A Little Less Material is Liberating!
I really love my Zoot Cyclefit 8in Short, but they are almost impossible to find, and unfortunately, I believe have been discontinued (read below). I have owned some really bad cycling shorts, so when I first tried out my Zoot Cyclefit I was extremely pleased. I found them on Bonktown for the incredible price of $49.99. The typical retail price was around $99 but if you can find them now they are even cheaper. When I found them on Bonktown I purchased 2 of them.
The shorts are made of polyester, nylon and spandex materials and something called Seamlink construction was used to eliminate chafing points. The chamois, or butt pad for those beginners who are getting into cycling, is built into the shorts and serves it’s purpose. The size of the chamois is perfect, it doesn’t feel like it is too much or too little and it has held it’s shape.
The shorts also have what they call a free band gripper on the leg hems. It is elastic bands that have been woven into the hem to prevent your shorts from bunching up. This has become more common in cycling shorts and with this pair, the elastic is solid and hasn’t started to deteriorate and break to pieces which causes it to lose its functionality.
The 8 inch Cyclefit is advertised as a shorter inseam than most other shorts. They definitely do have a shorter inseam than the standard cycling shorts, and I love it. If you tend to lean towards a minimalist attitude, why not embrace your inner John Stockton and get yourself shorter shorts. These are not so short that you would feel immodest, but short enough that you feel a little more free. On my body frame the leg seam ends about halfway between my inseam and knee.
The quality of these shorts is top of the line. I did all of my training for Ironman St. George exclusively in my two pairs of Zoot Cyclefit Shorts. They survived an incredible amount of hours, miles and washes in the washing machine and they have yet to deteriorate whatsoever. The material is solid and the chamois is still in perfect form.
As I stated early on, these shorts are difficult to find for men. When I can find them, I buy them. The shorts are more easily found for women, but unfortunately I can not give my personal experience with them. I would assume that the quality is the same, but the women’s version has an even shorter inseam. I would encourage the females out there to give them a shot and I have even purchased a pair for my wife. The Zoot Ultra can be found and I assume they are of the same quality, but I do not know (Please leave a comment if you have tried them).
The Bottom Line ~
I feel like I found a favorite item that has been suddenly taken away with my Zoot Cyclefit. If you look at their website, their cycling apparel is limited and focused towards triathlon gear. I look forward to getting into some Zoot tri-shorts, especially if they are the quality of the Cyclefit. If you can find the Cyclefit, snatch them up because they will make a good ride even better.
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