Review: Domino Men’s Mountain Bike Shorts

Who:
From Domino’s website: What we do …is INNOVATE. Imagine genuine natural leather bound to cutting edge fabric technology. Real leather that has Lycra® stretch and recovery, compression support, the skid and abrasion protection of traditional leather, yet is breathable, washable, dryable and water resistant – meet Leather with LYCRA® . Check out our non-traditional cycling apparel that sets itself apart.

Product Tested:
Domino Men’s Mountain Bike Shorts

Website’s MSRP:
$ 79.99

High rear pocket keeps the short from showing the dreaded plumbers crack

Specifications:
– Durable, breathable, and remarkably soft, Montis micro fiber.
– Polyester/LYCRA liner with CoolMax for moisture management and comfort.
– CoolMax sanitized chamois with multi-level technology improves comfort by relieving pressure points.
– 6 pockets, including side cargo pocket, 2 secure zipper pockets with mesh lining double as cooling vents, 2 side hip pockets, rear waistband zipper pocket.
– Adjustable nylon web side tabs for perfect fit.

About Me:
6’0�? 210lbs, 28 year old male. I’m a mountain biking enthusiast who enjoys rocking the big 29er wheels on the trails and off.

Testing Grounds:
Fullerton Loop, Mt. SAC Fat Tire Classic, various Southern California Trails

First Impression:
These pants are pretty sweet looking. The tan is nicely offset by the gray-ish Invista (Leather with Lycra) vertical stripes. I’m not a huge fan of the microfiber type material but it does feel very smooth and comfortable.

Strengths:
OK, I’ll put this out there. I have always had a pretty large derrière and thick thighs to boot! It’s a hereditary trait that my mom insists I received from my dad’s side of the family. That side does have thick thighs, but the big butt (very useful in basketball, if you’re wondering), I’m not sure where that is from.

Because of these God given assets, I’ve always been very sensitive to wearing skin tight clothing. I like my baggies to be baggy but not too much that I have difficulties getting over my rear wheel when descending. Domino seems to understand this and has designed their shorts to hit the perfect medium. The Mountain Bike Shorts are baggy and comfortable, even baggy and comfortable enough for my butt and thighs, but tight in the right spots so that I can make the right moves.

The microfiber tan cleans up easily and is very durable. A couple of times on some of the harder falls I’ve had, I worried that the microfiber would have torn and I’d be mooning the other riders. But I’ve been surprised at how durable these shorts have been. No tears and another plus, they clean up easily. I’ve gotten grease, dirt and all sorts of other stains that I thought would never come out, but after sticking them in the wash, the shorts are clean as ever.

Chamois is still in great shape after three months of riding

The Domino shorts have an excellent chamois. A couple of weekends ago, I rode the Domino Mountain Bike Shorts during a race because of the aforementioned strengths and because it has an excellent chamois. I’ve ridden the cheap shorts sold at big box sports shops and I’ve ridden the nice baggies/lycra sold at my LBS. The pad from the Domino Mountain Bike Shorts are definitely right up there with the nice baggies/lycra. It’s made of great quality materials that haven’t shown any wear during the testing period. The material is all where its supposed to be and doesn’t seem to have flattened over that time either.

The shorts never felt like they were sliding down and showing my crack. Baggy shorts seem to slide down a lot when I lycra under some cargo shorts. But I never experienced this problem with the Domino shorts. I think that the high pocket on the back waist of the shorts helps because it extends above the waist line. Smart idea to cover the crack.

Lastly, the Invista (Leather with Lycra) does have some stretch and movement to it. Sometimes with certain shorts, I’ll have to rearrange the shorts because I’m not getting able to move around comfortably with it on. This has not happened with the Domino shorts and its because of the Invista. The stretchability of the Invista allows me to move around freely without having to readjust my shorts.

Weaknesses:
The Invista although very durable and stretchable has seen some better days. When I first received the shorts, the Invista was soft and supple. After a lot of washes, the Invista has gotten a little more stiff and curls up a bit at the bottom of the shorts. It does become more pliable once I start wearing the shorts though.

Getting over the rear wheel made easy with the baggy yet tight Domino shorts

Summary:
The Domino Mountain Bike Shorts are durable, comfortable and a good looking pair of shorts that work well on the trail because of their excellent design. Domino has figured out a way to combine baggy shorts that look good while still being tight so that you can ride your bike without getting caught up on the saddle. Combine that with an excellent chamois that hasn’t shown any wear while performing excellently and you’ve got a great pair of shorts that will keep your derrière, and in my case a large derrière, happy.

For more info about the Domino Mountain Bike Shorts, click here.