ZOIC Men's Reign Cycling Pants

As a middle aged guy fighting an expanding gut, for Christmas I requested the Reign Knicker in XL. I'm about 5' 9.5" with a 36 waist and other hereditary traits worthy of complaint, and this product fit a little larger than expected given the stick-figure sizing typical of cycling specific apparel. A couple of years ago, I was given (again for Christmas at my request) a pair of Reign Knickers in L, and I found their fit disconcertingly snug, but reckoned that's how cycling attire clothing designers intend for their products to fit - you know, to minimize flapping on fast downhill runs or to prevent snagging when riding through brush and woods. I got used to that fit and liked it better after slimming down a bit. My expectation of the XL was for a little bit looser fit.As to the product's quality, even though the fabric feels flimsy and is very thin, the Reign Knicker seems to be well made with seams adequately reinforced.Regarding features, I very much like the product's belt loops. As I mentioned above, my waist is more than I want it to be and I have always found those webbing and velcro or string-tie waist closures inadequate to keep any trousers together at the waistband. I always wear a belt, and the Reign Knicker cooperates with me in this matter. Still, the waistband could be a little stiffer, but I understand most cyclists reject the idea of wearing a belt with their cycling togs and it would cost I'm not sure how much more per unit to add some stiffening mesh or something inside the waistband along with that string tie. Additionally, the Reign Knicker has a snap at the waistband, a velcro closure inside the garment and below the snap, in addition to a string tie. If I remember correctly, the older version of this product came with a string tie that I was able to pull loose and discard (because I never used it and it was so long, when untied it got in the way of zipping, snapping, belting AND got stuck on the velcro bit in front above the fly), whereas on this year's version, the string-tie was tacked inside the waistband with stitching at the middle back. I cut the ends off and discarded them.Other features include numerous pockets, which I like. Probably unlike most cyclists, I carry a lot of stuff in my pockets - small folding knife, chapstick, keys, wallet, a cellular telephone, etc. One of the pockets is within the rightside cargo pocket and is designed to hold a phone about the size of an Iphone in place during rides. I think it's got a little grommet or collared hole through which to pass earbud wires when connected to the device. The cargo pockets zip shut under the flap to secure whatever's in there. Rear pockets are deep enough that my wallet stays secure during rides. The Reign Knicker comes with an "optics wipe" that works well for cleaning glasses or cellphone touchscreen. I don't recall which pocket it clips into (with a non-bulky plastic clip), but I do know that when getting something out of the pocket - keys, I think, which would make it the leftside pocket - it constantly gets pulled out with the items. I find that super annoying, so I've removed the wipe and keep it in a desk drawer at the office. I rarely if ever use the drawtights in the hems at the bottom of each leg, although I do sometimes. This version has better quality whatnots for securing the elastic strings when pulled tight. The previous version's fastener broke on one side the first time I tried it out.On warm days, these cycling shorts make an excellent, light to medium duty garment for commuting, exploration of industrial waste places, gravel roads, dirt roads, areas reclaimed by nature after having fallen into disuse, etc. Because they are as long as they are, I can wear them to work because my workplace's dress code allows one to wear "capri-length" trousers but makes not statement regarding the gender of the employee permitted to trousers of that length. During the heat of summer, I'll probably be the happiest guy in the building, wearing Reign Knickers in an underventilated maze of interior offices. They'll also make my lunchtime rides more comfortable.

They seem like nice shorts but I can't speak to how well they breath on a ride or how durable they are. I'm a big guy, but usually an XL is a good fit for me. However the XL in these knickers felt like a Medium. They were very tight on my lets and backside, and I couldn't even get them buttoned.Not good self-esteem pants, haha!Cycling and running clothes are always a challenge if you aren't naturally built like a fence pole, but I'm hoping the XXL will work for me. If you have any muscle mass at all I would recommend buying a size up from what you would normally wear.EDIT: So I got the XXL and they are still a bit snug in the waist. Going up a size from what I normally wear, now the legs are too long and just look like high-water pants! I roll the legs up, but it looks pretty stupid. I wore these during the NYC 5 Borough Bike Tour a few weeks ago -a total of 56 miles including my commute to and from the ride. The pants were very comfortable. The material is light and has good stretch.I was hoping for a pair of 3/4 bike pants I could wear around town but these are not those. Still too tight in the waist despite going one size up from what I normally buy, and too big everywhere else. I'll be adding these to my collection of ill fitting, dumb looking, cycling pants for my normal weekly exercise routine. But I wouldn't recommend them for the fashion conscious.

PROSLight weight, plenty of pockets, well fitting (trim but not clinging), breathable, quick drying. Haven't used them enough to comment on durability but the material is light enough that I'm careful not to put pointy objects into my pockets like an allen key, atlhough this might just be an overabundance of caution. On the other hand, the light weight combined with the extra length makes them an excellent three season option and I've warn them comfortably in the high 40s.Definitely order a size up. I'm a 36" waist and the XL fit perfectly.Price is excellent compared to competing options.CONSA bit tired of comments about my "man-pris", "clam diggers" and "pedal pushers" but still won't give them up.

Large is a 34" waist. The waist won't stretch but everything else will, which is why it's quite comfortable. Lots of pockets, belt loops, great for cold mornings. On the down side, it doesn't come with a padded lining, it has some sloppy stitching where I had to cut off excess thread, and although the fabric is comfortable - it's a stretchy microfiber with a fairly dense weave - I'm just not sure how well it wears. I wear it every time I ride now because it dries well and movement is uninhibited. Tempted to wear it around the house, too. But the wife hates it, calls it "shants", for short pants, as opposed to long pants.

Just got these, and love them so far. A little baggier around the calves than I anticipated. I bought these for bike commuting, so will add a star if the looseness around the calves doesn't result in them getting caught in my chain. (The calf closures come with a semi-hidden drawstring, which is adjustable, but they look like Pirate pants when you cinch them together, which isn't the look I'm going for). They appear to be well constructed so far, and are very light, and comfortable, and probably quick-dry if you're riding through a bit of rain.

If you wear a size 35-36, the XL will fit you just right (without a lot of leeway or give... there is no stretch band. If you wear a size 33-34, the L will be similar. One thing I don't like is the elastic bands around the calves. They are a bit difficult to figure out how to pull and tighten, and once tightened, the cuffs tend to loosen very easily. Other than that, the pants are great. They are well cut, and the fabric and stitching are both highly breathable and well made.