Hincapie Vantage short

The sleek fabric previously described appears on the Vantage short in strategic areas: the side panels, the hems, and a panel at the lower back. Elsewhere (the black sections), the fabric feels like a more conventional lycra: thinner, and more stretchable than elsewhere.

We’re impressed by the hems before turning a pedal. At 70mm, their the deepest we’ve encountered, and have an almost rubberized feel on the inside, which we think will offer sufficient grip to hold the hem in place. Best of all is the super sharp laser cut, which looks fantastic, and combined with the absence of gripper band, should provide a close fit without constriction. We’ll find out.

The braces are a polyester mesh, deployed in scores of shorts of our acquaintance, and while our preference is for lycra (typically broader and with more stretch) these look equal to their limited task. At 65mm, they should spread pressure adequately.

The insert is Hincapie Sports’ own, thickest beneath the sit bones and thinner elsewhere; a ‘multi-density’ design intended to balance comfort with freedom of movement. That said, the padding is pretty slender even at its deepest, and we’ll be interested to see how it performs. We’ll report our findings in a subsequent review.

The Hincapie Vantage shorts comes in six sizes, from XS to XXL, and in three colours: ‘harbor’ (light blue and yellow), red and white, and the ‘clay’ scheme pictured. It costs $120.