Madison Tempest Short

The Tempest shorts are pitched as a 2.5 layer, waterproof, breathable, windproof and taped-seamed trail short.

Bearing in mind their intended application, these came in the ‘short’ version but a 3/4 length option is also on offer for £60. In a world of compromises, the choice is yours: an extra few inches knobbly patella protection, or extra fabric that drags a build-up of grit across your knees as you play in the muck?

Velcro adjusters at the waist and above the knee, perfectly sized for use by glove wearers, are perfect for keeping out additional spray and the dreaded grit, as well as for when you’re working hard, when they help vent out unwanted heat. The two water-resistant pockets are fine for stashing the odd fiver/change/keys but how much do you love your smartphone?

Fit is loose enough/tight enough in the right places and well aided by the stretch material that follows the seat area down towards the knees.

Despite ‘waterproof’ labelled products seeming to trap just a little too much of my own heat as vapour, when the trails are filthy I’d still rather trade slightly damp internals and get to ride out for longer, than wear normal trail shorts and suffer a soaked lower waistline from the very first bit of trail splash.

Madison also offers a limited lifetime guarantee on this product that should give you a bit of peace of mind, at least for the production run of the shorts anyway. The fabric type (to look at), doesn’t appear to ‘bead’ off water like other design offerings but if, like me, you wash kit regularly, regular reproofing has kept all the elements out so far.