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Fox has updated the Ranger since our test period. Some of the features we outline in our review may have changed.
REASONS TO BUY
Casual styling
Fully removable liner short
REASONS TO AVOID
Lack of zippered pockets
Silicone leg grippers
The Fox brand is well known to all mountain bikers the world over. Fox Racing is best known for their suspension products while Fox Head produces apparel and protective gear, from helmets to gloves. These two companies separated long ago, but both went on to be very successful in their respective fields.
The Ranger short is a widely available mountain bike specific short that is very well disguised as a casual short. It is made from a lightweight, breathable, two-way stretch material and has a fully separating liner short. The Ranger ranked middle of the road in most of our tests, with the exception being in the style department where it excels, especially if you are looking for a short that doesn't look like a bike short. It is inexpensive compared to most of the others we tested. Our major complaint is the lack of zippered pockets and the uncomfortable silicone leg grippers on the liner short.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Fox Ranger is the most casual and least athletic looking short we tested. This short has one of the shortest inseams and is also one of the lighter shorts in our review. It has three pockets which do not have zippers, and a fully separating Spandex liner short with a decent chamois.
Performance Comparison
Testing the Fox Ranger on the trail.
Credit: McKenzie Long
Style
The Ranger has the most casual styling out of all of the shorts in our review. From afar, this short could easily be mistaken for a pair of Dickies. If you plan on wearing your shorts off the bike, this short should be considered since it looks much less like a bike specific short than any of the other shorts we tested. It comes in solid black or grey with just a few small Fox logos. If you like to keep it incognito, this is your short.
Durability
We couldn't find any durability problems with the Ranger. The seams and fabrics held up well to our tests. This is a well made and simple short. Since it lacks in bells and whistles there isn't much to fail.
Features
The Ranger is slightly short on features. Pun intended.
The shorts do have a velcro and elastic waist adjustment mechanism. Keeping with the incognito styling of the short, the velcro tabs are hidden on the inside of the waistband. We actually prefer this placement of the tabs over placing them externally, since it sandwiched the tabs in place and prevented exposed velcro from snagging on our jersey.
The outside of the waist band also has five regular belt loops to provide the option of wearing a belt with the short. This was the only short we tested with this feature and keeps with the theme of wearing the short off the bike as well.
The Ranger lacks in securable pockets. The two hand pockets are mesh lined and quite deep, but they tend to open up a bit when pedaling. We didn't trust a phone or bike tool to them.
The front hand pockets are mesh lined and provide a small amount of ventilation, but do not close with a zipper or a velcro flap. The pockets are very deep, but the lack of closure prevented us from carrying valuables, like a phone, in them while riding.
Credit: Luke Lydiard
There is also a right rear slit wallet pocket that closes with a velcro tab. We don't like having items in this area when riding and think that this pocket is better suited for a wallet when off the bike.
The Ranger has a right rear wallet pocket which closes with a velcro tab. The tab covers about half the width of pocket opening.
Credit: Luke Lydiard
If you need a short with more securable pockets to carry your goods, consider our Editors' Choice Award winner the Pearl Izumi Elevate or our Best Buy Award winner the Zoic Ether.
Comfort
The liner short is constructed from Spandex, which flowed well against the outer material. This Spandex provided a small amount of compression and kept the thin, but well constructed Pro Form chamois in place. Unfortunately, the legs of the inner short are finished with the widest silicone leg gripper of all the shorts in our test.
Fox's ProForm Men's chamois.
Credit: Luke Lydiard
These grippers pull at the skin while riding and became more and more irritating to us the longer we pedaled. Silicone leg gripperst serve to hold the legs of the liner short in place while pedaling. We aren't a fan of silicone for this purpose because it tends to pull on the skin. The grippers used on the Ranger are some of the worst we have tried and we wish that Fox used some other way to secure the legs. Our favorite method is a doubled over layer of stretchy material similar to high end road shorts.
The Ranger's liner short uses thick silicone leg grippers to keep the shorts in place. These grippers kept the shorts in place firmly but painfully pulled on the skin when pedaling.
Credit: Luke Lydiard
Protection
The Ranger's inseam is just 10 inches, which provides slightly less coverage than we prefer. While the leg openings are big enough to fit over knee pads, the short length is likely to allow a bit of leg showing between the top of the kneepad and the bottom of the short. (In case you don't know, this is a major fashion faux pas.) If you usually wear pads or come off the bike frequently, consider our Editors' Choice winner the Pearl Izumi Elevate, which is made from a burlier material and has ample length to be worn with knee pads.
Fit/Pedal Friendliness
The Ranger is cut more like a pair of Dickies than a mountain bike specific short. The front of the short did not feel as baggy when pedaling as some of the other shorts, however. We prefer a slightly longer inseam and shorter rise for sitting on a saddle. While there are no specific stretch panels, the entire outer short is constructed from a two-way stretch material which never felt restrictive.
Though the Ranger does not have a particularly ergonomic cut, the loose fit of the legs and the stretch fabric allow it to pedal well. The two-way stretch material never feels restrictive. The smooth Spandex liner flows well against the textured outer short material with no hang ups.
Best Application
This is the best short if you prefer casual styling or plan on wearing riding gear off the bike. We recommend leaving the liner short at home before heading to the bar. In the bike park, we don't ride with a hydration pack or with a jersey with pockets, but we do like to carry a small multi-tool and a cell phone so we can Strava. The Ranger lacks completely in securable pockets, and we found ourselves electing to test other types of shorts when we road in the park so we could safely carry these two small items. However, this short works well for pedal missions where you will also be carrying a hydration pack of some sort.
Value
The Ranger is the second least expensive short we tested. They retail for a bit more than the least expensive short in the review, the Canari Cyclewear Canyon II, but you get a much more stylish short with a fully separating liner with the Ranger. If you are on a budget, we highly recommend you go with the Ranger over the Canyon Gel. The Ranger is more versatile, more comfortable, and more stylish.
Conclusion
The Fox Ranger is the best short to buy if you want a short that can be easily worn on or off the bike. It has a very casual appearance, which will blend in as a typical street short. This short pedals well and has a good liner with a great chamois. Our biggest complaint with the Ranger is that it lacks in zippered pockets, which prevented us from carrying anything in the pockets while riding for fear of losing it. If you always ride with a hydration pack or a jersey with pockets this might not be a problem for you.
