ENDURA RIDING APPAREL RANGE REVIEW

THE DIRT

When confronted with a huge haul consisting of a good sample across Endura’s range of mountain bike gear, I was intrigued to see how their kit had progressed in the multiple years since I’d last experienced it. From the get-go, it was clear that they have made considerable efforts across the board in the design, materials and fit of their gear, and from the first time trying on everything I was left suitably impressed and keen to get them out onto the trails.

SINGLETRACK CORE TEE
The Singletrack Core tee was nicely slim fitting on the body and generously long, with ample room in the sleeves to keep them free from restriction without being overly loose and “flappy”. The length of the sleeves in the long sleeve version tested was surprisingly good for my disproportionately long arms, whereas the short sleeves sit slightly higher than some in a nice mid-zone.

From the get-go, it was clear that the singletrack core tee is refreshingly light and airy. The material feels super thin and slightly silky but lacks the “sticky” sensation when things start getting sweaty, making it a pleasure to push hard when riding on the hotter days. Once things are up to temperature and you’re sweating, you can feel the material pulling the moisture and heat from your skin, giving a slightly cool sensation that further contributes to the light and airy sensation. It’s truly a pleasure to ride in the hotter temps with the Core tee, making it an instant favorite for the hotter days.

Through a lot of hot and sweaty rides over the summer the Singletrack Core tee has avoided any lingering smells or loss of color after countless washes, still giving the intense blue “pop” that I love. But for riders without the same attraction to the bold color, there are more subdued offerings available. The grid-pattern material has proved to be reasonably resilient to bushwhack, resisting threads being picked or any sign of bobbling. But the construction of the fabric makes it seemingly susceptible to tearing, such as when being caught on a tough branch or hitting the deck, as evidenced by the sleeve ripping quite early on in the test. Nevertheless at under £40/$50, this is absolutely a solid addition to any rider’s wardrobe for the hotter rides.

SINGLETRACK SHORT II
The cut on the Singletrack short is generously long but not too baggy, with the knees seeing some extra space to allow for downhill thick pads to fit without restriction. The waist adjusters offer a good range of fit tailoring, and there’s some silicone print on the inside to help them stick firmly in place. The stretch panels in select places help the shorts to articulate, so although the material is not ultra-thin and stretchy, the shorts move with you without causing any serious restriction.

This material proved to be a good mid-weight all-rounder, but they’re not an ultra-airy offering. The leg vents help to create some airflow but didn’t prevent them from running slightly hotter than many trail short offerings. The shape of the pockets makes them more friendly than some when off the bike, but the zippers can end up hidden when in the saddle and bent forwards making getting any larger items in and out tricky.

The flip side of their slightly hot running is their durability, which has proved to be outstanding through many seated miles in a range of conditions; tumbles in the mud, and plenty of bushwhack and general abuse. They still look remarkably fresh once out the wash, and there’s nothing to suggest that’ll change any time soon. With a price that seems remarkably reasonable, comfortable performance and a good choice of colors, they seem like a hit.

SINGLETRACK FLEECE
The fit of the Singletrack fleece is similar to the MT500 jersey, but with extra “bulk” in the body thanks to the insulation and slightly tighter fitting sleeves. The material has a level of stretch that allows it to move with you as you ride, meaning this is no standard fleece. The pocket is easily forgotten about but proved to be a good place to store the van key and would happily take a multitool or maybe a set of riding glasses at a squeeze. The plush nature of the inside of the jersey makes it ideal to use to clean eyewear, negating the need for Endura to add any specific wipe.

The soft brushed fabric feels super plush and comfortable against the skin but can quickly begin to feel a little strange once hot and sweaty as it holds the moisture more than your typical jersey. On the colder and drier days though, when temperatures are below 10 and especially when there’s a bit of a breeze, that insulation really begins to pay off for its limited bulk, giving a pleasant boost to the warmth that keeps things comfortable without any feeling of restriction or a notable increase in weight on the body.

Because I tend to run hot, and the particularly chilly days have been quite numbered over the test period, I’ve not pushed the durability of the Singletrack fleece to the limit. The only scar to show for it was from a bramble on the trailside, which pulled a thread and hinted at the jersey being somewhat susceptible to this style of damage, but then there are few materials that won’t snag in these situations. Depending where in the world you have the pleasure of riding, it may either be a specialist reserved for the winter season only, or a useful item to have in the wardrobe for most of the year. One thing is for sure – it does a great job of adding some heat without causing any restriction or being unbearable when things heat up.

MT500 L/S TEE

The MT500 L/S comes with a slightly baggier fit than the Core tee so that body armor can fit beneath but avoids being overly flappy. The sleeve length is spot on for my long arms, meaning that near enough every rider will be satisfied. Combined with the material which feels to have a slight “give”, there were no concerns for the flexibility of the jersey.

In terms of the fabric used, the MT500 L/S has quite a “regular” feeling riding jersey material, albeit quite a soft, thin and airy one. This material is comfortable against the skin both when first on and after some miles, avoiding getting overly heavy in sweaty efforts. It picked up a little bit of lingering smell after some abusive sweaty miles and being left for a few days before a wash, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The stretch makes it slightly more resistant to tearing than the core tee, but at the expense of resistance to brambles on the trailside, which led to some bobbling after a couple of late-spring rides where the trailside had become lined with shrubbery. Unfortunately, this deteriorated the appearance of the jersey fairly quickly, but wouldn’t be an issue for those in less jungle-like areas. All in all, the MT500 L/S is a well-fitting version of your typical classic riding jersey.

MT500 BURNER PANT
Yet another item with a great fit (no, I’m not the model they used for their fits), the MT500 Burner pants are tight in all the right places, but with ample room to fit a mid-size knee pad underneath without restriction. The flexible panel on the side of the knee clearly helps with this, and makes them a pleasure to pedal in. The leg length avoids any fears for my long legs of getting chilly ankles, the highly adjustable waist means you can really dial in the fit and cinch them down tight to ensure they don’t move.

With similar material to the Singletrack II shorts, it’s no surprise that the MT500 Burner pants are similarly acceptable in temperature but not ultra-cool and airy. That didn’t stop me wearing them on long pedal epics in the summer heat, but some sweating certainly ensued. The pockets work just fine in the saddle, avoiding the minor issues of the MT500 Spray short. As with the other legwear, the MT500 Burner pants proved to be impressively durable in the couple of dirt slides they faced during the testing, shrugging them off as if the dirt that had imprinted itself onto the knee was done so in a calm and careful manner. The DWR coating was a nice touch for the initial rides, but after a few wash cycles eventually gave up and demanded a re-proof to regain that satisfying water beading.

The orange color tested is bold, looking like a rescue service or a road worker, but in a classy way that didn’t leave me feeling self-conscious in the lift queue. That said it’s far from an item you’d consider wearing to the pub, so a more subdued colorway may suit many better from a versatility standpoint. At sub-£100/$150, with very little to improve, the MT500 Burner pant is an impressive item in the Endura lineup that many riders would be stoked to add to their kit bag.

MT500 SPRAY SHORT
The MT500 Spray shorts feel very similar to the Singletrack II’s in their fit, aside from a slightly baggier crotch area (or maybe it was just colder…). This led me to feeling as if I had to run them higher on my waist than normal, as there’s few things more terrifying than a snagged short on a saddle nose. The pockets work just fine for the most part, but were occasionally awkward to access, with slightly tighter openings than on the singletrack shorts and a tendency for the quite large and loose liner to stick to the items as you try to remove them from your pocket. It’s a minor niggle but did have me awkwardly scrambling to get my phone out to answer a call a number of times.

Also similar to the Singletrack II short is the material feeling, with no notable restriction caused by the waterproofing. That said, they run a touch hotter and sweatier than the Singletracks, so their waterproofing doesn’t go totally under the radar. But they certainly sit considerably closer to a trail short than a waterproof short, and so I’ve found myself regularly taking them out on hotter days without a second thought.

A theme carried over between all of Endura’s legwear, the MT500 Spray shorts have shaken off the trail abuse without flinching, covering many seated miles and some properly sloppy rides without any notable fabric wear or color fading. The DWR coating is certainly not as strong as some less environmentally friendly offerings, so my laziness in re-proofing them meant they no longer encouraged the water to run off as they did when new, but it’s a nice touch when they’re fresh all the same.

The Wolf’s Last Word

Endura’s entire range is well thought out, with high performance, durable materials and dialed fits throughout. We’d recommend considering Endura the next time you add to your riding wardrobe.

Website: Endurasport.com

Disclosure: Our team selects all of the products we review and do so with honesty and objectivity in mind. Some of the products we receive come directly from Competitive Cyclist, who also value our readers and have offered them a 15% discount (exclusions apply) on their first purchase by using LOAMWOLF15. Through this program we may also receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support, TLW.