Impact-Site-Verification: 5fece0f6-2616-4d30-b719-a10e3563f381
The Zoic Ether shorts are purpose-built for mountain biking. Zoic put a lot of care into designing these to be as effective as possible for mountain biking specifically, and they nailed it. The fit system is fantastic, allowing me to get the perfect fit for my usually finicky legs. The gusseted and ventilated crotch keeps me cooler than a normal short on pedally days. The zippers easily fit my phone, snacks, gloves, and whatever other weird items I’m carrying for the day. This review might sound like an advertisement, but I’m not affiliated with Zoic at all; I just love these shorts, and I’m about to explain to you why.
The Fit System
The fit system of Zoic works in a few different ways. Firstly, they have a snap-button at the top of the fly and a velcro right below the snap button to keep the button closed. The waist tightness is controlled by two features. First, a velcro system on both sides lets you tighten the shorts as you need to. Then, an elastic waistband pulls the pants into you more while still allowing for flex while pedalling. I’m someone with bigger thighs and hips, and I can say that these fit me perfectly.
At the knees, the shorts are a little wider than a standard pair of shorts, allowing knee pads to fit comfortably. For races, I wear bulky Raceface flank knee pads and the Zoic Ether shorts do not get in the way at all.
The gusseted crotch system is basically a different type of fabric used at the crotch that lets the pants flex during pedalling and also vent your nether regions more than a standard short. I don’t obviously notice this feature compared to other parts of the short, but I can say that the fit system works very well and I have to think that the gusseted crotch has something to do with it.
The Fabric
The fabric of these pants is a relatively rough feeling fabric that is slightly flexible. Zoic states that it’s 96% polyester and 4% spandex, which is what causes the mild flex. I’ve slid and fallen in these pants ~5 times in moderate crashes and these pants don’t show any wear. To define a “moderate” crash: It’s where I’m completely separated from the bike but not going fast enough to seriously hurt myself. Just a few cuts and bruises.
In terms of ventilation, it’s tough for me to say. I usually have a shammy on when I’m wearing these, so the ventilation is going to be awful regardless. That being said, I feel like they function a little bit better than a standard dri-fit athletic short from any big box store.
The Pockets
Pocket design on these pants are great. There are two “main” jean-style pockets and two enormous zipper pockets that go down the side of your leg. The zipper pockets are great because of how the weight is distributed down your leg. It’s out of the way of potentially crunching on your belly with each pedal stroke but it doesn’t feel awkward at all. There are also zippered pockets in the back, but I don’t really use those since I’m usually sitting on a bike when I wear these.
The Verdict
The Zoic Ether shorts are pretty much perfect in my opinion. They do everything I want my biking shorts to do: Hold things, resist holes, and feel like nothing is there. Any improvement on the short would have to be an enhancement on existing technology; There are no real flaws that I can think of.