Polaris has been designing clothes in the UK for over 20 years and reckons that it knows what British riders want from their gear and the conditions they’ll be riding in.
The AM (that’s All Mountain, obviously) Repel shorts are designed for just such typical UK riding. The shorts are made of a tough nylon with a water repellent coating. Inner thigh and seat panels have a reasonable amount of stretch to them. Seams are untaped, so they’re water resistant rather than waterproof (as if anything with big leg holes ever could be).
Two front jeans-style pockets with small velcro tabs take care of slouching hands and non-valuables while a zipped pocket sits behind the right front pocket for the tea shop tenner. Two snaps and a zip fly do the Repels up, while a truly comprehensive combo of velcro cinches, belt loops and elastic rear waistband keep them up. A couple of optimistic side vents are included for that sunshine stuff we occasionally enjoy.
The shorts are cut below-knee long in order to give your knees some protection and, if you wear pads, they’ll sit over the top of them rather than having that stripe of wet thigh between them and the shorts.
The AM Repels looked a little odd out the box, but once on, they make a lot more sense. The length is unobtrusive due to the lightweight fabric and they sit well with knee pads. Polaris pitches the shorts as unisex and my girlfriend quickly adopted them due to the adjustability of the waistband fit. After a few months of use, they’re showing no wear and still keep the water off in anything short of a downpour.
Overall: Shorts made for typical UK riding weather and for riders who wear pads year-round. Tough, loads of adjustability and good value.
Review Info
| Brand: | Polaris |
| Product: | AM 500 Repe |
| From: | Polaris, polaris-apparel.co.uk |
| Price: | £49.99, liner not included |
| Tested: | by Chipps for |