The Quest for the perfect pair of running shorts...isn't going well.

[OakLeaf]

Okay, I did 8.5 in the Zoots today, pretty hot day for as much as I'm acclimated this early in the year - 86°F, 67% humidity.

They didn't ride up, didn't bunch up in the crotch or give me any discomfort there. I would say the rise is a little bit higher than I'd like, but they come just below my natural waist where my belt rides that I carry my phone etc. in, so as long as they aren't above that line I'm okay with it.

They breathe reasonably well. They didn't get sloshy-sweaty the way some shorts can get (yuk). I didn't notice them being super hot in the sun.

As far as the thigh compression ... I'm skeptical about the benefits of compression for shorter runs, but I will say that I noticed the muscle support on steeper hills. I'm not sure that's a good thing, really, since it kind of encouraged me to keep on overusing my quads. I'm pretty sure the tighter band is what kept the shorts from riding up, but when I really want compression for the benefits of compression, I'll stick with my CW-X shorts that have support for the lower abs and glutes too.

I didn't use the pocket, very rarely do, so I can't comment on that.

Overall - I like them. They'll go at or near the top of the stack, at least when I'm planning to run under three hours.


As far as the PI shorts with their Coldblack fabric, I haven't worn them yet, but I figured an objective temperature test is the best. While they were on the clothesline this morning in full sun I stuck a probe thermometer inside the shorts, up against the fabric, on these and several other pairs of shorts. Short answer - don't spend extra for Coldblack fabric. The overstock price at DepartmentofGoods.com isn't too far out of line for "regular" shorts, so if they work well otherwise I won't be disappointed, but both these pairs were within a couple of degrees, and the main difference seemed to be between shiny black shorts (hotter in the sun) and looser matte finish knits (5-10° cooler in the sun, though possibly not as good for wicking sweat).


Both pairs dried super fast. In fact, I was planning on running in a different pair of shorts this morning, but when these two were already dry by the time I got my act together, I figured I'd try the Zoot shorts, and leave the PI's on the line so I could do a temperature test after my other shorts dried.

[OakLeaf]

So, 9.5 in the PIs today.

No riding up, no bunching, no complaints on fit or comfort. The gusset, if that's even what you'd call it, works fine. The rise is just slightly lower than the Zoots, but still on the high side as shorts go - right at my navel, slightly below the narrowest part of my waist. The waistband is on the firm side, so if that bothers you, it might be an issue. Not as unyielding as CW-X, by any means.

The silicone hem weld didn't want to stay turned up all the way around, once they'd been washed and especially when I put them on. The fold was just ironed in, NOT woven in. The front part stayed turned okay, but the back wanted to roll back down. It didn't give me a rash, but since I started out with them turned up, I didn't run that long and it's a relatively cool day, I can't say the gripper/hem weld wouldn't bother me. But if silicone grippers don't irritate your skin, I wouldn't worry about it.

There's no compression. I definitely couldn't wear a smaller size - these are already a size smaller than PI's size chart says I should wear, they're completely form fitting with no slack fabric anywhere, and the waistband of a smaller size wouldn't go over my hips. They're obviously form fitting enough that they didn't ride up even with the silicone grippers turned up. But they're probably one of the least compressive pairs of short tights I own.

I noticed that the website describes these shorts as having an internal brief. There isn't any, not that I'd want one in short tights anyway.

Temperature regulation - it was a cooler, cloudy day, but VERY humid - rain came through overnight - and although I'd already found out on the clothesline that these shorts do not defy the laws of physics in terms of their black color converting infrared light into heat, they do wick sweat and allow it to evaporate VERY efficiently. I wouldn't hesitate to wear these on a very hot day.

I realized that in my original description I got the pockets backwards. The PIs have the pocket in the small of the back (which again, I don't use pockets, but I did test the accessibility today and it was plenty easy to get into while I was running) - the Zoots have the pockets on the sides of the legs.

Bottom line, I like them well enough, but I'm not sure they're worth $70, and definitely not the $100 MSRP. Still, if it's in your budget and you haven't found anything else you like, I don't think they're *so* overpriced that they're not worth a try.