Review: Gore Alp-X Windstopper Shorts

By Sanny

The fickleness of what purports to be the four seasons here in the UK mean that on any ride you can go from 20 degree heat and sunshine to horizontal rain in a force 8 gale and then back again. As such, sometimes a ride can feel more like an exercise in rapid costume changes that would put “Strictly” to shame than just getting out for a spin.

I have to admit to casting the odd envious glance to our fellow riders across the pond who can pretty much ride in t shirt and shorts most of the year round. Who needs to worry about technical fabrics when the sun is shining eh? Bastards! For those of us who ride in real weather, however, brands such as Gore recognise that for anything other than a Californian summer, our need for kit that can cope with a wide range of conditions is non-negotiable. For such days, may I present for your consideration Gore’s Alp-X Windstopper shorts.

Constructed from GORE Windstopper © softshell, the shorts have what can only be described as a luxuriant feel, putting the soft into soft shell. Design wise, as befits a short that is designed for use in inclement conditions, features are on the minimalist end of the scale. Instead of hand pockets, there are two rear facing zippered mesh pockets which feature reflective detailing along their length. For anything other than cash or a door key, they were of limited use as you would almost certainly find the contents digging into your backside in the event of a tumble.

Fortunately, Gore have opted not to put one of their signature rear zip pockets below the waistband at the rear of the shorts. I have a couple pairs of their shorts which feature this and have yet to figure out what I could put in there that I would want to sit on. Coins? Nope! Keys? Hell no! Queenie vouchers? Only if I want to never darken the door of my local coffee shop again after handing over a distinctly sweaty fiver! Good to see that Gore haven’t carried this feature over into these shorts. The waistband has two adjustable buckles at the side to help ensure a snug fit while there is rubber dotted grip tape at the back which does an effective job of helping to prevent the shorts riding up or slipping down. Rounding things off is a series of bonded on X’s on the inner thigh area which help reduce visible wear on the shorts.

Size wise, despite being a medium on Gore’s sizing chart, I opted for the large which gave a slightly looser fit around the thighs. In use, the shorts have proven to be both comfortable and versatile. Soft liner tape on the hem helps to reduce friction between the shorts and knee warmers beneath thus all but eliminating that “chuff chuff” sound some shorts make every pedal stroke. It’s a minor detail but one which I appreciated. The fabric is highly windproof making the shorts my go to choice on cold and damp days while , initially at least, they did a good job of shrugging off light showers. After several washes, I’m quite happy to reproof them to give them a degree of water repellency. They are by no means waterproof but they cope well in all but the heaviest downpour without the clammy, boil in the bag feeling that wearing waterproof shorts often delivers. Lengthwise, they extend to just below the knee.

Despite the softness of the material, the fabric has proven to be fairly durable despite repeated washing after innumerable foul weather rides. At first glance, the only obvious sign of wear is that some of the reflective detailing has started to come away at the pockets. However, at the back, the double sided stitching at the buttock area (best said with a Forrest Gump-esque southern drawl) has come away leaving only the inner stitching keeping things together. Normally, I would put this down to being a one off but I have three other pairs of Gore shorts that have come away in exactly the same way after only a few wears. A trip to my local tailor has been the solution but I’m a little disappointed that I have shorts from other manufacturers that are several years old and have seen considerably more use without suffering from this issue. Were it not for this, I would be giving the shorts a recommended award.

Overall: Stitching issue aside, I really like these shorts and expect them to continue to be my go to shorts for autumn into Spring. They aren’t quite perfect but for comfort, fit and performance in mixed conditions, I’ve yet to try anything better.