Endura Engineered Padded Boxers II review

Forget Endura’s previous woeful version of padded boxers; these are really, really good now. Recommended.

• Brand: Endura
• Product: Engineered Padded Boxers II
• Price: £30.00
• From: Endura
• Tested by: Benji for 10 months

Pros

• Snuggly comfort
• No ‘orrible grippers
• Short length of the legs helps prevent the droop you get with regular liner shorts

Cons

• Bit too cosy in summer
• Er. Label needs (carefully) cutting out for delicate souls.

As the opening line suggests, these V2.0 boxers are not like the previous versions. The previous versions were rather crude affairs; essentially basic chamois stitched into a pair of George undies. Don’t be put off the new ones by a bad experience of the old ones.

I say this, because this was exactly the situation I found myself in last summer when the Engineered Padded Boxers II arrived at STW HQ. I’d briefly (ha!) used Endura’s previous liner boxers and found them to be severely lacking. Like, worse than just wearing normal undies. Akin to riding around with a chapati in your gooch.

But then I pulled on these V2.0 boxers…

Sometimes you want the comfort of a proper chamois without the full Lycra elastane commitment, and that’s exactly where these Endura Engineered Padded Boxer II comes in. Designed as a low-profile liner short, these padded boxers are built to be worn under riding shorts/trousers or pretty much anything you need to ride in.

But I don’t like these boxers because they ‘hide’ my ‘roadie’ liner shorts. I like these boxers because they actually work better than trad liner shorts.

The main fabric is soft, stretchy and designed to move with you, giving a close fit without feeling restrictive. The chosen materials helps to manage moisture when rides get longer, warmer, or a bit more enthusiastic. The fit is supportive rather than compressive. And the short length of the legs means that the short doesn’t suffer from the same gets-pulled-down-ness as trad shorts that extend below the thigh bulge. The ends of the Engineered Padded Boxer II sit on or around the bulge of the thigh and stay there. Minimal droopage equals minimal waistband tugging-ups.

The pad itself is decent. It has multi density, dimples, pre-creased lines and all that. It’s a proper modern cycling chamois. It provides cushioning where it matters most. Sometimes you don’t need a liner at all (for short local blast rides) but on longer rides, or repeated days in the saddle, I really appreciate a pad.

An elasticated waistband helps keep everything in place without any silicone gripper stuff (does anyone like silicone grippers?), while the overall design aims for minimal bulk and minimal fuss. That means fewer seams, less bunching, and a better chance you’ll forget you’re wearing them – which is generally the highest compliment you can pay to any cycling apparel.

Overall

In short (ha!), the Endura Engineered Padded Boxer II is a simple but genuinely useful bit of riding kit that feels properly designed for mountain biking. Comfortable and versatile enough to earn a regular place in your clobber box. If I’m not wearing full bibtights, I’m wearing these.