Kitsbow Women's A/M Softshell Short - Review
Pinkbike Product Picks
![Kitsbow Soft Shell AM Short]()
Kitsbow Women's Softshell A/M Short
By now most readers will know that Kitsbow means business when it comes to making quality garments. Although based in Marin, CA the company's quest to create quality product has them producing their clothing in Vancouver, BC, with carefully sourced materials being procured from both Swtizerland and Italy. The Women's A/M Softshell short is the company's answer to a women's specific mountain bike short. Constructed from Schoeller-dryskin, which is made from a mixture of polyester and elastine, the shorts are intended to be highly durable and abrasion resistant whilst still being a pliable fabric that will move with your body as you ride and the DWR finish to the material sheds moisture in order to keep you dry when things get wet on the trails. The shorts are available in two fits, straight cut and curved (pictured here) and come in 9 different sizes so that a large spectrum of body types are catered to. Other features include the Italian made RiRi locking slider snap, that slides the shorts to a close in the front, rather than snapping together and reverse engineered pockets which means that anything that goes in them sits on your rear, rather than in front of your hip flexors. The back of the short legs are unique in that they are tapered so that they don't brush against your calves whilst riding and the inseam breaks where your knees naturally bend. The tall quilted waistband at the back is intended to help wick moisture away from the area whilst remaining ventilated. Price: $269 USD. kitsbow.com
![Kitsbow]()
Pinkbike's Take:
The Kitsbow Women's Soft Shell A/M Shorts are all about details details details.
Kitsbow Women's Softshell A/M Short
By now most readers will know that Kitsbow means business when it comes to making quality garments. Although based in Marin, CA the company's quest to create quality product has them producing their clothing in Vancouver, BC, with carefully sourced materials being procured from both Swtizerland and Italy. The Women's A/M Softshell short is the company's answer to a women's specific mountain bike short. Constructed from Schoeller-dryskin, which is made from a mixture of polyester and elastine, the shorts are intended to be highly durable and abrasion resistant whilst still being a pliable fabric that will move with your body as you ride and the DWR finish to the material sheds moisture in order to keep you dry when things get wet on the trails. The shorts are available in two fits, straight cut and curved (pictured here) and come in 9 different sizes so that a large spectrum of body types are catered to. Other features include the Italian made RiRi locking slider snap, that slides the shorts to a close in the front, rather than snapping together and reverse engineered pockets which means that anything that goes in them sits on your rear, rather than in front of your hip flexors. The back of the short legs are unique in that they are tapered so that they don't brush against your calves whilst riding and the inseam breaks where your knees naturally bend. The tall quilted waistband at the back is intended to help wick moisture away from the area whilst remaining ventilated. Price: $269 USD. kitsbow.com
Who wears short shorts? The scallop cut at the back of the leg is a nice feature, no brushing of the calves to be found here.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | On first inspection of these shorts it's quite apparent that the detail and thought that has gone into their construction should categorize them comfortably as technical wear, rather than that of regular mtb freeride/enduro/hucker wear. When putting the shorts on we first noticed just how closely they fit. When Kitsbow states that the A/M's are a tailored fit, they really mean it, with the cut of the short highlighting womanly curves rather than blanketing them with boyish cuts which can sometimes be the case. The Schoeller Dryskin fabric feels quite durable from the outside, but the soft brushing inside and the malleability of the material meant that we didn't feel restricted by the close quarters at all. The length of the shorts are very, well - short. If you are used to wearing trail riding shorts, you might feel a little naked when donning a pair of Kitsbow's for the first time. However, this is met with a slight feeling of liberation upon hitting the trails as the shorter length of the legs means there's no snagging on seats or levers, and the high cut outs on the back of the legs mean that you are no longer wondering if it's your shorts that are brushing your calves or some unwanted local insect. One thing were were surprised by in the curve fit is just how high the waist is; it's really high, but after riding in the shorts several times, we could see the reasoning behind the design. The high cut sits neatly under the diaphragm, so that when tackling steep climbing, breathing is not cut off and there is no restriction of a lower set waistband strangling away at the stomach. The real kicker of the high waist though is that there is no chance of any unwanted worker's cleavage being displayed. Ever. Another feature we liked was the sliding snap lock at the front of the short that prevented the buttons from popping out mid pedal stroke and we also found the backwards set pockets to be much more comfortable than those in our regular riding shorts with items being stowed neatly near the tush rather than bulking up around the hip flexors. For anyone interested in purchasing a pair of Kitsbow A/M's online we would highly recommend reading the sizing chart carefully, with 9 different sizes and two different cuts available it took us two goes to get into the right pair. At $269 USD these shorts come with a price tag and a design that may not appeal to everyone. Although undoubtedly comfortable and exceptionally constructed, we weren't in love with the style of the short, but that's not to say the understated look and design won't work for others; after all it comes down to a matter of personal style, taste and preference. The way we see it is this: If you are sick of wearing your lycra race kit for casual rides with friends, but don't want to loose any freedom of movement and want to employ a bit of hipster cool - these shorts are for you. If you are used to wearing baggies and you're looking to get a bit more streamlined without making the leap to lycra - these shorts are for you. Just be prepared to show a little leg along the way. - Rachelle Frazer |
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
I think you mean "anyone" not "everyone". No sane person on earth wants to pay that kind of money for shorts.
youtu.be/TfcFrY4tY1Y
THEN WHY on this green earth would the PB staff think an article on $270 women's shorts would appeal to this site's fan base? They are just asking for it...
Although I wonder how many users on this site are women who can afford two buck shorts? hm...
kitsbow.com/about-us
m.youtube.com/watch?v=P2vkiLHiTcY
Go home PB and Kitsbow, you're both drunk. But hey, if PB can get lucky with a rich girl go-for-it men!
Having said that I can understand the appeal of a closer fit, even though I'm a bloke. I have quite spindly legs and some brands of mtb shorts feel like I'm wearing a pair of sails if it's windy or raining. If you can make a man's version at 20% of the price then you'll have a customer.
Hardly cutting edge technology. Some companies just exist to satisfy peoples' vanity.