nylon material has a bit of stretch to it, too, which adds to the comfort and all-day pedal-ability. The Skyline dries supremely fast — thus making a seamless transition to post-ride river dips — and, so far, has proven easy to clean in our testing.
We’ve managed to acquire some small snags already though, so it’s not as bramble-friendly as it could be. All in all, the comfort wins out on this style.