Gravel Shorts Women 2023

With gravel now a booming discipline that sits nicely between road cycling and mountain biking, it’s only natural that you need some suitable kit to go with it. Unsurprisingly, gravel kit is derived from both other disciplines, and falls within a spectrum from sleek and efficient roadie, to baggy and durable mountain biker.

Gravel kit needs to be as versatile as the bike, given the changeable nature of our chosen terrain. Whether you’re blasting around the woods on fire roads and bridleways or setting off on a 200km off-road epic, you need clothing that sits comfortably on that spectrum.

However, while there are a handful of cycling wear brands releasing gravel-specific lines, in many cases these are limited to male and unisex fits. This means that women who ride gravel (believe it or not, we exist in droves) will need to pick and choose the best bits from road- and mountain-specific kit in order to create a custom gravel wardrobe that suits our needs.

Generally what you’re looking for is comfort, efficiency, and a wide range of movement. Durability is important if you’re riding for days or weeks at a time, as is storage space, breathability and temperature control.

Gravel (mid-range) shorts from NENK are durable and water-resistant thanks to the DWR fabric, while the Polyamide and elastane blend stretches perfectly to accommodate a range of movement. They’re a great option for warmer weather, thanks to the ventilation holes on the inner leg.

As opposed to the internal waist adjustment seen in the Sportful Giara shorts, this offering from GORE features an external elastic Velcro waist adjustment, so you can comfortably wear them with a casual t-shirt if desired. Bear in mind these are quite short in the leg, so you’d need to pair them with a liner that won’t peek through.