Zoic’s best-selling Ether is a full-featured, do-anything MTB short. On the feature side, that means you’ll find their detachable Assault Liner, a generous selection of pockets, and some strategically placed venting along the back and sides. The liner is designed like a six panel short, with an excellent chamois and elastic waist and leg grippers. It’s attached with a couple of snaps, making it easy to remove. If six pockets sounds like a bit of overkill, keep in mind that this short is designed for everything from touring and commuting to XC and downhill. No one is likely to use them all at once, but the variety adds to the flexibility of the Ether. There are two angle-cut, open pockets in the usual location, with two pockets sporting vertical zippers below them. These load to the back, so the contents are on the side of your leg, and not bouncing and banging against you with every turn of the cranks. On the right leg, there’s also a pocket for your phone or MP3 player, complete with a port for your headphone cable. Next to the back pocket is a loop for the cable as well. Just like tuxedo pants, the Ether also has an adjustable waist via tabs on either side.
I’ve been wearing shirts and jerseys from Zoic for a while now, but this is the first pair of shorts from them that I’ve tried. At first, I thought the chamois would be uncomfortable, as it looks pretty bulky, but it turned out to be a good fit without any bunching. Come summer, I’ll appreciate the venting more than I do now, as temps have been steadily dropping, making for a bit of a chilly ride. And having all those pockets is probably a bit of a waste for me, as I’ve never carried a phone or MP3 player in my shorts while riding, (Crash hard just once and land on something in your pocket, and you’ll understand) but I do like the lower ones, as they’re spacious enough for energy bars or gel packets, which are also not so bad to crash on. What really counts though, is fit. And that’s what I appreciated the most. The fit of the outer shell was perfect – baggy without being too loose. Stitched into the crotch is a panel with enough stretch to keep things in place but not overly restrictive. When you’re off the back of the seat, throwing the inside leg out in sketchy corners, or leaning a bit in the technical stuff, they’re right there with you, giving a little, without feeling like they’re going to rip. I can see why these might be a good downhill and freeride short as well.
Most of my riding is casual XC, and a bit of around town stuff, and the Ether seems well suited to both. I could see myself comfortable in these during an epic all day ride just as easily as tooling down to the LBS or our favorite Mexican restaurant. Seeing how well some of my other Zoic clothing has held up, I expect they’ll last for at least a few seasons.
– Brian