REASONS TO BUY
Simple design
Light
Comfortable and form-fitting
Breathable
REASONS TO AVOID
Plain
Gel pad feels slippery
Pad bunches up
Canari Cyclewear Velo Review
These are affordable shorts that will get you through rides with some padding, but there are better products on the market if you are willing to pay more
Canari Cyclewear Velo Gel Padded NEW
Credit: Canari Cyclewear
RELATED: Best Bike Shorts and Bibs of 2024
Our Verdict
One essential aspect of cycling is getting the gear right (and sure, being able to skillfully ride a bike hard and fast for a few hours helps too). The most fundamental piece of gear is the padded bike short. The Canari Cyclewear Velo shorts technically meet that definition. These shorts are your boilerplate bike shorts: nothing too fancy, but no skimping. They didn't win any awards, but they are a great, affordable baseline for bike shorts. For each of the measures we analyze (style, breathability, padding, fit and comfort, pedal friendliness and efficiency, and durability), some short or bib outperforms the Velo short. These shorts came up last in every measure, but the big caveat here is that they still do as good as or better than the average bike shorts on the market and they do it at a steep discount to every other product in our review. These were strong contenders for the Best Budget Buy award, but that award went to the Zoot Active Tri shorts, which offered a broader range of uses and higher quality across all of the categories we analyzed. But just because these shorts earned the lantern rouge, it doesn't mean they're not still worth your time. They are functional shorts that come in at a good price and will do the job of padding your butt on a bike ride without emptying your wallet, but don't expect any fireworks.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Canari Cyclewear Velo shorts are the entry point for road bike shorts. Anything offering less padding, support, flex, durability, and breathability than the Velo shorts should not serve for anything more than a spin class here and there. If you're even a regular spin class rider, you should not be riding in something less than the Velo shorts. Their great virtue is that they do well for spin class and feel fine on the road for at least an hour.
Performance Comparison
Side-by-side comparisons with the Velo shorts.
Credit: Crystal Huffman
Style
The Velo shorts are very basic, utilitarian shorts with a single, subtle Canari logo on the side of each leg. Even its simple 6-panel design 6-panel reduces the visual complexity for a very plain pair of cycling shorts. These could not be mistaken for being overwhelmingly stylish. If style is your driving force, consider the Aero Tech Designs shorts for a more appealing, but still modest choice. To go straight to the top, our top scorer in style for shorts was the Louis Garneau CB Carbon 2, a visually stunning pair of shorts with a very high tech appearance, but at a pro price.
Canari Cyclewear Velo Gel Padded.
Credit: Crystal Huffman
Breathability
Their MT Pro fabric creates breathability just about average for our field, but at least as good as any other shorts we've worn in the past. The MT Pro fabric creates stronger shorts with a tighter fit, which can help to wick moisture from the skin, but the thickness of the fabric also seems to retain some degree of moisture. The shorts all had comparable breathability, but if breathability is an important measure for you, see the SUGOi Evolution Pro Bibs, which won last year's Editors' Choice award. Both pairs offered excellent breathability and dried quickly compared to the rest of the field.
Padding and Protection
The Velo shorts include a green gel pad that offers acceptable padding and protection, but nothing spectacular. These shorts were fine on shorter rides under an hour - spin classes were a good use for them. Any ride longer than 90 minutes is a real pain to stay in the saddle. One of the problems was that the padding was too large, so it folded up and became uncomfortable to sit on. For longer rides, we suggest this year's Editors' Choice winner, the Assos T Equipe Evo, or last year's winner, the SUGOi Evolution Pro Bibs. For short rides, we suggest taking a look at the Zoot Active Tri shorts, which have only a fleece cloth for padding - trust us! But if you insist on padding for short rides and insist on shorts, take a look at the high-performing Louis Garneau CB Carbon 2 shorts, but be ready to pay a premium.
If you insist on shorts with padding for shorter rides, consider the high-performing Louis Garneau CB Carbon 2 shorts (right).
Credit: Crystal Huffman
Fit Comfort
Despite their 8" inseam, they felt a bit too small, but that could have been the shorts being pulled up too high and the silicone leg gripper being slightly too tight for that part of the thigh. Overall, they felt good - the elastic waistband did a good job of keeping the shorts up, though it probably didn't need to go through the extra effort to add an extra tall back to help support (read: cover) the back. Then again, that might be appreciated by those looking to keep concealed any embarrassing stamps embossing their sacrum. Some of the more comfortable items were the Louis Garneau CB Carbon 2 shorts and SUGOi Evolution Pro Bibs.
Efficiency and Pedal Friendliness
Their high nylon content of 82% and a relatively low mix of spandex (18%) made for more restriction than flexibility in these shorts. The good thing about them was that there was no excess fabric to get caught on the saddle, but that might not be the experience of riders with thinner legs. We liked bibs and shorts with higher mixes of spandex, including the Zoot Active Tri and SUGOi Evolution Pro shorts, both of which had better degrees of flex and support.
Durability
Their MT PRO fabric, with its high nylon mix, proves to be very durable itself, but there have been complaints about quick-wear from abrasion. The seams coincide with the high abrasion areas traversing the saddle, which can lead to a faster breakdown. The Zoot Active Tri shorts are a better option for shorter rides.
The Velo Gel Padded shorts consist of 82% nylon and 18% spandex.
Credit: Crystal Huffman
Best Applications
These are best for beginner riders who won't be out for much longer than an hour for the first year or so that they ride. These are also great for the occasional spin class. Once rides get to be much longer in duration, riders will probably be happier with other products.
Value
These are the cheapest shorts in our lineup, and we think their price fits their actual worth. $50 is about right for these, and if you find them for a discount, they are great for getting through spin classes without wearing your more expensive riding clothes out. But if you have limited funds for riding clothes and want to make sure you get something you're happy with, we suggest taking a look at the Zoot Active Tri shorts for short rides. For longer rides, consider spending the extra for the SUGOi Evolution Pro Bibs.
Conclusion
It's true the Canari Velo shorts didn't win any of our awards and were the lowest scorers in each of our categories. It's also true that they retail at a huge discount to each of the other shorts and bibs in our review and will work just fine for any occasional rider looking for functional bike shorts. We should note, however, that we chose not to give this model our Best Budget Buy award because their performance will matter more with frequent use and we felt that the better long-term performance would pay for itself over the long run, even on a budget. In the end, these are still better than the average shorts and will do the job of providing some cushion while you ride.
—
Ryan Baham
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