Ultra lightweight, they are comparable to the Endura Singletrack Lite in terms of minimalism, and are designed to cater for riders who might dabble in more than one off-road discipline, be that trail rides or bikepacking adventures.

Read more: Buyer’s guide to the best women’s mountain bike clothing

We both really like what Madison is trying to achieve with these shorts, but it feels like they just drop short of the mark in a few areas. Nice touches like a soft-lined pocket on the rear would be great for protecting a phone from scratches – if it can actually fit. An integrated belt on the waistband sits above a zip and snap fastening, and gives a nicely clean effect, but it’s let down by a chunky metal hook fastening that is noticeable while riding and fiddly to operate wearing gloves – not ideal for a hurried mid-ride comfort break.

Both of us found them short in length, although Madison does advertise these as a shorter length offering. But with knee pads underneath, the dreaded thigh gap was never far away. However, if you are heading off on more XC-focussed rides sans knee pads, this won’t be a problem.

The branding is subtle with only a Madison badge on the thigh, and we both agreed we’d be more than happy to jump straight off the bike and head for a restorative coffee and cake post ride without feeling out of place.

Like Madison’s Performance Tee, the shorts ran true to mainstream sizing, with neither of us switching away from our typical clothing size.

Fit:

Rachael: UK 10 was very true to size. Short, stopping above the knee, but with plenty of room around the hips and bum area.

Laura: I wore a size 14, which was true to my normal clothing size. They have more room around the waist than others if you carry weight here, and ample room for hips, thighs and bum, but were the shortest in length with a 10in inseam, and that put me off as a taller rider.