I had my first pair of Altura Attack 3/4's replaced under warrantee after a year by the rather good customer service team at Altura. However, my replacement shorts are already delaminating in the seat area in the same way the first pair did, of course making them no longer waterproof.
I wear these shorts on my commute to work 2-3 times a week, where they do a fantastic job, but the durability just seems rubbish.
Is anyone else having problems with these shorts?
Mine are back with the supplier as the picket zip broke, but when I washed them to return, I noticed a hole in the rear. Like a barbed wire hole but can only be due to wear...& I hadn't worn them that much. Pity as I love them otherwise
Interesting to know, I was undecided whether to buy these from merlin....(after getting soaked again this weekend)
Yep mine are going to be heading back to Wiggle as teh zip on the pocket broke and the seat panel is delaminating too. Did wear them 4 or 5 times a week for commuting at the beginning of the year but sstill not happy with te longevity
I wear these shorts on my commute to work 2-3 times a week
Crikey, does it really rain that much?
A word of caution about Endura Singletrack shorts. Mine must have developed a rub hole in seat seam which I did not notice. Last Wed, the saddle nose got in it and as I stood up sharply, it ripped all done the seam.
They do seem to have the seat seams in the wrong place IMO.
My only pair of Altura shorts are absolutely rubbish; zip on pockets busted on one side & so stiff to be unusable on other side, belt clasp loosens almost immediately after adjusting & liner short rides up butt....
Buzzlightyear - mate has had exactly the same thing happen to his Singletracks.....
My Enduras and Altura shorts all suffer from crap design I am forever restitching the seam in the arse.
It seems stupid to not have a soild bit of fabric there and seams elsewhere but there you go.
It's also very undignified to go over the bars cos you can't get your butt over the back because your saddle is stuck in your shorts! 😳
Mine are about 18 months old and still ok ish....taped seams beginning to look dodgy. Only ever use them for mountain biking in the winter and they do suffer from getting a lot of peak district grit between arse and saddle. This is bound to wear them out, but I'd be disappointed if road commuting did this to them.
Mine are probably 15 months old now with constant use through the winter, and good as new despite some decent sized crashes, I couldn't fault them at all if they'd ripped tbh but they're barely marked. Out of curiosity, how frequently are you washing them?
Seat area of mine is starting to de laminate as well after a winter of off road commuting. I'd like to see them redesigned with a reinforced seat area and I'd happily sacrifice a bit of breath ability in one panel to get something tougher.
I've had zips break on two pairs now. Is a complete pain as if the zip breaks the pocket is open and they are no longer waterproof..
Re washing: twice, once when I was washing & reproofing all my waterproof kit & a 2nd time before I returned them.... But the area I ride is extremely sandy, so the saddle turns into a piece of sandpaper during a wet ride.
Yes I meant to add in my OP that I only tend to hand-rinse them. I don't put them in the machine with other gear, don't use bio detergents etc. Being just a shell (I wear lycra shorts/leggings underneath), I don't find that they need cleaning very often at all, and a simple hand rinse with some water and sponge cleans any road muck off.
+1 for what avdave2 said regarding a reinforced internal seat panel. Mine have failed as a result of internal rubbing, nothing to do with any mud etc on the saddle.
Maybe I've just been unlucky. My zips have all been fine though!
I've worn mine about 10 times with, maybe, 5 washes with non-bio detergent. Mine haven't really been that waterproof since the first wash and are now showing visible signs of delamination. Not best pleased, so will be back with Merlin Cycles soon enough.
Wouldn't go anywhere near Altura gear myself
Mine where sent off to Zyro buy Merlin, and I have a brand new set winging their way to me now 8) (besed on the broken zip not the hole in the bum)
IIRC these shorts have an 18month warrenty period (or was I dreaming?)
as always from Merlin sterling service, they arrived this morning, after Zyro authoristed it yesterday
I have just returned my 11 month old Altura Waterproof shorts to Evans Cycles and am so pleased to have seen these posts. Mine too have seen the zips fail to work and jam up. It's not good really, as although they are 11 months old, they've only been used about half a dozen times and this is apparent because they are in excellent condition....
Waiting to see what Zyro respond with?
Personally, I think it's apalling, that within a year, the store don't just do an exchange straight away!
5 months on from my last one, mine are both still as good as the day I got them.
