Mountain Biking Shorts: What to Look For

If your mountain biking is anything more aggressive than a Sunday ride on a bike path with your 5-year-old, it doesn't matter what you wear.  But if you hit the trails you know they always hit back.  So look for these features in the shorts you choose:

Tough fabric outer shell (Some guys ride in just Lycra road shorts, but as soon as you hit a patch of branches or brambles things could go from comfortable to embarrasing real quick)

Lycra inner short (If you don't like riding on wrinkles bunched up in your crotch, you want an inner short that's snug but moves with you.  Did we mention Lycra?)

Padded liner (This is the part of the that sits next to your skin right where you are, well, shall we say "most tender."  Not many people have callouses on their bum, so make sure there's enough padding.  Also, synthetic can be a good choice for quick wash, dry and go.)

Pockets (You need necessities where you're going...some you can stuff in your hydration bag, but there's just never enough space, is there?)

Drawstring or elastic waistband (These shorts are for mountain biking, so try to keep them on while you ride, OK?)