Editor’s Choice 2020

It has been said that wearing Troy Lee kit shaves a second a minute off your race runs – or Strava times if that’s more your thing. And even if that’s a load of hot air, you’ll definitely look faster and feel more stylish in his kit. The popular Sprint pant earns its Ultra tag with a tough new stretchy fabric that fits great and sheds water effectively thanks to its DWR (durable water repellent) coating.

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In long trouser circles Troy Lee Designs Sprint is the go-to riding pant for shredders and rippers, but this may be about to change with the launch of the new Sprint Ultra. The name tells you two things – it’s made from Troy lee’s Ultra tech fabric and it also gets a ‘ultra’ price, which is around £60 more than the original.

Ultra Tech is a stretch material that Troy Lee claims is also hard wearing and incredibly tough. The new material is also lighter, but Troy Lee has ditched the mesh liner found in the base pant and also added a ton of perforations behind the knees and in the crotch area. The multi-panel design puts abrasive resistant material in the seat area and a cowhide leather patch on the ankle to resist chain wear and everything is seam-sealed so won’t pull apart. While the Sprint Ultra is not classified as fully waterproof, it has a excellent DWR (Durable Water Repellent) surface treatment, so water easily pools on the surface and slides off.

To keeps flapping material away from chain/seat stays, the Sprint Ultra has a tapered lower leg, but there’s plenty of girth around the knees, so you can easily wear full knee pads underneath. A lot of trousers I’ve tested recently have been a little snug in the seat, but there’s plenty of room to grow in the Sprint Ultra. That said, if you are slim of the hip the trouser also has low-profile waist adjusters with a good range of adjustment and there are also two press studs on the fly, so if one breaks, the pant won’t fall down.

Can I justify the price increase over the base Sprint trouser? It’s £60, which is half way to a second pair of trousers, but once I put the Troy Lee Designs Sprint Ultra on, it suddenly became my go to trouser for uplift days, cold morning rides and sessions at the jump spot, so yes, for a pant with this quality and construction the price is definitely worth it.