The Madison Zenith Waterproof shorts are some of the best in the business: they keep you perfectly dry, are suitably long for the task and the four-way stretch material ensures a supremely comfortable fit.
I’ve long been a fan of Madison’s clothing line as well as a regular user of their foul weather kit so when a new set of their Zenith waterproof shorts landed at my door, I knew winter was here proper. The Zenith range from Madison is a constant evolution of updates and new products, suffice to say, I’m yet to test a poor product. What that does mean is that my expectations are set high when it comes to their garments.
- You can buy Madison Zenith shorts here from Tredz
The Zenith shorts are made from a super-comfy 4-way stretch fabric which is both breathable and waterproof. They’re a looser fitting short which is my preference, they don’t bunch up or tighten in any crucial areas as other shorts can and the elasticated waist allows freedom and comfort when hunched over or pulling funny shapes on the bike.
A drawcord around the waist enables you to cinch it up to prevent downward slippage. That stretchy material also reduces the feeling of actually wearing a waterproof short, steering clear of that plastic bag feeling. These almost feel like a standard pair of shorts, but ones that keep the outside, outside! All seams are 100% taped to ensure they remain watertight and after many, many miles in mine, they’ve not sprouted a leak yet.
There’s no pocket space but there is a zipped waterproof compartment can fit a phone in should you really wish to store electrical gadgets on your hip. Either way, it’s always dry inside after a plastering of water and muck. The back panel has proven very durable so far, but then I’d expect that as a minimum. The most impressive thing about the Zenith for me, is the slightly longer leg length and articulated knee area - often the two points of most frustration for me. Its winter, meaning more than ever, I want my shorts to extend over my knee pads or at least over my knees and be shaped to allow space, most commonly for said knee pads. So many brands fall ‘short’ here, literally. However, the Zenith’s are an ideal length, never exposing my entire knee pad or knee to the slop outside and have a nice shape to allow me to wear even the bulkiest of knee pads without any tight points.
With an RRP of £74.99, they’re on par with their competition but do the job considerably better than most, they really are hard to fault.