Club Ride Crush Review

Club Ride is a small mountain bike apparel brand that has been in the business for about a decade. The company's design philosophy is and has always been to make technical mountain bike clothes that look like casual wear. The Crush short is no exception, and you'd be hard-pressed to identify them as mountain bike shorts if you weren't in the know. Club Ride doesn't have the market share of some of the more prominent brands in the industry, although the company has been growing steadily, so we got a pair of their Crush mountain bike shorts to see how they compare to the competition.

Performance Comparison

Style

Club Ride mountain bike clothes attempt to blur the lines between technical and stylish, and the Crush shorts do just that. With a straightforward and relatively plain look, there is nothing that screams mountain biking about them, and they could easily double as casual shorts around town. The Crush has a 12.5-inch inseam and a pretty slim fit, so they aren't necessarily for the long and baggy shorts crowd, but if you appreciate a sporty and functional performance fit, then these are right up your alley. If you're interested in a similar fit but a little more length we'd suggest checking out the Dakine Syncline or the Race Face Trigger. The Crush is only available in Black, which goes with everything, so you won't have any difficulty paring these shorts with any other colors.

Features

The Crush shorts have two zippered pockets, one on each side, located about halfway down on the outside of the thigh. These pockets have vertically oriented zippers and reverse loading pockets, similar to those on the Kitsbow Ventilated V2, which makes for easy access while seated. The pockets are big enough to hold an iPhone 6, and the orientation and location of the pocket holds items nicely against the other thigh and doesn't conflict with your pedal stroke.

There are no belt loops on the Crush shorts; waist adjustments are done using the velcro straps located on the inside of the waistband. These waist adjustment straps do the job but lack the on-the-fly convenience of shorts with straps on the outside of the waistband like the Specialized Enduro Pro. The shorts are secured with a zipper fly and one large metal snap. The Crush shorts do not have any ventilation, but the material feels light on the skin and is very quick drying.

Durability

Throughout the course of our testing, the Crush shorts have proven to be very durable. Club Ride appears to have good quality control, and the shorts were finished very well with no loose threads to speak of. The 4-way stretch material looks and feels very durable and offers some water repellency. We've ridden hundreds of miles in these shorts and they look the same as the day we got them, there are no rips in the fabric, loose threads in the stitching, and no standing of the material whatsoever. We are impressed.

Protection

The Crush shorts have a relatively short inseam, and they hang right to the top of the knee when standing and a couple of inches above the knee when pedaling. They provide slightly less leg coverage than some of the shorts in our test with a longer inseam. The fabric used does feel durable, but it is relatively thin, it will brush off bushes and the like, but doesn't offer the same level of protection offered by shorts with thicker materials like the Troy Lee Ruckus. The Crush's short inseam length and smaller leg openings aren't especially knee pad compatible, but they will work with some of the thinner options out there.

Fit and Pedal Friendliness

As mentioned above, the Crush shorts have a shorter inseam, and they also have a slimmer fit. They also run a little on the small side, so if you're on the fence, it would be good to size up. The size Medium shorts we tested fit a 32-33 waist. The shorts have good articulation when seated and they rise up well above the knee when pedaling. The inside of the shorts has a subtle raised texture that feels good and friction free against the skin or your liner shorts. The hem of the leg opening also has a welded seam, so it is very low profile and doesn't chafe as you pedal. We found these shorts to be especially pedal friendly and were comfortable doing so for any length of ride we could dish out.

Comfort

Testers found the Crush shorts to be quite comfortable, but they have a slimmer fit and shorter inseam that is an acquired taste. If you're okay with that type of fit, then these shorts are designed well and comfortable for any length of ride. The seams are well placed and sit flat providing a chafe-free riding experience. Our primary gripe with the comfort of these shorts is their lack of ventilation. It's not a problem if you live in a cooler climate, but as the temperatures soar a little air circulation would be nice. That said, the material used in the construction of these shorts is noticeably quick drying, so they don't stay soaked with sweat for long.

Best Applications

The Crush shorts are a great all-around mountain bike short. They are versatile for XC, trail, all-mountain, call it what you will, but pretty much any type of bike riding. They wouldn't be our first choice for gravity riding due to their coverage and knee pad compatibility, but we wouldn't hesitate to wear these shorts for any other ride. The lack of ventilation doesn't make them the best choice for people who live or ride where its especially hot, but they're great for temperatures in the 60-85 degree range.

Value

With a retail price of $90, we feel the Crush shorts represent a good value. Club Ride is a smaller company making high quality technical and stylish mountain bike apparel, and we like supporting businesses like that, especially when they make quality products like this.

Conclusion