Weight: 180 gm
Chicanes | Sirens | Mojos | |
Pad | eXo | eXo | Softail |
Panels | 12 | 12 | 10 |
Fabric | Hot Shot™ Merino | Shockwave™ Lycra | Shockwave™ Lycra |
Bandolier™ Waist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Bandolier™ Cuffs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Sizes | 10 - 16 | 8 - 18 | 10 - 16 |
We are always on the hunt for a good pair of women's lycra shorts, so we are stoked to have the honour of trying out the new Ground Effect Sirens.Our favourite feature of these shorts is the comfortable, perfect fit - they feel like you're not even wearing them, but in a good way! The leg bands ('bandoliers') are perfect too; they're tight enough not to ride up your thighs, yet not overly tight to squish them and cut off the circulation either. The state-of-the-art eXo skeletal chamois is wicked, and wicking. Ash used these shorts on a cycle tour in California and didn't experience any comfort or chafing issues, even with consecutive days in the saddle. With three cycle short options to choose from, these quickly became her favourites of the bunch. Marjolein has been using the Sirens both on the road and the trails, as well as commuting, and they've become her favouirtes too. They don't get a chance to rest in the wardrobe as they go straight from the washing back line into service!Baggy lovers needn't feel left out either, as these shorts are not bulky at all so you can still chuck on your favourite mud shorts over the top (try the Martini shorts, ladies; they are awesome!).Bottom line - get the Sirens, your bits will thank you.
If you're not a bib fan, these are top shorts:- Only knicks on test without a seam under the chamois.- The eXo skeletal pad is like a chamois upside down - I settled into the new design quickly. It has multi-level foam and is rapid drying, with anti-bacterial finish. - I commute twice a day and I prefer my shorts to be tight in all directions, which wasn't achieved. -HighRise rear overlaps with your cycling top. - Textured-lycra lumbar panel for enhanced breathability. - Wide bandolier textured-lycra cuffs instead of silicon leg grippers.'RideOn recommends'
Perhaps the most intriguing offering sent to us from Ground Effect was the women's Siren shorts. Having known a few women around the traps to swear by their women's shorts, I was keen to see what all the noise was about.The first thing I notice was the superhero-like 'exo' skeletal chamois pad; the chamois of those shorts is both an innie and an outie. The pad itself is laminated into the body of the short for maximum comfort, there safe no seams and on that front, in conjunction with it's fancy multi-level foam, makes for a comfortable bum.Multiple panels are often what set a high end short apart from the riffraff and these shorts are no different, boasting 12-panel and higher midriff also ensure that neither muffin-top, back-gap or sausage leg occurs when riding in the sirens; all good things.First impressions when slipping into the shorts was that they aren't the super-firm European fit we are used to, and while the bandolier sections of the short offer a nice contrast in terms of material and fit, we wondered about how the integrity of the short would go, long term.Ride wise these are nice shorts, we never worried our muffin was overflowing or our sausages were pinched, we could safely say we looked pretty awesome the whole ride. Even with the chamois on the outside! This is coming from a bib-wearer who generally loathes shorts.The chamois was effective, quite comfortable even for a good 4-hour burn on the dirt, we were happy with the comfort of the shorts.
Prompt delivery,good fit and comfortable. Very happy with the product.
The Sirens come with a guarantee, which is somewhat novel for a pair of bike shorts: 'Ride the Sirens (hard) and if they don’t blow you away, return them to us within 90 days for a full refund' So I did. Ride them hard, that is. And I was blown away. I had come to the conclusion that perhaps I had an oddly shaped derrière for which no saddle would ever offer a friction free ride, and no pair of shorts would ever change that. Turns out, a god pair of shorts is the ONLY thing that can change that. And the Sirens are just those shorts. The Siren's secret is the seamless chamois - no hard overlocked edges to wear away at tender nethers, and the slimline design avoids the look and feel of a rolled over incontinence pad. I've loved these shorts from their first ride, and I reckon if you're thinking of buying a pair, you should actually invest in two pairs, because your old shorts will be relegated to that status of your least-loved undies (that is, all the others, including the bikini bottoms, have been used, you're desperate and it's the last resort).