Endura Hummvee Review

The Hummvee has more features than any other short we tested, and is made from the most burly material. Six pockets, two zippered mesh vents, a detachable webbing belt, a key clip and velcro tab leg opening adjusters add up to make it the heaviest short in this review.

Performance Comparison

Style

The Hummvee has a very utilitarian look. The outside of the short is covered in zippers, which gives it a very cluttered look that is neither stealth nor pro. The full elastic waist and dangly key clip also don't make for the most stylish short.

If you are looking for a pro bike look check out the Troy Lee Ruckus or if you prefer something functional that can double as a casual short, the Fox Ranger is it.

Durability

This short is made from ripstop nylon, which is the most burly and durable fabric of any short we tested, which in turn adds weight to this short. Many of the seams are triple stitched and will hold up for a long time. This makes for wide seams, and since there are so many of them, it adds a lot of bulk to the short overall.

Features

This short has every feature out there. There are a total of six pockets: two zip hand, one zip cargo, one flap cargo, and two huge rear pockets. We like pockets, but we could do without the rear pockets which Endura calls “map pockets.” These are made from a second layer of sleeker ripstop and close with a small velcro tab. Rear pockets aren't that functional on a bike short, and these are likely to snag on the saddle when getting gnarly.

The very wide full elastic waist band is covered with a three belt loops which house an included webbing belt. The webbing belt is somewhat redundant, but can be removed if you don't need the adjustment.

Velcro tabs at the bottom of the legs allow you to decrease the size of the leg openings. We think this is a needless feature and we never felt the need to do this on any of the baggy shorts, but we tried this feature anyways. We found that tabs rubbed on the back of our calves when pedaling in the seated position and we could do without them altogether.

There is a key clip on the left side of the short, positioned just above the opening to the huge left rear map pocket. This would be a good feature if the clip was positioned on the inside of a pocket, allowing you to securely store your keys. Instead it allows you to dangle your keys off to your side like a high school janitor.

Comfort

This short includes Endura's Clickfast liner, which is a fully separating liner short that can be attached to the outer short with two rows of snaps on the waist band of each short. The liner short is made from stretch mesh. The foam chamois pad used in this liner is the thinnest we tested, and is the least comfortable. The wide silicone leg grippers tugged on our skin and we deemed them the worst in the test, though they did hold the legs of the short in place.

The Hummvee runs very small, so we recommend sizing up a size or maybe even two sizes. The fabric that makes up the majority of the outer short doesn't stretch at all, and we found it very restrictive. Since there is no stretch, the only way to provide for range of motion is by using a larger short than you would normally wear. There is a small stretch panel at the rear of the short just below the waist band, but it doesn't provide for any noticeable increase in range of motion.

Protection

The combination of the burley material and longer inseam make for a protective short. The short has so many pockets that there are often three layers of fabric between you and the ground (if you count the liner short). The rear pockets, especially, add a second layer of ripstop between you and whatever you may crash into. The thick material put these shorts nearly on par with downhill shorts, which are also made from heavier fabrics.

Fit/Pedal Friendliness

The Hummvee is the least efficient short for pedaling in our review. One of our testers said “I feel like I'm pedaling in cut off Carhartts.” This is where the Hummvee really misses the mark. A combination of the heavy ripstop material and the non-bike specific cut makes for the most restrictive short we tested. The small band of stretch material beneath the waist band does little to provide extra room when in the seated position. The only way we think this short would be ridable would be to size way up to provide for extra room to move. This is already the bulkiest and heaviest short in the review, and doing that would further increase the weight.

Best Application

Trail building.

Value

The Hummvee is our most feature heavy short, and at $79.99 you get a lot of features for the money. However, since it is so restrictive on the bike, we think you would be better off with our Best Buy Award winner, the Zoic Ether, which is priced roughly the same, also has a plethora of features, and is much more functional.

Conclusion