To celebrate the brand’s 10-year anniversary, Shredly relaunched the classic MTB Short with a complete redesign — and we highly approve.
For the past decade, Shredly has been setting the groundwork for well-fitted, seamless, and functional mountain bike shorts that help ladies feel good, and feel good about looking good, on trail. Shredly is an OG pioneer among lady-owned brands and apparel designed directly by women, for women, in the bike world. And their apparel keeps besting itself.
In short: The new MTB Short ($105) is a full overhaul with an innovative broad waistband — similar to a yoga pant. The brand streamlined the overall fit by removing front leg seams and vents. Hooray!
Shredly MTB Short Specs
- Inseam: Varies by size, falls above knee
- Pockets: Four; two front pockets, one zippered pocket, one snap-closure pocket
- Liner: Not included
- Material: Recycled polyester-spandex blend
- Waistband: Elasticized with mid-rise zipper and double-snap closure
- Size range: XS-3XL (00-24)
Shredly MTB Short Review
Founded by the creative visionary Ashley Rankin, Shredly launched via a Kickstarter campaign in January 2012. Today, the brand continues to push the boundaries of apparel design including using more sustainable features and eco-friendly fabrics.
From the anniversary collection, we pulled on the new MTB Shorts for several mountain bike rides in Southwest Colorado, and we can’t get enough of them — which is awesome, because it turns out the design is likewise great for hiking, rafting, climbing, camping out, or hitting some rounds of golf. (It’s an all-around win when we can use our riding shorts for multiple sports.)
What stuck out most when we pulled on the shorts is how soft, malleable, and lightweight they feel — how can durable mountain bike shorts actually be this smooth? While pedaling fast or standing crouched above our bike seat on the descents, we felt no seam snags, rub points, or tight areas in the shorts or gusset. It was like we weren’t wearing shorts at all.
Unique Waistband
The original design of the MTB Short had a buttonhole elastic waist adjustment setup, which was scrapped for a new hybrid design that’s sturdier.
Instead, there’s a knit band, inspired by yoga pants, that closes via a zipper and double-snap closure — so your pants won’t pop open no matter how bent over the handlebars you need to get. The waist feels so seamless now, too.
Pockets
Y’all called for the update and Shredly delivered. A zippered pocket was added, and the designers aptly placed it higher up on the left thigh, so jostling around is mitigated if you ride with your phone. (We prefer to ride with our phone in our riding pack no matter what — but to each her own!)
There are also two smooth, deep, wide hand pockets — what a luxury in women’s shorts! And there’s a deep cargo pocket with a snap closure on the right thigh, which likewise fits a phone.
Sizes and Inseam
Finely tailored to various female body shapes, the Shredly MTB Short has an adjusted inseam length for each size:
- XS (00): 9.75 in.
- XS (0): 10 in.
- S (2): 10.25 in.
- S (4): 10.5 in.
- M (6): 10.75 in.
- M (8): 11 in.
- L (10): 11.25 in.
- XL-3XL (12-24): 11.5 in.
Sweet Patterns
We tested the shorts with the Krisie print, a gorgeous pink and purple pattern that reminds us of a sunset on cumulus clouds, and we were flagged down by other ladies on the trail who let us know how cute they looked. There are five other rad new patterns (plus two solid colors, which another editor chose for testing) that you can choose from.
Shredly MTB Short Conclusion
We love how this buttery, snag-free design sits on our waist, hips, glutes, and thighs pinch-free. These mountain bike shorts are among the most comfortable we’ve worn, they have a flattering yet semi-baggy cut, and the design is functional.
The MTB Short is not the longest short in our collection, but if you prefer extra length, the answer is simple — check out the Shredly MTB Long shorts.
And if you’re looking for a full kit, don’t gloss over the Raglan 3/4 shirt ($68), a wrinkle-resistant, sleek-feeling shirt with three-quarter sleeves that’s unbelievably soft and comfortable too. Note: The gentle neck scoop also means the collar is a bit wide but does provide freedom of movement, especially while wearing a pack.
Also, if you’re having trouble finding mountain bike gloves that fit your finger-to-palm ratio, try the women’s-specific, breathable, four-way stretch Shredly Glove ($29) — or equally important, grab a pair to match your Shredly shorts. We’re stoked for our Krisie print duo.
Be sure to add the four-way stretch MTB Short to the top of your wish list for summer shreds.
