DirtBaggies is a new mountain bike shell short with included bibshorts. Created by Tim Lane, a former design engineer for Felt Bicycles, DirtBaggies first shipment just showed up in their warehouse last week and he’s open for business.
The lightweight (160g) baggy shell shorts are made of a very light nylon and does away with pockets or extra features that add weight. The black panels, visible on the tan shorts, are ballistic mesh, and the Rip Stop material throughout the rest is very breathable, too.
“My goal was to keep your legs as cool as if you were just wearing bib shorts alone,” said Lane. “The shells that come on most shorts are overbuilt for most purposes. You legs are you biggest muscles, so we want to keep them cool.”
Plenty of other nifty features on them, too…
The liner has a curved horizontal fly, making it easy (for men) to water the plants without having to yank down on the entire bib.
A softer mesh makes up most of the liner, including all of the straps and side panels. The mesh material on the legs is slick, keeping them very comfortable as you pedal. On the straps, it’s directional, which helps keep your jersey from riding up…particularly when it’s stuck between your body and a hydration pack. The straps also feature internal pockets that, while I wouldn’t recommend putting an iPhone in there (I’ve had to “warranty” one because of sweat from doing something similar), apparently one will fit.
Besides the lightweight materials, one of the key features Lane pointed out is the five loops sewn into the sides of the liner. This lets you hook the shell on them at various height to find the right fit and comfort. He also said this keeps the shell fitting loosely around the waist, helping you breathe deeply – or at least not preventing it. Because the liner is held up by the bib straps, the shorts won’t pull down on it and push or pull the chamois out of its optimum position. As for the chamois, it’s a five-hour Italian Cytech pad.
The loops on the liner are pretty big and will likely fit some other manufacturers’ shell outer shorts, and vice versa, so you can likely use either piece with some gear you already own.
Retail is $179.99 for the bibshorts and the shell is $69.99. Buy them together and get the package with free shipping anywhere in the U.S. Lane said he kept them separate rather than bundling them together in case people wanted to get both colors for the outer, only needed one inner or any other combination.
