Endura Meryl Knickers £40

At a glance Very comfy, durable and well made ¾ length cycle leggings with a moulded, wicking and anti-smell pad but this could protrude more than most at the front on some women so try before you buy

Tested by
Claire Maxted, tester for The Bike List

Value

Performance

Don't worry ladies, these aren't really knickers despite the name! Look at the pictures, the Meryl Knickers are actually ¾ length cycle leggings made from Endura's high quality 360g Meryl microfibre with Lycra with a 6-panel construction to fit a women's shape. Their high waist accommodates a leant over, racy position on the bike, flatlocked seams make them really comfy on the legs in cool weather and silicone grippers hold them down around your calf muscles as you spin.

The Women's specific 200-Series pad is moulded to provide comfort where you need it most and as a result it is very comfy to sit on, not to mention very pleasant to look at in hot pink (this always seems to be an essential part of women's fit gear). It also wicks well on warmer rides due to CoolMax material, and anti-smelling silver woven through prevents odour build up even when I've left them scrunched up in my bag for a whole day after cycling to work.

Everything about the materials, the comfort and the durability of these leggings are great, especially for the price of £40, but there is one thing that I find quite strange and that's the pad. It is very comfy where it lies between your bum and the saddle, but the front bit is rather long and tends to protrude upwards beyond where it's needed for padding. Even when I lean all the way forwards in a racing position with my hands on the drops there is a good extra inch of padding above the region I need it in. Of course, this might be great for women of a different shape to me, but I would definitely advise trying these on to check. They are still very wearable, do the job well and are extremely comfy, but they just look a little odd as I ride!

Buy from www.chainreactioncycles.com