Spyder 3/4 Convertible Slide Pant - Outdoor Gear Review

In my mountain biking drawer I have a large collection of short, pants, and jerseys. Some are functional but not stylish, others have a fresh look but lack performance or durability. Very few clothing items seem to bridge the gap between form and function. With this objective in mind Spyder has entered the freeride mountain bike space.

For those unfamiliar with Spyder, a little background would reveal a lot. Spyder has been producing high quality ski wear for decades. The company has a strong presence in the alpine racing arena, and is synonymous with aggressive styling and highly functional products to keep everyday skiers and racers safe on the slopes. In recent years the company has broadened its focus to include freeride skiing items in their collection.

This history has lent itself well to launch Spyder into the freeride mountain biking space. Having recently seen their complete collection first hand at Outdoor Retailer, I was impressed with the fresh new perspective on technical wear. As luck would have it, we were selected to field test the ¾ Convertible Slide Pant, and we have put them to the test. On the rack the pants feature no less than 2 zippered vents, 4 louvered vents, 2 zippered pockets, 3 buttoned pockets, zip off knee sections, adjustable waist straps, and reinforced seat. That’s a lot of features packed into a pair of pants.

We tested these over several weeks of riding that included freeride trips to Whistler-Blackcomb, Vancouver’s North Shore, and local Seattle rides. On the trail, these pants performed nicely. After a few hard crashes in the hard pack, there’s not a tear or pull to show and that’s better than most. These pants are a little less bulky than others so I noticed that they seem to hang up less on the saddle when leaning back over the rear wheel in steep sections. The vents provided good ventilation, but they pant legs needed to be zipped off anytime the temperature reached over 70 degrees or it was easy to over heat. The 5 pockets were very well thought on and I somehow found a use for all of them when on the bike or hanging out post-ride. Although I’m not a huge fan of the chamois in most shorts, I would recommend wearing an under-short chamois for longer all-mountain or cross country rides in these pants.