Shorts

Baggy shorts or lycra for a child?

Baggy mountain bike shorts are what most children will actually wear, because they look like normal clothes and survive being sat on at the trail centre. Kids' versions of Endura Hummvee and Fox Ranger shorts follow the adult pattern: a hardwearing outer with a stretch panel at the seat, waist adjusters and zipped pockets. Lycra shorts are lighter, cooler and what club and road riding expects, but a self-conscious ten-year-old may refuse to wear them. Many families end up with both — lycra or a liner underneath, baggies over the top.

Do kids need a padded short?

Under an hour on a bike, generally not, and a thick pad on a small child can bunch and cause more trouble than it solves. Past that, on a long trail day or a first sportive, a padded liner makes a real difference. Buy the padded liner and the outer short separately rather than as one garment — you can then wash the liner after every ride and let the baggies go two or three, and replace only the half that gets outgrown or worn out first.

How do you size kids' cycling shorts?

Go by height rather than age, because the age label is a rough average and children of the same age vary by 15cm or more. Check the leg length as well as the waist: baggy shorts should finish just above the knee so they clear knee pads without riding up, and a pair bought two sizes large will sit over the kneecap and catch. Look for a ratchet or hook-and-loop waist adjuster with real range, since that is what buys you a second season out of one pair. Pair them with the same size logic you use for kids' jackets and the rest of the kids' clothing range.

What should you check on used kids' shorts?

Look at the seat panel and the outside of the hips first — that is where a slide down a gravel berm shows up as thinning fabric or a scuff that has gone through. Check the crotch gusset seam, which is the one that blows on shorts that have been stretched over knee pads and repeatedly pulled up. Waist adjusters are the other common failure: the elastic goes slack, ratchet teeth strip, and hook-and-loop tabs clog with lint until they no longer grip. On a padded liner, press the chamois — a pad that stays flattened and does not spring back has been worn out, and staining that has not washed out means it was not washed promptly.

Which are worth buying used?

Baggy outer shorts are one of the better used buys in cycling. Children outgrow them long before they wear out, so a pair with one season on it is often barely marked, and buying used takes most of the sting out of a garment that fits for eighteen months. Padded liners are the opposite case: the chamois compresses with use, it is an intimate garment, and the saving on a small child's liner is a few pounds. Buy the baggies used and the liners new.

How do you judge a fair price?

Expect around a third to half of new price for used baggy shorts in good condition with working adjusters and no seat wear, and less if the waist elastic has gone. Set against that, kids' shorts sold new go on discount frequently at the end of a season, and end-of-line sizes get cheap — so a used pair should be clearly under the discounted new price to be worth the trip. If a child is between sizes and growing fast, used is almost always the right call; if you are buying for a growth plateau and expect two years of use, new outer shorts with a decent adjuster range will outlast the saving.