Protective Frieda Women's Shorts - TESTED

By Bex Hopkins

Protective Frieda shorts in action at Kirroughtree, 7Stanes

Protective cycle clothing is Edinbugh Bicycles answer to no-nonsense riding wear at a reasonable price. The Frieda Shorts are well built for general trail riding and other sports wear too, all seams are well stitched and there's great attention to detail too.

The high technical expectations we have from lycra shorts or undershorts these days means that rarely do we find a pair of baggies that have the liner/inner short that is right for us, so the Frieda comes just as a baggy short without a liner. This means you can add your own under short to suit you, we used our favourite lycra short to guarentee a comfortable ride.

Fabric is fast drying Tactel, a lightweight fabric that moves well whilst pedaling and copes well with inclement weather and sweating. Despite it's lightweight properties the fabric is pretty tough and thanks to the good construction they survived a few scrapes and offs well. There are loads of pocket and storage options in the Freda shorts, a pocket on each leg and butt cheek plus normal pockets on the front by the hips. The rear and leg pockets had large pull fasteners to ensure quick access even whilst pedaling or wearing gloves.

Size wise we enjoyed the baggy leg fit yet hoped for a comfortable waist fit, and thanks to the double popper closure and two rear adjusters we found the right setting allowing freedom of movement and a secure fit. There are also belt loops on the waistband so if you want to wear a belt that's cool too. Finally there are reflective strips on the sides, a useful addition and great positioning for side on visibility for other road users.

The fit is great, we enjoyed the soft lined waistband which felt soft next to the skin and the stretchy fabric around the groin and inner legs helped for total flexibility on and off the bike...yoga anyone? The leg length is perfect for serious bikers and those who want a multipurpose short too, flattering yet sporty is what we like. We're off shorter shorts that can get caught on the saddle right when you don't need it so the Frieda's passed the test with flying colours.

good Really comfortable and well fitting

bad They didn't look great on the hanger, but don't be put off as they look much better on!

performance 9
value 7
overall 8

Price:£44.95
Website: www.edinburghbicycle.com
Colours: Olive/black
Sizes: S, M, L

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Discuss this article, 1 of 13 messages, read more:

Jools

Posted: 30/03/07 15:30:23 23

I am writing a feature for CTC's Cycle magazine about gear that women can wear on and off the bike without looking too conspicous ie if you ride to work/cafe/museum etc and want to walk round without obviously being a "lycra lout". We hope to feature clothing by the like of Howies, Active Travel and a few others. If anybody has recommendations for their favourite items/brands/shops this would be most helpful plus any advice on how to stay looking smart whilst being a cyclist eg how to look after your hair at work, how to carry wash stuff etc that would be very helpful too. We will feature the best tips in the magazine.

I might add that this feature will also include accessories such as bags, scarves, shoes etc

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