2010 Canari Cyclewear Velo II Cycling Shorts–Final Review

Back in May, we did an initial review of the 2010 Canari Velo II Cycling Shorts.  The shorts we’ve been testing were sent to us by Canari because they were a newer version of the Canari shorts we tested in this initial review.

Appearance:

As we mentioned previously, not much has changed from the previous pair in basic appearance.  These shorts are your basic black cycling shorts.  Canari makes these shorts out of six panels of fabric which leads to a nice snug fit with no bunching or extra fabric.  The major change to these shorts, however, is the chamois.  These new shorts feature the Stirato Fondella pad, made of a hydrodynamic, 4-way stretch fabric on the top and wings.  According to Canari, this offers better stretch, breathability, and wicking.

Canari Velo II Chamois Pad

Canari Velo II Chamois Pad 2

Canari Velo II Chamois Pad 3

Comfort and Fit:

In the initial review of the older shorts, we mentioned that the shorts run a bit large, though we didn’t fault Canari because we purchased these from an online store and used their supplied sizing chart.  When we received these shorts, we ordered a size smaller than the first pair.  Makes all the difference in the world.  The pad fits much better and is less bulky, though that could be a result of the new pad style too.

As a Clydesdale, we really appreciate the higher rise of these shorts.  With an 8″ inseam, we don’t get the feeling that we’re being too scandalous with our spandex.  Once again, we really like the leg grippers that Canari uses on these shorts.  We’ve tested the shorts on the road and in spinning class and in both applications, we haven’t experienced any problems with the shorts riding up or bunching.

The new  chamois is great.  The padding is much firmer than the previous model and has a really firm and comfortable feel.  Now that we’ve dropped to a smaller size, the pad fits very well and we don’t think it’s too large or bulky.  Especially in spinning class, we’ve noticed that the pad stays put and provides a level of comfort that you don’t expect for a relatively inexpensive pair of bike shorts.

Overall:

We’ve been using these shorts in many different settings for a few months now.  We’ve use them extensively in our twice weekly spinning class and also on regular bike rides.  We’ve only had one truly long, 45 miles, with all the other test rides ranging from 20-35 miles.  We’ve used these shorts in all different conditions including a few summer rain showers.

Our favorite feature of these shorts is the silicone leg grippers.  We loved this feature in the first pair of shorts and are happy to see that they are still present in the 2010 Canari Velo II shorts.  These grippers are a simple and straightforward solution to the problem of bike shorts riding up.  We haven’t had any problems with the shorts moving around, no matter how hard we’re riding or spinning.

These shorts also breath very well.  We notice this most in our spinning class.  Compared to riding outside, the spinning studio doesn’t offer much in the way of airflow, so we are happy to report that these shorts continue to breath and wick moisture even with very little air movement.  Of course, they perform much better outside and in lower humidity.  In the spinning class, we sometimes experience moisture buildup around the waistband, but this generally only lasts a few minutes before it dries out.

We have not experienced any problems with moisture buildup in the chamois, no matter what distance or what air temperature we’re dealing with.  The new chamois construction does a great job providing padding and support and doesn’t get soaked with sweat.  We don’t use Chamois Butt’r or similar products, so we can’t comment on the shorts performance when using these products.  The chamois is comfortable both in our standard position and when we stretch out in the aero position.

We’ve been very pleased with these shorts during our test period.  We’ve made sure to wash them after every use to test the durability and the construction.  After months of washing three or more times a week, we’ve only noticed a few small loose threads, none of which unraveled further after we snipped them off.

We’ve been using these shorts for quite a few tough months of training and we’re comfortable recommending them, especially when you consider that you can pick them up for an MSRP of $39.99 or possibly less if you look around.  They breath well, they are very comfortable, even on longer distance rides, and they fit properly.  The construction is solid and sturdy.  If you are looking for an entry level to mid range pair of shorts, you could do a lot worse than the Canari Velo II shorts.