Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

review

Swrve Transverse Rambler Belted Shorts

8
£80.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Very good for bike, travel and kicking about, with comfortable, stretchy fabric for all manner of adventures
Captive full-diameter belt with low-profile buckle
Elasticated waist
Easy access, deep rear pockets
Flatlocked, triple-stitched construction
Minimal seams
Stretchy, fast-drying fabric
Pockets not secured
Weight: 
345g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

What the road.cc scores mean

Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.

  • Exceptional
  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Quite good
  • Average
  • Not so good
  • Poor
  • Bad
  • Appalling

The Swrve Transverse Rambler Belted Shorts are a great choice for on- and off-bike adventures. When paired with a padded undershort they can be ridden all day, and with the stretch fabric they are comfortable to clamber about in. Some may find the lack of secure pockets unnerving, mind.

For more casual bike clobber, check out our guide to the best cycling clothes for commuting – it doesn't have to be for riding to work – and our guide to the best baggy cycling shorts.

> Buy now: Swrve Transverse Rambler Belted Shorts for £80 from Swrve

If you're cycle touring, bikepacking or just sifting about town on a warm day, you'll likely be wanting shorts that don't scream CYCLIST. The kind of garb that you can head to a cafe or shop in, where you feel comfortable, and with pockets suited to practicality, or, if you're travelling, that can do double duty for off-bike adventures. Of course in theory any pair of shorts can be ridden in, but after a while the compromised placement of features like pockets, seams and belt loops and cut and fabric type all rear their heads and have you wanting for something more bike friendly. These Rambler shorts are a pretty good option, albeit with some unique design choices that need understanding.

The Rambler shorts are packed with technical features, starting with the Transverse fabric, a four-way-stretch nylon-spandex mix with a soft terry finish on the inside. It's a water- and wind-resistant fabric that dries quickly and feels hardwearing. Its stretchy nature means both on and off the bike the shorts don't feel restrictive when bending to extremes.

Keeping the Ramblers in place is a broad elasticated waistband, secured by a tough YKK popper and zip fly. The waistband has a wide nylon belt that runs internally around the sides and back, secured with a low-profile cinch plastic buckle.

2023 Swrve TRANSVERSE rambler belted shorts - button and zip fly.jpg

The combination of elasticated waist and belt may seem overkill, but together they mean a perfect, adjustable waist fit with no excess fabric bunching anywhere.

A trick Swrve missed would be to make the belt removable, so it could be used as a luggage strap in a bikepacking gear emergency.

Pockets

The front pockets are pretty standard – deep enough to hold large phones, with a comfortably-wide mouth. There's a wee pen holder pocket on the right side, but no zipped change pocket.

2023 Swrve TRANSVERSE rambler belted shorts - pockets.jpg

The rear pockets are a new take, with open mouths and angled towards the sides, not up at the back. This means items you place in the pockets – phone, snacks, penknife, gloves – are held more to the side of the thigh than rearward. On the bike this means items remain accessible, and the pocket keeps them away from the saddle. Because there's no flap or zip I was initially concerned that items might fall out, but after a couple of long rides things stayed put.

2023 Swrve TRANSVERSE rambler belted shorts - back.jpg

With a nine-inch inseam the Ramblers will sit a bit above the knee for most, so not baggy shorts, nor geography teacher walking shorts of yesteryear. Something in the middle, and when on the bike sitting mid-thigh. Size-wise the large were bang on for my 34-inch waist. (The UK site lacks a size chart for now.)

The seams of the Ramblers are flatlock and triple-bar stitched – the quality is top notch and comfort is high. If you prefer to ride without a chamois liner short, the Ramblers could be a good fit.

2023 Swrve TRANSVERSE rambler belted shorts - logo.jpg

Coming in four colours – Black, Grey, Blue and Sage – the Ramblers are well suited to pairing with other non-bikey kit. I'd challenge anyone to spot these as 'bike' shorts, at any distance. And if you lent or gave them to a friend or significant other to wear, chances are they wouldn't twig they were 'bike' shorts either.

Value

At £80 the Rambler shorts are good value compared with some – the now-£139 Chrome Industries Men's Sutro Shorts, for example – having a belt instead of the Sutro's Velcro, though lacking the zipped back pockets.

And Vulpine's Men's City Shorts, a cotton blend with maybe less sporty looks, are £85 and lack the features of the Ramblers, like a belt.

However, Liam on off.road.cc was impressed with Stolen Goat's MTB shorts last year, and they're now £70 at rrp, and at under £44 the Galibier Liberté shorts really bring the value fight, and with clip-in liner compatibility to boot.

Conclusion

Overall, the Transverse Ramblers are a good shout if you're after multi-functional shorts that work well on and off the bike, paired with undershorts or standard issue kecks. They look good, feel good, won't spook the horses and offer features aplenty to please the techno-fashionistas. Recommended.

Verdict

Very good for bike, travel and kicking about, with comfortable, stretchy fabric for all manner of adventures

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Swrve Transverse Rambler Belted Shorts

Size tested: Large

Tell us what the product is for

They are for people wanting to jump on and off the bike, country or city, and not look like a cyclist doing so.

Swrve says: "The Rambler Belted Shorts are a brilliant companion for whatever warm weather adventures you get into. The Rambler shorts are built for pre-ride, post ride, and anything in-between. A short made to be strong, functional and practical, a great all-round short.

Using our exclusive - TRANSVERSE - fabric as the foundation, the Rambler Belted Shorts have a roomy and relaxed fit that gives you an unprecedented range of motion on the trail while feeling oh-so-comfortable when it's time to kick back and relax. To maximise the Rambler's utility, an all-new pocket design has been incorporated where the large front and rear pockets converge at the seams for easy access and an added dash of style. The back pockets are designed to keep their contents away from your seat to minimise the need to rearrange when sitting."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Swrve lists these features:

built-in belt for a perfect fit

elastic waistband moves with your waistline throughout the year

generously sized front pockets

strong poly-cotton pockets for durability

an inner pen pocket on the right front pocket

open rear pockets for quick access

high-quality YKK zipper

YKK snap button

DWR coating adds Water and Wind Resistance

roomy and relaxed fit

THE FABRIC

High nylon content makes these tough and durable. A 4-way stretch in the fabric allows for unrestricted movement while retaining their shape. The French terry backing to the fabric is soft next to skin and will wick sweat away. Water resistant, Wind resistant, quick to dry, weight 272 gsm.

CONSTRUCTION

Triple chain stitching on high-stress areas make the Rambler extremely durable. Elastic waistband with built-in belt to make the fit right.

FIT

Roomy and relaxed. 9" inseam.

THE FINAL PRODUCT

With a roomy and relaxed fit with all of the performance that the -TRANSVERSE- fabric offers, The Rambler Belted Shorts are built for leisure, adventure, comfort and style. Once you put them on, you won't want to take them off.

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
10/10

The stitching and build quality are first class.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

They feel good and you don't remember you are wearing them.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Early days, but all seems to lean towards long-term robustness.

Rate the product for fit:
 
8/10
Rate the product for sizing:
 
8/10

Its US site lists large as 33-34.5 inches – pretty much spot on.

Rate the product for weight:
 
8/10

They feel pretty light for what they are.

Rate the product for comfort:
 
8/10

With the stretch fabric they feel plenty comfortable.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

How easy is the product to care for? How did it respond to being washed?

They still look like new.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Very comfortable, once you're over the secure-pocket anxiety.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The stretchy fabric.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Not having secure pockets.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Pretty good. Cheaper baggy shorts exist, but lack the features.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

If you can get past the pockets not having a secure zip or button flap, these are really nice shorts.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 47  Height: 183cm  Weight: 77kg

I usually ride: Sonder Camino Gravelaxe  My best bike is: Nah bro that's it

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: cyclo cross, general fitness riding, mtb, G-R-A-V-E-L

Living in the Highlands, Mike is constantly finding innovative and usually cold/wet ways to accelerate the degradation of cycling kit. At his happiest in a warm workshop holding an anodised tool of high repute, Mike's been taking bikes apart and (mostly) putting them back together for forty years. With a day job in global IT (he's not completely sure what that means either) and having run a boutique cycle service business on the side for a decade, bikes are his escape into the practical and life-changing for his customers.

Latest Comments