OUTDOOR RESEARCH FREEWHEEL PANT & SHORT REVIEW

A NEW CONTENDER HAS ENTERED THE RING!

Words & Photos by Cole Gregg

In 1980 a man called Ron found himself on Denali halfway to the summit with a pair of failed gaiters and a frostbitten climbing partner getting airlifted back to civilization. Ron used his long journey home to think about how he could create a better product that would help other adventure seekers avoid a spoiled plan due to poor equipment. Since then Outdoor Research has gone on to establish themselves as an industry leader in outerwear with sustainability and longevity of their products a core focus in every category.

2024 see’s the introduction of the Freewheel Collection, a dedicated segment of Outdoor Research gear for us mountain bikers. While many of their soft goods such as base layers work great across a variety of adventure hobbies the Freewheel Collections sole focus was to give bike riders a dedicated fit and material for any trail they may seek.

ABOUT THE OUTDOOR RESEARCH FREEWHEEL PANTS & SHORTS

Both the Freewheel Short and Freewheel Pant share many of the same characteristics, the both get the same slide lock close and size adjustable waist. Both are made from the same bluesign approved 88% Nylon and 12% spandex. The pants and shorts feature the same pocket layout, a vertical zipping option on the left thigh ideal for a phone and a horizontal zipping option on the right for larger items or a mix of snacks and trail tools.

It should be noted that the shared pockets on these pieces of kit lack the option for your standard jean style pockets on the front and no option for a back pocket. If you are accustomed to having both thigh and upper pockets this is something to take into consideration.

OR uses “C0 DWR” for water resistance. C0 DWR coating matches the performance of C6 DWR without the harmful environmental impacts. The standard C6 DWR uses a mixture of PFCs to achieve water repellent which overtime breaks down entering the environment with nearly a 0% chance of ever being removed. While this may not seem like a big deal, at scale the lack of unheeded pollutants entering streams is a big deal. Not to mention keeping more harmful chemicals off your skin.

When it comes to the pants they feature an encased zipper that goes up just below your knee allowing for easy adjustment and removal of knee pads. The zipper is low profile and visually does not stand out when gazing at the pants.

Unlike the Freewheel Pants, the Freewheel Shorts have laser perforated holes on the back yoke (right above your butt) to help aid in breathability. The shorts also feature an articulated leg opening resisting snagging when in the riding position on the bike. The front of the knee has slightly more drop than the rear for more coverage over pads. Both feature a gusseted crotch (multi piece construction) further aiding in the on bike fit. Lastly, there is a DuraPrint™ overlay on the hem of each, this silicon feeling material aids in the durability of the higher wear areas.

There are options for both men and women, along with a womens plus size offering. For the ladies there are sizes 0 to 16 and 1x to 4x. The guys get sizes 28 to 42. Colors are the same across the board, with both the short and pant being available in Bronze (tan-ish) and Black. The shorts, however, do get a third “Grove” (Green) colorway. Pricing for the shorts come in at $115 while the pants are $130.

THE DIRT

Having used Outdoor Research gear in the past as base layers for winter riding and a lightweight puffy that was nabbed for just $15 at a thrift store (major score) I was pretty stoked hearing about their foray into the MTB world. Being that there are so many brands doing great things in this space, for OR to bring their legacy of quality to the mix means they have something special.

When first getting my hands on the material I had an instant feeling of robustness. The stretch and way they have laid the patterns to conform in the riding position is exceptional. Fit I think is the most important aspect of gear, you could have the best materials all woven into one piece but if it rides up on your hips or causes a constant wedgie it’s as good as a pair of $10 Costco shorts. With that said you are paying a premium for the material and design of these. That will be a question you will have to negotiate for yourself. Before my product testing days I would have one dedicated pair of shorts that would get used until the zippers fell apart, and then I would zip tie them closed. Looking at these shorts are as much a fashion statement as they are long term investment. While I have only had the shorts since January (pants in May) which I feel is plenty of time for a true evaluation, the multi year abuse is still in the works.

Let’s talk about pockets. Both the shorts and pants have the same pockets and thus the same lack of pockets. For some not having a standard hand pocket up front may be a deal breaker but I did not find myself wishing for more storage. I would not be mad if they had this but to me the clean lines of just the leg pockets look great. The pocket aimed for phones on the left is large enough for the fancy iPhone Max, my older peasant iPhone slides in with a fair amount of space left to spare which briefly catches my attention but fades away mid ride. The right side pocket is BIG. So big you can for sure lose a $20 bill in for weeks on end and multiple wash cycles, ask me how I know…

On the pants side of things I much enjoyed having the zipper on the leg, I want to call it a half zip but it only comes up just below my knee cap. Those with an inseam smaller than mine may consider them a half zip. Even with the zipper not extending past my knee, adjusting and taking off the kneepads was a welcomed feature. I wish more pants offered this. There was ample room for my mid sized knee pad with no bunching of material behind my knee or stretching over the knee pad itself. The fit of the pant is “standard”, not tight and not loose.

As far as sizing goes I am 6’ 1” tall and 175lbs after a big dinner. I really like that OR offers these in true size increments, not the standard S,M and L option. I opted for a size 31 which, with the adjustable waistband, fit as expected. I could have gone with a small but like to error on the side of a bit bigger to not limit any on the bike movements. I have a longer than average inseam of 36.75”. The pants still covered my ankles and only showed off my socks when wearing larger hip pads at the park. I feel that with every pant size having a 34” inseam some shorter riders may find there to be some extra material around their ankles. Since inseams are a standard measurement, finding out if this would be a problem for you is pretty easy.

One thing a few of us agreed on is that the Freewheel Pant is on the warmer spectrum. While this did not stop Drew from wearing these on our trip to Costa Rica where it was averaging between 90 and 95 degrees at 93% humidity, if we were pedaling it would be a different story. I have found that at above 55 degrees they began to show their thickness with some sweat build up. How impactful is this? I really don’t know, I think any pair of thicker robust pants are going to run into this. Where I live we have long shoulder seasons where the temps fluctuate from 30 to 45 degrees pretty consistently. At those temps these pants are ideal.

The Wolf’s Last Word

If you are looking to spoil your pedal movers with some awesome gear the Freewheel Pant and Short’s are well worth checking out. I have found myself constantly grabbing these for daily shreds and have yet to be disappointed. I get the feeling these are going to be in my go bag for a long time.

Price: Short – $115 | Pant – $130
Website: Outdoorresearch.com