This Glidepath is a lightweight, super breathable trail short made with a four-way stretch fabric and six different size options. It’s exceptionally cool and comfortable, and offers more stretch than any other on test.

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The wafer-thin material is similar to Rab’s Crank short, and manages to be fantastically fast drying, light against skin and swishy and free-flowing, while still maintaining its tailored cut. A DWR coating repels splashes and rain, and the fabric never gets too saturated and sweaty, even on the hottest days. 

The well-placed pockets on the Glidepath are a pleasing detail

All seams are low profile, very neatly sewed and there’s extra reinforcement in the crotch area, which normally sees a lot of rubbing and abrasion. 

There are two classic jeans-style hip pockets and two horizontal zippered pockets (perfect for a phone) that are very stable and secure, putting contents in an ideal place on the side for unobtrusive cranking.

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The Glidepath is advertised as ‘relaxed fit’, but check 7mesh’s comprehensive sizing chart (that includes hips and thighs independently), as the recommended Large felt huge (with a 34in waist) compared to others on test.

We feel the waist adjustment could be improved for a more accurate fit

We’re not big fans of 7mesh’s ‘hook and ladder’ waistband system either, with its ‘suedette’ band that hooks into five different width options. Assuming you get the right short size, there’s plenty of adjustment, and it’s very lightweight and low profile, but you can’t fine tune the fit as precisely as you can with the Glidepath pant, which uses a thread-through locking waist adjuster and belt loops.

The hem of the leg is laminated not sewn, giving a low-profile snag-free fit and feel

Almost unnoticeable when moving around on the bike, this is the most comfortable short on test, partly due to the bottom hem being taped (laminated) together, so there’s no excess bulk or weight on the knee, but also because 7mesh has nailed the cut everywhere, with a close-fitting shape that never flaps, but also doesn’t cling or grab while pedalling or pulling shapes on jumps and descents. 

The cut of the Glidepath shorts is had to criticise