Polaris Capri Pants

The Polaris Capri Women's Cycling Pants are designed for those times when you want to be comfy on the bike but don't necessarily want skintight clothing. Athough the cut is flattering, the waistband could be more comfortable, and some durability issues have raised their heads quite quickly.

Although Polaris doesn't specify what the capri pants are intended for, you could use them for commutes, mountain biking, touring, and even road biking. They're not padded, so that's something to bear in mind if you'd want to fit shorts or a liner underneath.

> Buy these online here

The shorts come in one colour, black, with red decorative dart-shaped details on the leg, and a red P to the rear. There's a button and hook and eye closure at the waist, a front zip pocket and reflective detail on the back. There's also a stripy elasticated label to one side of the rear, which might be for hanging the shorts up – there's no information on Polaris's site what these are for. A carabiner, perhaps. Keyring?

The 'four-way stretch' material does what it is supposed to do and offers free movement of your legs on and off the bike. Panels behind the knees and at the back below the waistline make for flattering contouring, and darts at the knees, along with the stretchy material, prevent any excessive ruching of the material.

Perhaps most noticeable in terms of comfort was that the waistband is a little unforgiving; although the shorts look great when you're standing up, they tend to dig in at the tummy when you're riding, even on a fairly upright hybrid or mountain bike. If you happen to put on any weight and then put on these capri pants, you'll know about it.

The front zip pocket holds coins and keys without them digging into the top of the leg, but it's a little awkward to access, being right at the front of the shorts rather than off to one side, and with a rather narrow aperture. It seems an odd place to put a pocket on cycling pants, rather than on the rear, but maybe it's not the end of the world if you don't want to use it.

The reflective tape at the rear is a nice touch, as are the red rubbery dart details on the legs. However, around 30 per cent of the reflective coating had worn off off after a few washes, and the darts began to peel. I also noticed that in places the fabric on the inside of the shorts has started to bobble; they're not overly expensive, but then again £45 isn't to be sniffed at.

> Casual clothing for cycle commuting

Overall, I found the capris quite comfortable and I like the flattering cut, but a few niggles – especially the non-stretchy waistband – will put some off.

Verdict

Decent, good-looking capri pants but with some quality and design issues