Terry  Aria Liner Shorts - Women's

I was long overdue for a liner update after riding in the pair I bought in college for the past 10+ years. I’ve procrastinated this purchase since, frankly, there are things that are much more exciting to spend money on than padded underpants. But I do my research on gear purchases, and wanted to get this one right so I don’t need to think about it again for some years to come. In case you’re at a similar crossroads, I’ll share which options I compared and which product I ultimately chose. After weeks of reading descriptions and reviews, I finally narrowed my search to 3 candidates: the Terry Aria, Zoic Essential, and POC Essential Short liners. I’m a fit 5’6” woman, ~130 lbs, mid-30’s, with the sturdy upper legs and saddle of a mountain biker. I’m a little more padded than I’d like to be, but petite by most standards. I’m typically a XS/2/26 in street clothes, though after reading many reviews claiming that all three of these liners ran small, I ultimately ordered a small in the Terry and Zoic shorts and a medium in the POCs. Note that this turned out to be the correct size for me in each short. Here’s how my head-to-head comparison shook out. POC Essential Liner Shorts: Hands down, these had the best chamois of the bunch in my opinion. Dense but not bulky padding with a natural shape. I also liked the fabric of the shorts themselves. As promised, it did offer light compression. The shorts were well-shaped for the female form and felt like they wouldn’t need to be tugged up all the time. This is the only short of the three that had silicone leg grips, which I have historically been partial to, and if that matters to you it’s something to consider. But that is unfortunately where the virtues of these shorts ended. The length and band construction was an unequivocal dealbreaker. With a 2.5-3 inch inseam, the legbands squeezed my thighs at the widest point. And not just a little squeeze…I have never worn a garment that made me feel more grotesquely corpulent. If only these had a longer (7-9 inch) inseam and a wider leg band, I really think my search would have been over right then and there. That said, if you have zero body fat or pin-straight legs, these could be your perfect match…just size up 1-2 sizes from your street size! Zoic Essential Liner Shorts: I had high hopes for these given many positive reviews online, but found them unimpressive across the board. The fit was okay, though they are oddly low in front as other reviewers have mentioned. The chamois was the second densest of the three options and seemed like it would be comfortable. The inseam was moderate at around 5-6 inches. The biggest turnoff for me was that the short fabric was unexpectedly thin and lacked integrity, more like a kid’s unlined Lycra swimsuit than a garment with the resilience to stay put under vigorous activity. There is a band of elastic encased in this shell material at the top of the yoga-pant-style waist, but it felt strangely rigid in comparison to the thin material. Similarly, the leg band was so much thicker and stronger that the shorts that it created uncomfortable bulging above and below the band. I just couldn’t see this fabric standing up well to tugging, heat, sweat, friction, and frequent motion, but if the fit sounds like it could work for your leg shape, it might be worth a look. Terry Aria Liner Shorts: (spoiler: these are the winners!) By this point in the try-on session, I was feeling pretty defeated. Out of the package, these are the least attractive of the three shorts with a high waist, old-school elastic band at the top, perforations all over, and lace bands. You have to pull them on kind of like nylons, by gathering the fabric in your hands, so I was shocked when they slid on like a glove and just felt instantly good everywhere. The chamois is clearly less dense than the other contenders, and I suspect is really optimized for road or commuting use, but it’s a quality Italian product with some density over the sit bones and is extremely flexible and breathable. When doing big rides, I haven’t noticed any more soreness than I had in my old, thicker chamois, so this may be a case where quality of padding makes up for the lower quantity. The shorts aren’t anything I would ever wear alone, but they slid under my baggies compliantly and don’t slip down or stretch out on the trail. I was concerned that the lace leg bands would be inadequate to hold the legs in place without any silicone grip, but I was wrong. Not only do they stay put at least as well as my old silicone grips, they’re incredibly comfortable. I have trouble even pinpointing where they are under my baggies because there is no binding or constricted feeling. I’m a fan of the longer inseam on these as well. The shorts are very breathable and though they’re thin, they seem to hold their shape and hug your curves well. I also like the way the inner fabric layer is contoured down the inner thigh partway, so you don’t get chafe from the sides of the saddle. Overall, they won’t win any fashion points but I’m really happy with how they’re performing so far in both California heat and cool mountain temps. If you’re in the market for a new mountain biking base layer, check these out. For me, they’re keepers!

The legs were too long for me and the padding was worthless on a 40 mile ride.