Do you ride with protective pads but struggle to keep them in place under your clothes? This is a complaint I often hear from women; most pads are unisex and designed for men who are generally a little more muscular. The Wicked Girl G-Form Collection helps solve that problem for you.
The Drop In Pants and Jersey, as well as the Trail Pants, all have built-in G-Form pads. This is actually a brilliant idea, and I’m not sure why more brands haven’t thought to offer this. The protection stays right where it’s supposed to without slipping down or riding up, and there are no sleeve or straps on the pads to irritate your skin.
Review In A Nutshell
Pros:
- Made in the USA
- No straps or sleeves on the pads to irritate your skin
- Pads stay in place
- DWR material is dirt and water resistant
- Durable construction
Cons:
- Drop In pants have a VERY slim fit
Price:
- Drop In Jersey: $120
- Drop In Pants: $200
- Trail Pants: $175
First: A Word About G-Form
If you’re not already familiar with G-Form, that’s a good place to start. G-Form make some of the most popular, and comfortable, mountain bike pads around.
Unlike more traditional bulky pads, the G-Form pads are slim and easy to pedal in. They don’t look like they’d offer all that much protection, but they do. Upon impact, the pads stiffen.
The pads that G-Form offer on their website are placed inside a knee or elbow sleeve. These generally do a pretty good job of staying in place, but especially if you have thinner arms or legs, they can slip down. This is particularly obnoxious if you’re wearing them under long pants or long sleeves because it’s harder to re-adjust them without getting undressed.
While G-Form pads offer adequate protection for most kinds of riding (trail, skills park, enduro), they aren’t quite enough for the most aggressive riding. If you’re headed to Whistler bike park, you’ll want something more robust.
Wicked Girl Drop In Jersey
Of the three pieces, the Drop In Jersey was my favorite. I used this on a half-dozen downhill days this fall, and loved it.
The majority of the jersey is a nice lightweight, silky feeling material. The elbows are reinforced, and have pockets for the G-Form pads which are removable.
The lighter fabric, along with the 3/4 sleeve length, meant that I didn’t get too hot or sweaty even on warmer fall days. I often resist wearing long-sleeves on days about 65 degree, but a t-shirt doesn’t offer the same protection.
The pads stayed in place and were so comfortable, I didn’t really notice I was wearing them. This is ideal because I have sensitive skin which often begins to get irritated from the band on pads. Not have these strapped to me made a big difference in my comfort level.
The fit was slightly loose, but not overly baggy. I’m 5’5″, 125 lbs, small boobs, and felt comfortable wearing both the size small and medium size jerseys. I preferred the “Jet Black” jersey which worked well with any number of bottoms, but if you want something more flashy, that’s an option too.
Wicked Girl Drop In Pants
Like the Drop In Jersey, the Drop In Pants, have pockets at the knees to hold removable G-Form knee pads. I liked that the pads were removable, as I could pit-stop at the bathroom at the end of a downhill day and take the pads off before sitting down for a beer.
Like the jersey, the pads stayed in place over my knee and were comfortable. I didn’t have the back of a pad sleeve or strap digging into the sensitive skin behind my knee–you know what I’m talking about right?!?
The Drop In Pants are a bit more robust than the jersey, and could definitely withstand a crash without tearing. They also have DWR which does a good job of shedding dirt and water.
While I loved both the G-Form pockets and the construction of these pants, the fit was awkward for me. Both the size small and size medium were quite tight and significantly restricted my range of motion. I’m usually a size 6 in bottoms, so these should have worked according to the size chart!
I gave them to a girlfriend to test, and she ran into the same issue. Of all the downhill pants we’ve tested, the Drop In pants had the slimmest fit. These might work if you have a very straight and narrow bottom half, but otherwise they were just too restrictive.
In contrast to the the tight fit in the bottom and legs, the waist was forgiving thanks to the yoga style waistband. I’m always a sucker for a yoga waistband, and it was super comfy. Because it comes up higher you also don’t have to worry about ending up with plumbers crack.
Wicked Girl Trail Pants
The Wicked Girl Trail Pants have a similar concept as the Drop In pants but are more intended for (you guessed it) trail riding. The capri length gives you the same sort of protection you would get from wearing shorts and knee pads, but without worry about pulling up the knee pads or ending up with a weird gap between the two.
Compared to the Drop In pants, the Trail Pants are stretchier and provide better range of motion–which is good ’cause you’re probably going to be pedaling in them. And unlike the Drop In pants, the pads in these are sewn in and are not removable.
Again, we’re treated to a yoga style waistband which is comfortable and works well for all waist types. Feel free to ride right after lunch!
While these pants (size small) did work better for my body type than the Drop In pants, the crotch was still a little tight for my liking.
The DWR fabric is water resistant which also makes these a good choice for ladies who live in wetter climates. The back end is also reinforced for extra durability.
Bottom-Line: An Innovative Way To Wear Protection On The Bike
The Wicked Girl G-Form collection is both clever and innovative. I love the idea of built-in protection!
But what about in practice? In our experience, the Drop In jersey was everything we’d hoped for–and more. It was comfortable, well constructed, and breathable. The G-Form pads stayed in place and were barely noticeable while riding.
The Drop In pants, on the other hand, fit oddly. Clearly two testers are not a huge sample size, and my guess is that the pants do work well for some ladies. Still, these were some of the tightest mountain bike pants we’ve tested. The Trail pants, on the other hand, were much more stretchy and had a more forgiving fit.
At the end of the day, I would highly recommend the Wicked Girl Drop In Jersey and I would recommend both the Drop In pants and the Trail pants if you have the opportunity to try them on first and test the fit. Or, just give it a shot and know that you’ll be covered by a 30 day return policy.
The Wicked Girl G-Form Collection is particularly worth trying if you have sensitive skin or a slimmer build and have struggled with keeping pads up in the past or have been irritated by straps and sleeves.