PEARL iZUMi Canyon Shorts Review

Besides a mechanical malfunction, the last thing I want to be thinking about when I’m on my mountain bike is poorly fitting shorts. Let’s be honest. Bike seats just aren’t super comfortable, no matter how well they fit or how sensibly padded they are. If you add a little chafe, bad temperature regulation, or a constricted fit to your shorts, you’ve got a real annoyance on your hands. Bike saddles lend shorts very little margin. They really must be comfortable. Over the past month or so of riding, I’ve been wearing the heck out of the PEARL iZUMi Canyon Shorts, and they’re doing comfort right.

PEARL iZUMi Canyon Shorts Features:

• Constructed from mini ripstop fabric
• Single-density SELECT Levitate chamois reduces skin abrasion and sit bone discomfort
• Detachable interior liner provides off-bike versatility to shell short
• PI Dry® C0 technology for an PFAS-free durable water repellent
• Two drop-in hand pockets, one side zippered trail access pocket
• Button waist closure with full zip fly
• Made with recycled content
• Two side nylon strap waist adjustments
• 12″ Inseam
• MRSP: $110

Airy Summer Riding

I won’t delay my prognosis here. These are excellent riding shorts. I find myself consistently choosing them out of the lineup on these warm Summer days. A couple other things come into play, but more than anything else, it’s their comfort that does it. There really isn’t a way in which they aren’t comfortable. It’s in their fit, their mobility, their breathability, and in the liners that come with them.

Let’s start with the liners. Chamois is the bread and butter of road and gravel riding, and it finds its way into XC as well. Once we get towards Trail and gravity-oriented riding, you see less padding on the rump and more on the knees. I find myself doing primarily Trail and Enduro riding, so I rarely end up wearing chamois liners, but dang, they are comfortable for long outings in the saddle. The SELECT Levitate chamois provides the padding and comfort that keep me thinking another lap is a good idea.

On the hotter days, which is most of them at this point in the year, thicker shorts just don’t fly. The Canyons, thankfully, are a thin, but sturdy ripstop polyester/spandex blend. The word that comes to mind for them is airy. Breeze flows through the fabric in a way that makes the summer heat more tolerable. Even without the wind of downhill speeds, the Canyons wick well enough to make the climbs more pleasant.

The fabric has more than just breathability on its side. It’s also decently stretchy. During testing, I tend to notice the flexibility of riding shorts while pedaling at the apex of my leg extension and during descending as I squat down to absorb landings. In both arenas, I was unhindered by the Canyon shorts. They seem pretty at home with both the flexing of the ups and the bobbing and weaving of the downs.

The final element in my comfort equation for riding shorts is fit. I was initially a bit worried about the fit of the Canyon shorts because they don’t offer a size 31, which is my waist size. The two nylon cinch adjustments on the sides of the waist really do the trick in bringing my size 32 shorts down to my level though. With a cinch system like this, there’s always a risk of folds in the fabric at the adjustment point, but I never did have any issues with that. I found it effective and comfortable throughout testing. If there is anything to note, it’s that my shirt caught on the velcro of the cinch on a couple of occasions. Does it really matter? Personally, I don’t think so, but it might bother someone out there.

Beyond the big questions of comfort, I want my MTB shorts to have sufficient storage options. The Canyon shorts do decently in that department, but they are on the more minimal side. They have one side zipper pocket which is large enough to fit a wallet stuffed with decades of forgotten gift cards, and still have plenty of room left over. Besides the zippered side pocket, the shorts also have two well-constructed open hand pockets. As far as zippered storage goes, it’s on the more minimal side, but it does the trick for my purposes. I do think a couple pockets on the seat of the shorts would be an easy way to increase that secured storage capacity, but I also know that many folks have an aversion to butt pockets on bike shorts. Fair’s fair.

At $110 list, the PEARL iZUMi Canyon shorts are, in my opinion, reasonably priced. They’re very comfortable for warm-weather riding and they come with some quality chamois liners. For the price, I’m not ready to ask for much more.

Fit: I’m 5’11” and a lean 170lbs. I normally wear shorts with a 31” waist and I tested the size 32 here. With the waist cinch straps, they fit perfectly.

Buy Now: Available at Backcountry.com