Slurp down a tall cup of coffee and slide into some warm polyester wind- and water-resistant pants, because mountain biking is an outdoor sport! For folks who don’t stop riding when the temperatures and precipitation drop, a warm pair of pants is clutch. Those trousers need to keep the elements outside as much as possible and should feel similar to the cozy couch that your riding buddies are sitting on as you enjoy the trail.
MOMOSM trousers from Maloja are roughly as close as you can get to a toasty living room while outside having fun and burning calories. Their sturdy three-layer, semi-taped storm shell breathes just enough to keep them from getting sticky inside and retains a decent amount of body heat for comfort. When it’s time to cool off a bit there are 23cm-long vents on either thigh to open wide, and a set of strings keep them from flopping open too far and catching on things. The vents extend the usability range of these pants for warmer ambient temps.
Belt loops
I wear a size small in almost all riding bottoms, and the small MOMOSM fit without a hitch. For reference, I have a 30″ inseam and waist measurement, am a hair over 5’8″ tall, and weigh 150 pounds most days. The somewhat stretchy waistband has a pair of velcro adjustment straps to dial in the fit, and belt loops all around should you need them. The rear of the waist is raised to keep your skin covered while in an aggressive riding position, and the ankle cuffs are velcro-adjustable so you can decide how tightly they fit. There’s also plenty of space inside for large kneepads and a second leg layer for those extra icy days.
The three-layer polyester shell has semi-taped seams and what Maloja calls an Eco Water Repellent coating to keep the rain and puddles out. While the pants will eventually soak through if it’s raining from both the sky and the trail alike, it will take some time to get soggy inside. Once they soak through and you start cooling off it’s likely time to head back to the coffee anyhow. Like any water-resistant material, the pants do make an occasional vtt-vtt-vtt sound if your legs touch as you pedal, and if you don’t enjoy their song you can always queue up your favorite playlist when you wear them.
Maloja clearly expected some folks to ride with a bag or stash tools with these pants, as they only included one smartphone-sized pocket on the right hip. I can fit my house keys, phone, and a small snack in the zippered pocket, which, with everything else strapped to the frame, is all the gear I really need for most quarantine-length rides.
In summation, the MOMOSM pants from Maloja are a durable addition to the cold-weather kit that will last several seasons of outdoor fun. They are available in black, red, and green for €189.95 or $199.
