howies® Alder shorts: Tested

Apr 29, 2010 at 14:35

UK company howies® (never spelt with a capital) has a complete lineup of technical and casual clothing that transcends the usual mountain bike fashion barrier. Riding apparel that can double as causal wear and casual wear that can be worn on the bike, howies® blends the two with a subdued appearance that you'll want to wear long after the mountain bike culture has moved onto its next neon infused fashion wave. Inside we review the bike specific Alder shorts, as well as take a look at their Madryn jeans and high end Towpath trousers.

Read on...

howies Alder shorts

The Alder shorts are purpose built for cycling using rain proof Epic stretch cotton, but the cut and subdued look make them perfect for off the bike use as well. Up top you'll find two hook and loop tabs that let you dial in the fit of the elastic waistband, along with both a standard button and a snap enclosure. The fly is zippered as opposed to snaps or hook and loop. Two deep and vented hand pockets (with small zippered pocket within) are complimented by even deeper side cargo pockets and a somewhat small single rear pocket. Each cargo pocket has two discrete smallish zippered vents to help keep you cool on the warm days. Button snaps inside will fit other brand's lycra shorts if you choose to go that route, although having your inner shorts buttoned to your baggys has always struck me as a bit odd. They come in your favorite color only, black.


howies Alder details

• Over knee length cut
• Made from stretchable Epic cotton
• Adjustable hook and loop waist tabs
• Hand pockets with internal stash pocket and side storage cargo pockets
• Concealed zip mesh side vents
• Black only
• MSRP £95.00 GBP/$145.95 CAD


I'm a big fan of the Alder shorts, but they turned out to be quite fragile for shorts that are meant to be used for riding. I was very impressed with the overall fit and cut as they do a good job of striking a happy middle ground between overly baggy and some of the too short Euro looking jobs that are out there. As they are designed to be ridden in, the crotch doesn't have any ill-fitting material that shorts with similar long inseams suffer from. Despite the crotch seams failing on me (more on that below), I never got caught up on the seat once during a ride. The slightly stretchy Epic cotton is a nice balance between a thicker and hotter material or something thinner and cooler. Now for the bad news... After two months of use, albeit lots of riding, the crotch stitching completely failed on me and split wide open. This came as a surprise to me as I didn't get caught up on the nose of my seat at all previous to this. I was pretty disappointed because I was so happy with the overall fit of the Alder shorts. Also worth noting is the near uselessness of the rear pocket which is small enough that it was a struggle to get anything in or out of it.


Pros
• Great fit - not too baggy and not too tight
• Epic cotton material works well for both cool and warm days
• Adjustable waistband for fine tuning fit


Cons
• Crotch seam failed after only two months of use
• Button for waist enclosure came off during first days use
• Due to its small size it is difficult to fit a standard sized wallet into the rear pocket

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howies Madryn jean

Madryn jean details

• Baggy/loose fit jeans
• Made with organic cotton chambray
• Button fly and internal waistband
• One color only: Indigo
• MSRP £85.00 GBP/$130.00 CAD

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howies Towpath trousers

Towpath details

• Made from water-resistant Epic canvas
• Heavy-duty work wear inspired trousers
• Ergonomic cut side seams for riding
• Hand pockets and concealed pocket
• One color only: mud brown
• MSRP $125 GBP/$190 CAD




Visit howies.co.uk to see their entire lineup.