Descente Spirit Cycling Shorts (For Women)

These shorts are great most of the time- the chamois is very comfortable. However I used them for a triathlon and had some awful chafing!

the reason i give the lower rating is that the sizing is very very WRONG. the medium is more like an xtra small. i wear a size 6 street clothes and couldn't even pull them up! these are great if you can manage to get the right size

So far so good. I just used these shorts for the first time yesterday and they made all the difference in comfort of my ride. Great padding.

the seat around the pad was black from being worn in the saddle and the stitching was frayed. Overall a disappointing purchase. Returnes the shorts and matching jersey, which had a snag on the back.

I love these shorts because they don't squeeze me. Because I'm carrying a few extra pounds, most leg grippers and some waistbands give me unattractive lumps. These are tight through the butt and thighs, a bit loose at the waist, but with no trouble staying up, and the lack of leg grippers, just the narrowing, double layer of material at the thigh is perfect. They have a small pocket in the center back which is nice, and I think they're cute with the polka dots on the back and borderline obnoxious colors. They definitely run small as I normally wear a medium and ended up with an XL in these, they are longer than some women's shorts and the chamois is on the generous side. It works well for long rides and I've even run in them after a ride so it's not obtrusive, but also not discreet as far as chamois go.

I LOVE these shorts. I have always been a Pearl Izumi fan and thought they made the best shorts in the elite and pro series. Now I will never buy anything but Descente. The fabric is soooo comfy and the pad is the best pad I have ever seen or used. I ride about 50 miles a week and won't go anymore without these shorts. I[...]I have all three colors. Also, the horse flies in the woods don't seem to be attracted to the white. Since I stopped wearing black I haven't been nearly as bit up by bugs.

I love these shorts. They look so good on, feel terrific and keep me cool mile after mile. Did a long ride that began w/temp @ 70, by the time we got back it was 96. Exposed skin was feeling the heat, skin under shorts- cool and comfy. Legs were not tired, so compression did it's fab thing. The lack of elastic at waist and legs was so nice- finally, no muffin top! Note about size: I read reviews warning these run small so ordered Medium vs my usual Small. Still too small, exchanged for the Large and they are great (though chamois does feel a bit weird when I'm in full aero tuck but I'm not bothered) I wear size 8 in street clothing, feel bad for my sisters who really are a size 12 'cause these aint gonna cut it. Wasn't sure I'd like the longer inseam for summer (usually go to a 5-6" inseam for summer- tan lines and comfort) but I really like the longer inseam, it feels better on long rides and makes my legs look better. STP makes it easy to own some really top shelf cycling clothing without breaking the bank.

Now that I have the correct size (I own Descentes: 4 pairs of Sm, and 2 in Med, had to get these in Large) I am very happy with these shorts. Got the Blue ones, the center panel looks slightly faded on one side and the Polk-a-dot panels had some unfinished seams, so these must be Seconds; who cares when you are getting such a great deal. The fabric is buttery soft. No elastic in the waist and legs is great too, really dislike the feel of silicon leg grippers and the bind of elastic at the waist. Descente HDI chamois is perfection whether you are doing a short ride or a century. I "test rode" these on 20 mile "bale-out" ride, temps were in the 90's but I was cool. They look so good, I'm sure I ride faster when I feel stylin'! Just wish STP had the matching sleeveless jersey.

Just got back from a 60 mile ride in these shorts. I love them. At first I ordered a XS, but those were way too small. The small fits, but they definitely run small. It was raining this morning, so I have a streak up the back. I'm hoping the white will wash out easily. The tag says not to bleach, so white shorts may be an issue for some. The pad is awesome for long rides.

I wear a size 6 in clothes but after reading all the comments that these were really small I was planning to order a medium but then decided to order a large....luckily! The large is a perfect fit and I couldn't wear them any smaller.