Moxie Cycling Clothing Review

There are few cycling apparel brands doing anything innovative. We see a lot of copycat clothing brands offering new prints or colors, but rarely creating something unique.

Moxie Cycling is the exception. From mountain bike shorts that blend traditional spandex with trendy baggies, to clothing with built-in pads, Moxie Cycling offers a diverse range of products that you can’t find anywhere else.

In this review, I offer my experience with some of the standout pieces from Moxie Cycling, examining their features, fit, and overall performance.

Moxie Gravel & Mountain Bike Shorts

Price: $120

Are you still wearing road-style spandex shorts off-road? Is it because baggy shorts look a little frumpy or unkempt for your style?

If so, the Moxie Gravel & Mountain Bike Shorts might be the perfect solution for you. If lycra and baggies got together and had a baby, this is what you would get.

Up top, the shorts feel like a traditional road short with an elastic waistband, built-in chamois, and curve-hugging spandex. Lower down, the shorts a slightly looser, wide fit at the lower leg like a baggy mountain bike short.

Substantial Chamois

The chamois on these shorts is substantial. It is both wider, longer, and thicker than the chamois on the Shredly Biker Cham, for example.

Whether or not this is your jam, is totally up to your body type and preference. For me personally, the padding was a bit much.

There is also a split at the rear of the chamois, that caused the chamois to give me a bit of a wedgie when walking around. On the bike, the chamois was very comfortable.

One Zippered Pocket

Unlike your normal spandex shorts, these do have a pocket on one leg–and it’s mostly useful. The top of the pocket is closed and a zipper opens to a decently sized compartment.

My only issue with it was that the shorts are fairly tight and the opening is from the side, so it won’t fit anything bulky and it is hard to access on the move. In my experience, it was big enough for some cash and a gel–but not much else.

Stretchy Material Provides Great Range Of Motion

With the Moxie shorts on, I felt super free and comfortable. The stretchy spandex had plenty of give for my post-lunch rides, and allowed me to maneuver on the bike more easily than with more structured baggy shorts.

In fact, if you have been wearing baggy shorts for a lot of years, you may have almost forgotten how nice spandex can feel!

Well Made But Less Durable Than Other MTB Shorts

These shorts look and feel well made. I put them through multiple wash cycles and didn’t have any loose threads, fading, or pilling.

While the construction is good, it is worth noting that the spandex material is noticeably thinner and less durable than your more durable mountain bike shorts. This makes them a fine pick for mellow cross-country rides, but I’d pick something a little burlier for backcountry or technical rides where you might be sitting in the dirt, brushing up against trees, or (gulp) crashing.

Not Boring Black

Like the Shredly mountain bike shorts, Moxie has focused on steering away from your typical black mountain bike shorts and offer theirs in flashy, bright colors. If you’re looking to stand out on the trails, you’ll probably like these.

Fits True To Size

Unlike the Moxie G-Form collection (more on that later), I found that the Moxie mountain bike shorts fit true to size. I am 125 pounds and a size 6 in bottoms, and the size medium fit very well.

Moxie Knickers

Price: $140

The Moxie Knickers are flattering, fit well, and work for whatever type of riding you might want to do–road cycling, gravel, spinning class, or mountain biking.

Same Chamois As The MTB Shorts

The Moxie Knickers have the same chamois as the mountain bike shorts I reviewed above. I won’t repeat myself, but definitely know the pad is one of the bigger ones around. Not my favorite for walking in, but great on the bike.

Stretchy Material Provides A Comfortable Fit

The material on the knickers is both stretchy and comfortable. I had good range of motion and definitely never felt like a stuffed sausage in these.

The material does provide some compression, but not as much as higher end knickers from a brand like Velocio. If you like a looser, less restrictive fit, you’ll like these.

For the road, I’ll probably still reach for a more compressive pair of knickers, but I liked these for mountain biking where I like a little more freedom.

Side Pockets

There are pockets on either side of the leg. These are fairly large and even fit my cell phone. The stretchy material holds whatever you put in there quite securely.

Fits True To Size

Like the Moxie mountain bike short, I found that the Knickers fit true to size. I’m a size 6 on bottom, and fit a size medium in these.

Moxie Heathered Hoodie

Price: $100

The weather has (finally!) started to cool down here in Idaho, and I’ve found myself reaching for the Moxie Heathered Hoodie on several of my early morning rides recently. It’s super comfy, cute, and warm (without being hot).

The material is VERY soft and cozy feeling. Compared to the similar-looking Club Ride Sevvy hoody, this one is much thinner, stretchier and better suited for layering. It’s great for shoulder-season riding, and is packable. I was able to shove it in my hip pack, no problem.

Speaking of layering, I appreciated that the neck was stretchy enough that you can put the hoodie on (or take it off) without removing your helmet. This is key for a bike layer!

There are two rear pockets. They are sizable and can fit a phone, snacks, or whatever else you might want to stash in there.

Were there any cons? Not really! I love this top!

Moxie Tee Jersey

Price: $75

For hot weather riding this summer, I really appreciated the Moxie Tee Jersey. The jersey is lightweight, and the sides and arms of the jersey have tons of little holes to aid in air flow.

It has the slightly looser fit of a mountain bike jersey, but unlike many mountain bike tees, has a rear pockets. Score!

The two rear pockets are sizable and carry whatever you might want to stuff in there. The tops aren’t elastic, but there is a little flap at the top, and I didn’t have any issues loosing items.

I used the top for off-road biking, but it would work just as well on the road if you prefer a looser fit.

Wicked Girl G-Form Collection

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.

Look Good On The Bike

• 9 Best Women’s Mountain Bike Pants
• 9 Women’s Mountain Bike Jerseys You Will Love
• 5 Best Women’s Mountain Bike Helmets For YOU