Proviz Classic Men's Overshorts

These Classic Men's Overshorts from reflective-clothing specialists Proviz are incredibly durable, considering the lightweight nature of the material and their very impressive water resistance. A choice of colours would be a bonus though, especially if you can't tie into the blue theme with your existing kit.

These lightweight overshorts, as you can no doubt tell, are designed to be worn over something else – bibshorts, tights or even liner shorts. That's why they're so thin. This means you can get away with wearing them over summer-weight lycra in the summer, or heavyweight Roubaix style tights in the winter.

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I've used them mostly for rides with kids or when out on the gravel trails and, due to that slinky fabric, found they don't affect the breathability of the layer below.

With small sections of stretchy lycra mesh on the outside of the legs, they don't affect the flexibility and freedom of movement of your shorts or tights either. It also means they aren't restrictive should you have large thighs. Those mesh sections get four strips of reflective material each to help you stand out in the darkness.

I normally find Proviz's sizing overly generous, but these overshorts are pretty bang-on. They fit well, leaving room for movement without flapping about in the wind (I'm not as scrawny as the pallid chap here).

There is no adjustment at the waist or any kind of elastication, but should you need to tighten them in a touch there are belt loops. Closure is by way of a zip and popper.

Proviz has covered the shorts with a durable water repellent (DWR) coating, which works very well. Light rain and road spray just beads off for ages, and should it get overrun the material is so light it doesn't absorb a whole lot of water anyway, and dries quickly.

Most coatings wash out eventually, but after a couple of months of riding and plenty of washes I haven't noticed a drop off in performance. You can always recoat them anyway.

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Durability looks to be good. As I said, I've mostly been wearing these on the gravel bike and, while I haven't had any spills of late, they have stood up to the constant contact of the saddle and being snagged by brambles and so on.

Value

The price of £44.99 looks reasonable to me. They are well made and should last plenty of miles. A look at our latest baggy shorts buyer's guide shows the Classics are very similar to the £59.99 Alpkit Strada Bikepacking shorts Rachael tested. There is a men's option for the same price, while Proviz does a women's version of these.

Chapeau's Gravel Phantom shorts are also £59.99, but come with waist adjustability as well as the DWR coating. You also get four zipped pockets (the Proviz just has two regular hand pockets), and there's a crash replacement policy should you wreck them in a tumble. They are quite narrow in the leg, though.

Overall

For me, these have become a valuable piece of kit. They're great for that extra layer of protection from the elements, or if it's just a non-lycra day.

Verdict

Good quality, low weight overshorts with good breathability and movement – as long as you like blue