The top 6 best men's mountain bike shorts with chamois

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In this article I’m going to give you the best men’s mountain bike shorts with chamois.

MTB shorts with liners included are less common than their non-lined counterparts, with the general consensus being that the average rider likes to pick their own chamois separate from the shorts. Some brands don’t offer lined versions at all.

Irrespective of that statistic, mountain bike shorts with chamois offer great value-for-money especially if it’s your first foray into mountain biking and MTB apparel. And big brands like Fox Racing and Troy Lee designs offer very comfortable liners meant for hour-long trail rides. No wonder the majority of entries on this list are taken up by those two brands.

No matter which shorts you choose, any of these men’s mountain bike shorts with chamois will bring you hours of pleasure riding your favorite trails.

Fox Ranger Shorts w. Liner

Fox is one of the most popular brands when it comes to MTB shorts and the Fox Ranger Shorts w. Liner is an all-round solid solution.

The shorts offer you a flattering look that doesn’t scream MTB shorts right out of the gate, but offer an amazing fit due to their TruMotion® stretch ripstop fabric. It’s a mix of polyester and spandex with a water repellant finish and above-average stretch characteristics. The finish also ensures dust and dirt is easier to remove.

2 large zip pockets sit on each side, below the waist adjusters. Unlike many other models, these use a side cinch rather than velcro and can be nicely tucked away inside the waistband. It looks nicer and never accidentally loosens.

The dual-density chamois is incredibly comfortable, even after hours in the saddle. And in no way does the stretchy and soft liner draws your attention in a negative way. The fact that Fox added this liner in an already great package provides tremendous value making this one of the best trail riding shorts you can slip into.

Fox Flexair Shorts w. Liner

The Fox Flexair Shorts offer the same padded liner as the Ranger shorts in a more minimal package.

It has 2 traditionally oriented zip pockets in the same TruMotion® stretch ripstop fabric, which is water, dust and dirt repellant.

The 13 inch inseam length offers enough protection and coverage to get over your knee pads. They are laser-perforated for increased airflow. This makes them a great hot-weather option, but less ideal for chillier conditions.

The waist can be ratcheted in the front to ensure an optimal snug fit.

The Flexair combines all of the great characteristics of Fox’s tried-and-true Ranger shorts and combines it with excellent cooling properties, to make this the ultimate companion for hot summer trail riding.

Troy Lee Designs Skyline Air Shorts w. Liner

The Troy Lee Designs Skyline Air Shorts w. Liner are your typical middle-of-the-road MTB shorts. Not in terms of functionality but in terms of design.

They tick all the right boxes. Baggy and comfortable shorts, with 2 zip pockets, velcro waist adjusters and a padded liner to boot. Basically a pair of shorts you can’t go wrong with.

Troy Lee Designs added mesh panels to the front of the shorts, ensuring sufficient added airflow so these shorts can be used during hot summer rides.

It’s length strikes the ideal combination between being pedal-friendly, but still long enough to provide decent protection and knee pad coverage. The durable water resistant fabric has a large panel of stretchy material in the back ensuring the shorts stay in the correct place while moving on the bike.

The overall design is understated, with the logo small and nicely placed. And the lack of bells and whistles besides the two pockets helps as well.

Troy Lee Designs Ruckus Shorts Shell

The new Troy Lee Designs Ruckus Shorts Shell improves upon its predecessor by adding another zipped pocket to the one already there. That means you have one non-zipped hand pocket on your left-hand side, and two on your right.

The shorts look stylish enough, sitting at a 13.5 inch inseam length. So if you like your MTB shorts, well, short, this is not the product you should be picking. But these extremely durable shorts are a great option for very fast trail riding and downhill riding. Should you crash, these are the MTB shorts you would want to be wearing, with adequate protection and made from something that can take a beating.

The rear features a stretch fabric band across the back. Together with the waist adjusters, they ensure a snug fit. The shorts are airy and ventilated as well, and don’t come with padded liners as the name implies. That means they aren’t cheap, especially not when compared to the Fox Ranger, which does include a padded liner meant for very long trail rides up to 6 hours.

The front of the shorts feature a two-button short enclosure, which prevents bunching in that area when you’re in a riding position.

Endura Hummvee 3/4 Shorts II w. Liner

Endura caters to a specific audience with the Endura Hummvee 3/4 Shorts II w. Liner. For starters, it’s very long and falls well over the knee for the average person.

My guess is that they aptly called it Hummvee for its multi-purpose sake, because the shorts are jam-packed with features. There are 6 pockets strewn across the shorts, with the more usable 2 hand pockets sitting in the front and 2 zip pockets on each side. 2 velcro-closure pockets in the rear are somewhat less usable from a cycling perspective, since riding with something tucked in there just isn’t an option.

The shorts are made from very tough Nylon ripstop, which is both a good and a bad thing. Starting with the good, these are probably one of the most durable shorts out there, but in turn both its length and stiffness of the material means they are not the most pedal-friendly. So I would definitely consider these shorts more for their hard-wearing utilitarian perspective than for their usefulness during race day.

Besides being extremely long-lasting the material has a water-repellant finish as well.

They come with liners and Endura’s Clickfast™ attachment system, which means the shorts can be attached in the front using two rows of buttons on the liner. The liner itself is adequate, though not the best in the field.

Besides these features the Hummvee short has zipped ventilation vents on the side, and belt loops with an actual belt rather than waist adjusters. This makes the overall feel of the shorts more like actual shorts than cycling wear, apart from the liner obviously.

I would consider these durable shorts with removable liner excellent material for touring and bikepacking. But for pure mountain biking and trail riding there are shorts that are better suited.

Zoic Ether Shorts

The Zoic Ether Shorts are affordably priced MTB shorts with a standard 12 inch inseam.

Zoic makes nice and affordable MTB shorts. And contrary to a lot of other manufacturers don’t shy away from adding a lot of zipped and non-zipped pockets. With 2 hand pockets, and 3 zipped pockets, you can stash your energy bars besides your keys and phone. Personally I don’t like to have anything in my pockets, but I do reckon there are people that do.

The design is also very nice, with a variety of colors to choose from.

The rear features a stretchy part that wraps almost all the way round, beneath an elastic waistband. Together with the waist adjuster this makes for a solid fit, albeit not as snug as some of its more premium competitors.

A gusset with increased stretch provides more flexibility in an area where it’s needed.

All in all, I consider the Zoic Ether a solid entry-level MTB short for the more casual rider.

Specifications men's mountain bike shorts with chamois

Name	Sex	Inseam	Liner	Material	Pockets	Water resistance	adjustable_waist	Buy at Amazon
Fox Ranger Shorts w. Liner	men	12 inch	dual density chamois	TruMotion® stretch ripstop fabric	2 zip pockets	DWR water resistant	cinch	link
Fox Flexair Shorts w. Liner	men	13 inch	dual density chamois	TruMotion® stretch ripstop fabric	2 zip pockets	DWR water resistant	ratchet	link
Troy Lee Designs Skyline Air Shorts w. Liner	men	12 inch	4 Hour TMF Pad	Coolmax polyester	2 zip pockets		velcro	link
Troy Lee Designs Ruckus Shorts Shell	men	13.5 inch	6 Hour TMF Pad	polyester	1 hand pocket, 2 zip pockets		velcro	link
Endura Hummvee 3/4 Shorts II w. Liner	men	3/4	Clickfast™ Detachable Liner	Nylon mini-ripstop fabric	2 velcro pockets, 2 hand pockets, 2 zip pockets	DWR water resistant	belt	link
Zoic Ether Shorts	men	12 inch	IPL Essential Liner	polyester	2 hand pockets, 3 zip pockets		velcro	link

Johan van Seijen is the founder of restoration.bike. His passion for cycling in general, and restoring older bikes turned into a website to share his knowledge with a broader audience. Starting out on his father’s road bike and riding classics as the Amstel Gold Race and Liege Bastogne Liege he has shifted his attention to trail, XC, and gravel riding since. No matter how much he loves writing about everything related to cycling, nothing beats actually using his ever-expanding bicycle collection.