A good waterproof short will keep the worst of the weather off you, so Joe has been seeing how the Leatt MTB 5.0 shorts compare.
Ride in the UK and the rain is inevitable. Joe has been testing the Leatt MTB 5.0 waterproof shorts to see if they can hold their own in the current crop of other offerings out there.
Photos by Dave Price.
Key features:
- Lightweight four-way stretch shell for amazing comfort and feel
- Three-layer HydraDri membrane
- 30.000mm/23.000g/m2 waterproof/breathable shell
- Water proof pockets and zippers
- RRP £129.99
- Leatt.com
Waterproof riding trousers are becoming more popular recently, but personally I find I overheat quite easily and so waterproof shorts are a great compromise. This offering from Leatt are made from the same tough fabric as the MTB 5.0 jacket, and are for those really cold and wet days where you want your bum to stay nice and dry.
The bum area is reinforced to prevent mud from wearing though the waterproof fabric so they should last a good few winters of riding. The have waterproof pockets, including the zips, so car key fobs and phones are safe from getting wet if you ride without and keep them your pockets, although being quite a tailored fit anything in the pockets would pull tight against my thigh.
There are zipped vents on the inside of the thigh to aid with airflow to help avoid too much of a sweaty gusset, but I don’t think you can avoid it in waterproof shorts (or trousers) when you are in the saddle climbing for any length of time. But its still better than a soaking wet and cold bum.
As mentioned, the fit is fairly tailored, but not as snug as the Jacket, so they were comfortable to wear for long periods. I found the tailored fit was good for preventing too much mud from splashing up inside the shorts and inside of my knee pads.
We love:
- Incredibly water proof
- Tough, hard-wearing fabric
Could do better:
- Pretty expensive
You can check out the Leatt MTB 5.0 shorts on their website here.
Read all our other product reviews on our Gear page here.
