The Assos T.rallyShorts_s7 are the company’s first foray into the mountain biking domain. The line consists of one pair of shorts and two jerseys. I received the shorts some time ago, and it’s time to give some insight into this top end offering from Assos. To begin, I admit I no longer have a mountain bike, but I do have a wonderful gravel grinder, as they seem to be called these days. In other words, a road bike that can handle just about any fire road you can point it down. I figured these shorts would be ideal for this type of ride, so off I went in search of the dirt roads of the Santa Monica Mountains.
The Rally shorts are an entirely new design utilizing some of the best features of the road-going shorts. The Assos GoldenGate, or in layman’s terms, the way the chamois is only sewn to the shorts at the front and back, allows the pad to move with your body. This is an especially wonderful feature when tackling the dirt, as it affords ultimate comfort in the saddle on rough roads or single track. A specific mountain biking feature added to these shorts is the pads that sit at the juncture of the femur and hip joint. These thin pads are meant to help protect you in the event of a fall, and their position covers the most common impact area when a wipeout occurs. They are approximately 8mm thick, and best of all, they are removable if this specific protection isn’t desired. Another distinction from the road shorts is the main body material. Assos chose to use Kompressorfabric – a fabric meant to withstand the rough nature of mountain biking. It is designed to handle falls as well as snags from branches and other sharp protrusions. It feels sturdy against the skin, while providing compression in all the right places.
I first saw these shorts last year in Switzerland, and now that I have a pair in my possession, I can attest to the high quality that Assos is known for. These shorts feel as if they will last a lifetime, and they have a fit that envelops your body in absolute comfort. I may no longer have a mountain bike, but it really doesn’t matter. The Assos T.rallyShorts_s7 are so perfect, I can wear them for all my road rides. Even better, the Rally shorts are now motivating me to start thinking of getting back to the dirt. Maybe a mountain bike is in my future.