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review

Vulpine Men’s City Chinos

4
£100.00

VERDICT:

4
10
Good off the bike, but without belt loops they can slip down when riding
Lots of stretch
DWR treatment
Good looking
Comfortable off the bike
Lack of belt loops means they can slip down
Weight: 
400g
Contact: 

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The Vulpine City Chinos are well made, with some good cycling-specific features, but while they're comfortable to wear off the bike, the lack of belt loops is a real oversight for when you're riding.

I've started wearing more casual trousers on my cycle to work, and after testing Vulpine's Omnia cycling jeans and being impressed, I was keen to see how the chinos would compare.

> Buy these online here

First off, they look good and fit well – a pair of trousers that I can quite comfortably wear around the office or out at the pub. They have cycling-specific features but these have been well integrated and are very discreet.

2021 Vulpine Mens City Chinos - ankle fastener.jpg

For instance, they have a 'diamond gusset' construction, which basically means you don't have four seams all meeting at a point that could become uncomfortable on the bike. Instead, this diamond-shaped panel covers the inside of your thigh and across the perineum. It makes it much more comfortable than a set of regular trousers when riding.

The chinos are made from a mix of PET polyester (41%), organic cotton (33%), recycled PET (22%) and elastane (4%), with a DWR coating. They have a good amount of stretch, and although I didn't test these out in torrential rain, I used them on fairly drizzly days and the DWR coating worked well, with water beading off impressively.

The stretch in the fabric enables more freedom of movement in these compared with non-cycling chinos, so you aren't restricted in your pedal stroke, and getting your leg over even the most horizontal of top tubes is easy.

2021 Vulpine Mens City Chinos - back.jpg

While there are several impressive features to these chinos, there is one element that I've found problematic – they don't have any belt loops. Instead, they have the kind of fastening that you often find on more formal trousers – an adjustable elasticated strip at the back allowing you to adjust the waist. The issue with this for cycling is that the hold is simply not strong enough compared with a belt, so there were several times when I found the trousers slipping down, so much so that I chose to only wear them over the top of bib shorts.

2021 Vulpine Mens City Chinos - back pocket.jpg

I contacted Vulpine to ask about the lack of belt loops, and was told it had been done for comfort: 'We installed waist adjusters instead. This is so you shouldn't need a belt. Hopefully makes it more comfortable when you're on the bike by not having a large belt buckle.'

To an extent I'd agree – a belt buckle can be uncomfortable – but the trouble here is you get three set widths rather than the waist being fully adjustable, so unless you're exactly the right size the chinos don't stay up. Add to that, a waist adjuster doesn't offer anything like the 'stay up' power of a belt, so even if it fitted perfectly it would still not hold as well.

2021 Vulpine Mens City Chinos - waist adjuster undone.jpg

At £100 (currently discounted to £50) they seem on a par with or even better value than Pearl Izumi's Rove Trousers (£99.99) and Rapha's Technical Trousers (£110), as neither have the same kind of weatherproofing. However, both of those have belt loops.

> Buyer’s Guide: The best casual cycling commuter wear

Overall, I'm left with mixed feelings about these chinos. Off the bike they're great, and the cycling-specific features work well while being subtle enough that you would hardly notice them. However, the lack of belt loops means they aren't so good for use on the bike.

Verdict

Good off the bike, but without belt loops they can slip down when riding

road.cc test report

Make and model: Vulpine Mens City Chinos

Size tested: Large

Tell us what the product is for

Vulpine says, "Smart British style with soft stretch and DWR treated technical fabric; these are your lightweight trousers for everyday commuting or weekend coffee shop touring.

"The stylish chino style fit offers a smart flair to your bike ensemble, tailored adjustable waist gives a secure fit, the diamond gusset ensures comfort and no seam chafe, and the PFC-free DWR treated fabric means you're prepared for the unpredictable British weather. How have you managed without them?"

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Vulpine lists:

Tailoring style elastic adjustable waist for a dialled in fit

PFC-free DWR treatment

Diamond gusset construction

Key loops inside rear RH pocket & front LH pocket

2 rear welt pockets with button closures

2 front hip pockets

Corozo Vulpine logo buttons

Zip fly front

Button ankle adjuster on drive-side

V circle embroidered logo

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

The quality of construction seems good.

Rate the product for performance:
 
5/10

The DWR coating works well and the stretch in the material is good, but without belt loops the retention system is not strong enough when you're riding, though off the bike they're fine.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the product for fit:
 
6/10

This is a difficult one to score, off the bike the fit is good, on the bike the adjustable elasticated waistband is nowhere near strong enough to hold them up.

Rate the product for sizing:
 
7/10
Rate the product for weight:
 
5/10
Rate the product for comfort:
 
6/10

Comfortable off the bike, less so on it.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

Outwardly they compare well with other cycling-specific trousers, but they fall down on the bike.

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

Easy, chucked them in at 30 and line dried them.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

They performed pretty well off the bike, but on it they slip down because there are no belt loops.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The fit off the bike.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The fit on the bike

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Pearl Izumi Rove Trousers come in at £99.99, but don't have the same kind of weatherproofing as these. Similarly, Rapha's Technical Trousers are £110 and don't offer weather protection. However, both have belt loops.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, when off the bike.

Would you consider buying the product? No

Would you recommend the product to a friend? No

Use this box to explain your overall score

Off the bike these are fine, and there's lots to like about them such as the DWR treatment and stretch in the fabric, but they're let down by the lack of belt loops, which means they can slip down much too easily when on the bike.

Overall rating: 4/10

About the tester

Age: 33  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: CAAD13  My best bike is: Cannondale Supersix Evo

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

Add new comment

13 comments

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
0 likes

Is the advantage of a jeans style over a chino's style the fact that its much harder for things to fall out of the side pockets?

Can you actually cycle with a phone in the pockets of these?

Avatar
brooksby | 2 years ago
0 likes

Lack of belt loops makes it a 'no' from me 

Avatar
Steve K replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
0 likes
brooksby wrote:

Lack of belt loops makes it a 'no' from me 

Time to bring back braces?

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
2 likes
Steve K wrote:
brooksby wrote:

Lack of belt loops makes it a 'no' from me 

Time to bring back braces?

Why stop at braces when you could have Bib Chino's?

Avatar
brooksby replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
0 likes
Steve K wrote:
brooksby wrote:

Lack of belt loops makes it a 'no' from me 

Time to bring back braces?

Actually, button-on braces look like they'd attach quite well to the buttons above the rear pockets...  3

Avatar
Drinfinity | 2 years ago
0 likes

I've always wanted to look like a Track commissaire, maybe I should get me some beige slacks.

Avatar
Chris Hayes | 2 years ago
0 likes

I thought that all trousers came with diamond gussets?

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to Chris Hayes | 2 years ago
1 like

Nope.  Most trousers join the pieces of material together with 4 seams right under your crotch area.  A diamond gusset is a 5th piece of material so those seams are moved off to the "sides".

Avatar
I love my bike replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
0 likes

With so many saddles having a centre cut-out, there's hardly a need for a diamond gusset, at least if it isn't reinforced for increased wear.

Avatar
Sriracha | 2 years ago
0 likes

The jarring green thread on the buttons - is that another manifestation of global supply chain problems? Or just a brexit issue?

Avatar
Jez Ash replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
0 likes
Sriracha wrote:

The jarring green thread on the buttons - is that another manifestation of global supply chain problems? Or just a brexit issue?

Bright green accents have been a Vulpine design cue since their "old days".

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Jez Ash | 2 years ago
0 likes
Jez Ash wrote:
Sriracha wrote:

The jarring green thread on the buttons - is that another manifestation of global supply chain problems? Or just a brexit issue?

Bright green accents have been a Vulpine design cue since their "old days".

So it's a Brexit bonus? Like the blue (or is it black?) passports? Taking back control of our buttons?

Avatar
Dnnnnnn replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
3 likes

Worth a thread on its own.

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