C[omp]ute

From: andrew cooke <andrew@...>

Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2018 10:58:06 -0300

Just received a pair of these shorts in the mail.

The old model were my main cycle shorts for years (I think I have four
pairs kicking around somewhere).  They're tough, comfortable, and
relatively cool in the heat.  More recently I've switched mainly to
bibs, but I still wanted a pair of shorts for the occasional ride and
also for the gym, and the old ones were really starting to show their
age (as well as suffering a few rips from falls over the years).

The main idea of the Lite was that they're for hot weather, so use
thinner material, although the seat of the pants remains something
thicker so they don't wear out.  That hasn't changed, but the look of
the material has improved - the grey colour I bought has a visible
texture like a natural fibre (my old light grey ones were obviously
nylon).  They also have a blue highlight (the pocket zip - more on
pockets below) that I guess looks more modern (not sure I'm a fan
myself, but it's a small detail).

Another change is the use of a button at the waist rather than snap
fasteners - probably an improvement, although (for me, at least) the
fasteners stayed closed fine on the older model.  The clickfast liner,
also using snap fasteners, remains as before.

But the two biggest changes are pockets and legs.

The cut of the legs is noticeably thinner, but they no longer have the
velcro width adjuster.  That's probably a good thing - they were so
wide they tended to get caught on my pump (mounted on the down tube)
at times, while tightening them with the adjusters looked really
(really) dumb.  But could this mean they are less cool when riding?

The old style had two leg pockets (one larger than the other).  The
new style has one leg pocket and one rear pocket.  A rear pocket is a
good idea - the leg pockets flapped annoyingly if you carried
something heavy like keys.  BUT the leg remaining leg pocket is
smaller than the old large pocket.  That means that you can no longer
fit a quarter-folded sheet of (letter) paper in there (maybe I am the
only person who takes print-outs of maps and routes on rides?).
Hummvee are generally well-known for their pockets, so this seems like
a step backwards.  Keeping both leg pockets and adding an extra at the
rear would have been better.

I've not ridden with these yet, but overall I think they're probably a
slight improvement.  The new fabric certainly looks nicer, and the
narrower fit is probably more practical, even if I wish there was
still a large leg pocket.

Andrew