Specialized Demo Pro Pant - Review

During last year's World Cup DH season Troy Brosnan had more costume changes than a Katy Perry concert, appearing at each round wearing a new flashy jersey and pants. After the season concluded, Specialized took Troy's favorite colors and released a limited edition run of gravity-oriented apparel, which means that if you've ever dreamed of riding your bike clad in turquoise from head-to-toe, well, now you can.

Small, laser cut holes are located in the crotch and upper thigh area, as well as at the back of the knee for increased air flow and ventilation. An elasticized back panel is in place to keep plumber's crack at bay, and a velcro strap at each side allows the fit to be fine tuned. There are a total of three zippered pockets – one on each leg, and another on the back portion of the waistband. I never really used that pocket on the waistband, but it does happen to be the perfect size to fit a tube of chapstick, just in case your lips hurt real bad.

The Demo pants are available in even sizes from 30 – 38. MSRP: $130 USD.




Performance

I usually prefer riding in shorts, even in the fall and winter, but spending a few months with Specialized's Demo pants has me singing a different tune. For one, they're ridiculously comfortable, and no matter how many hours I stayed out for there wasn't any chafing or uncomfortable rubbing. I'm not just talking about shuttling or riding the lifts either – in cooler weather the Demo pants became part of my regular rotation even on rides with plenty of climbing thrown into the mix. They're not waterproof, but they're water resistant enough to keep a light drizzle at bay, and the fabric dries quickly if they do become saturated.

There's plenty of stretch in the pants' lightweight fabric to prevent any restriction of movement, and the high crotch keeps them from getting caught on the seat when sliding backwards in preparation for a steep move. Specialized sent out four different pairs of Demo pants for evaluation, and all of the test riders except for one reported back with positive remarks about the durability. The one exception was where a row of the stitching just underneath the zip up fly began to come undone, causing the pants to split approximately one inch down the seam, just underneath the fly. According to Specialized, that split is something that would be covered under warranty and replaced at no charge.

To further test the pants' durability (ok, that's probably not really the reason...) I got tossed off my bike and onto the ground during a rainy ride the other day, and ended up sliding on my side and knees through the mud for a respectable distance before coming to a stop. The pants survived just fine, and despite having thick mud ground into them, once they were rinsed and washed they emerged without any rips or stains. The fabric is on the thinner side, but it's still impressively abrasion and tear resistant and has held up very well to the abuse it's been through.



Pinkbike's Take:

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