Oakley continues to infiltrate the clothing and accessory markets this Fall, as they produce more bomber products for several sports. For mountain bikers their best-loved item is the 2.1 MTB short, a blend of style and comfort. We've been testing a pair for months now, and are happy to report that they are living up to Oakley's reputation for over-engineered, comfortable and stylish software to complement their industry leading eyewear.

The 2.1 MTB Short differs from the competition in three major ways. First, it uses a high-quality mesh (read: cool) inner short with synthetic chamois, where some manufacturers skimp on the liner. Secondly, the Oakley shorts use a super-soft Polyester Dynasuede fabric for the outer, which is soft to the touch - but hard to tear. Thirdly, the 2.1 has the best venting system we've seen.

Undo the vertical zips that go down the front of the short, and you'll open up a veritable hood scoop to blow air through the short. I personally hate wearing black cycling clothing here in So Cal due to the way it heats up in the sun, but even my black 2.1 shorts stayed cool with the vents open. And don't worry - the vents won't expose your jumblies - only the liner shorts. Oakley PR guy Steve Blick turned us on to another use of the huge vents; they make great pockets for gloves and energy bars on the way to the trail.

Speaking of pockets, the 2.1 features a zipped cargo pocket on the left, and a hook-and-loop closure on the right - plus a zipped back pocket. Another nice feature is the breathable stretch nylon mesh panel along the back to prevent plumber's butt, and light nylon panels on the hips for reduced weight and heat.

But these are baggies, so a few precautions are in order. First, the baggy crotch can catch on the bike saddle (or even the seatpost QR) when mounting or during steep descents, so be careful. And with the vents fully open the risk is even greater. Our other criticism is the waistband - it needs more elasticity to get over your hips, and would benefit from added stretch.

Otherwise we love these shorts, and they're holding up splendidly even after several get-offs. There's also a little yellow sew-on in the short liner that reads "keep cover securely fastened when machine is running." Cute, but to be honest the corners of the patch irritated my cheeks. We're looking forward to testing Oakley's other MTB products as the California-based company continues to increase its offerings of technical clothing (and even a custom MTB shoe).

Msrp: $85
www.oakley.com // (800) 336-3994

— Reviewed & Written by Ari Cheren, MountainZone.com Gear Editor

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