Why 3/4 MTB shorts?

Ross Gardner

I get shorts. I get trousers.

Who gets 3/4 instead of the above?

Is it just another way to get cash off us?

nasha48

Bit warmer on the knees. Less censored and water on the legs for the winter months. Work well with shin pads. Couple more pockets in sneaky little areas (well mine have!). Personal taste I suppose, but I like them for the colder/wetter months.

FishFish

Lots of people buy 3/4 - they avoid the risk of mud, oil and entanglement with the drive chain. More protection than shorts and hide knee pads if worn. They have style.

Unless they are free then you have to hand over money to get them. But your choice.

Hinaultscrapcousin

3/4 are the only shorts/trousers I wear for MTB these days.

Anonymous

Its MTB init.
Apparently, they have style

Why Troy Lee?
Why Fox?
Why flat (actually flat) baseball (sorry, trucker) cap peaks?

There is a cost element too I guess.

Am personally adverse to anything 3/4, but I am not overly into MTB (see above) and have to admit, I generally try something before writing it off.

Myster101

I find them the most comfortable, I get too hot in trousers and find shorts can ride up a bit. Each to their own though.

fat daddy

yup 3/4 for me as well .. I find trousers just too much material .. and shorts just annoy the censored out of me the way they keep moving up and down my leg and having a "giggle2 gap between kneepad and shorts just makes me feel like a catholic school girl .... shorts are wrong. not enough coverage .. trousers too much ... 3/4 are perfect

Angus Young

Ross Gardner wrote:

I get shorts. I get trousers.

Who gets 3/4 instead of the above?

Is it just another way to get cash off us?

Because they make you look French.

fat daddy

actually are we all talking about the same thing

3/4 length trousers - they are not full length trousers, so longer than shorts.

surely 3/4 length shorts are 3/4 the length of shorts ... so Hot pants ?

oodboo

I've got some 3/4 length shorts that have a scuffed knee. Based on what happened to my elbow in the same crash I'm glad I was wearing them.

jamski

I always wear knee pads and my 3/4 'shorts' have velcro around the bottom which I tighten around the pad. Keeps everything together nicely, nothing flapping about. Plus when you're biking the shorts would ride up and become shorter, so 3/4 aren't that short in reality.

LimitedGarry

I hold a firm belief, that unless he's sitting at home on his sofa, no matter what clothing style, a man's leg should never be exposed above the lower knee level. This rule is hard to abide when you have shorts and ride a bike.

In all seriousness, it comes down to that. I prefer when my knees are covered. No particular objective reason. I just like it that way. And when I'm on a bike, most shorts will get above the knee level.
There's also the thing about falling - 3/4s will often prevent a scabby knee.

And purely subjectively, when someone says "mountain biker", I can imagine all kinds of shirts, but always baggy 3/4s.

And a reason you may not have even thought about - when those 3/4s come to the end of their lifespan, they'll make for more rags than regular shorts would. And shorts often cost just about the same as 3/4s.

cooldad

FFS I thought I'd hit the Mumsnet fashion pages by mistake.

Or the roadie section.

Same difference.

Ross Gardner

Nasha48 wrote:

Work well with shin pads.

Guess you do downhill.

Sorry guys for the brain fart. At least some people made a joke it of it. I think I've actually seen some MTB hot pants on CRC. Can't find them now...

The 3/4 I've worn when not riding, have always felt restrictive instead of normal shorts. No idea why.

Steve-XcT

I like them.... no one single reason but most of what everyone else has said.

Another thing I didn't see mentioned over trousers is you can adjust your pads without dropping your trousers.

When its chucking it down the water runs off below the knee... shorts you get that miserable feeling if they ride up soaking wet ....