2020 was a strange year for all of us but the guys at Flow Apparel took the opportunity to ‘set about making MTB specific apparel that we knew we wanted to wear. Something technical enough to spend all day out on the trails, yet casual enough to wear to the pub after the ride!’
Fast forward a year and Flow now have a wide range of pants, trousers, riding jerseys and their newly launched merino t-shirt!
Writing about a pair of trousers when it’s 27 degrees outside seems bonkers, but we all know it won’t last …
First impressions
Riding pants (or trousers) have come a long way in recent years and no matter what the weather you’ll see them out on the trails. Long gone are the heavy duty, crazy patterns of MX racers and a new breed of lightweight, technical trousers have been born.
Out of the 100% recycled packaging you instantly notice how light the Flow Pro Pants are and how stretchy the water-resistant ripstop material is. Looking round the trousers you get everything you’d look for: ratchet waist closure, strong YKK zipped pockets, zipless fly and elasticated ankles to keep flapping at bay.
Trying the trousers on I was impressed at the cut and length. There is enough room around the knees for pads, the thighs and calves are fitted but not ‘I’m out in my PJ’s’ fitted and the length allows you to show a little sock, if that’s your vibe!
My only slight negative is the waist sizing. I’m 6ft 1 and around 88kg and generally sit somewhere around a 34-inch waist. On Flows size guide I’m a large but still find the waist a little big even with the ratchet pulled as tight as it goes.
On the bike
I’ve been riding in the Pro Pants for the last 2 months both on the trails and round the town. They fit nicely around the legs, crotch and bum and as expected there was decent space for my fox enduro pads. The pants have a raised back and low front making them comfy when pedalling and when riding there wasn’t any negative effects of the slightly loose waist.
As Flow say their Pro Pants are suitable for all year wear, I’ve been wearing them instead of shorts up to about 14 or 15 degrees which I found was about my limit. As the material is stretchy and breathable, they weren’t sweaty or uncomfortable, just a bit warm for my preference.
We had some mega wet weather back in May and I’ve always found as riding trousers become wet, they start to get heavy and flap about. This is both annoying and maked you cold! Flow’s water-resistant material along with the stretch ankle openings helps keep this at bay and they dry out quickly when the rain stops, which is nice.
Final thoughts
I’ve been nothing but impressed with the Flow Pro Pants and really can’t speak highly enough of them. I’d maybe try a medium for a smaller waist but otherwise I can’t fault them! They fit well, are a relaxed yet tailored cut, stretch well where they need to and are holding up well in the high wear areas.
In a market where you’d expect to pay in advance of £100 for a decent pair of riding trousers the Flow Pro Pants are well worth a look. They also do matching shorts at a very tempting £48.99!
