Review: Specialized Women’s Andorra shorts

In terms of women’s cycling gear in South Africa, a decent pair of baggies can be hard to find. Specialized are one of a few brands offering baggies for women. I tried both the Women’s Andorra Comp and Women’s Andorra Pro shorts for comparison.

The Andorra Comp shorts in Neon Coral are hard to miss on the trail or in the coffee shop.

The Andorra shorts feature woven VaporRize fabric which is lightweight and breathable. It also offers a comfortable amount of stretch while remaining strong enough to deal with hard wear. They also have UV 50+ sun protection built in to keep your skin protected on scorching summer rides.

Both shorts have a neat style somewhere between baggy and tight and allow room for knee pads (you may want to factor this into your choice of size). They also feature side waist adjustment tabs which are useful for keeping the shorts firmly in place if you are somewhere between sizes, or when your pockets are loaded with swag. Finally, both shorts feature double buttons, velcro and a zip at the fly – so there is little danger of crashing out of your pants.

Both the Andorra Comp and Andorra Pro shorts have double buttons, velcro and a zip at the fly.

The primary differences between the Andorra Comp and the Andorra Pro are as follows:

• The Andorra Pro shorts come with a pair of removable SWAT liner shorts, while the Comp do not.
• The Andorra Pro shorts are 2 inches (50mm) longer than the Comp shorts – and you are quite likely to have a gap between kneepads and the shorts when wearing the Comp shorts
• The Andorra Pro shorts feature laser cut venting which allows for the same cooling as a mesh without compromising on the overall strength of the shorts by adding mesh panels. The Comp shorts do not have venting.
• The Andorra Pro shorts feature two zipped front pockets and a zip for accessing the SWAT pocket in the liner shorts
• The Andorra Comp shorts have two unzippered front and back pockets as well as a zippered side pocket.

The most impressive feature of both Andorra shorts is the fabric. It is stretchy in ways that many other baggies are not which allows them to be worn quite fitted. This is a bonus for anyone not wanting too much extra material between bum and saddle, and makes pedalling very comfortable.

The SWAT liner that comes with the Andorra Pro features the Body Geometry Women’s Mountain Chamois and a SWAT storage pocket which can be accessed through a zipper in the shorts, providing another storage option for bombs, tools, car keys or snacks. The liner is comfortably light and is great for shorter rides such as trips to the pump track or a quick after-work spin, and is nice and airy for hot summer days. I was not 100% convinced by the functionality of the SWAT liners as a storage option. It is not too easy to unzip, access, and then find the pocket in the liner (especially if you try to keep pedalling). I would therefore recommend using that pocket for tools or car keys, something you are unlikely to want access to while on the go. Also the large number of pockets in both the Comp and Pro shorts meant that I was never short of storage space in the first place.

The Andorra Pro shorts come with a SWAT liner for storage. The pocket is accessed through a zip in the shorts.
The Andorra Pro shorts have laser cut perforations for cooling ventilation.

In terms of quality, I have been invariably impressed by both pairs. They have survived several months of general wear and tear, washing, and even a brutal crash and slide (in the case of the Comp shorts) without any tears, loose stitching or other signs of wear. The only sign that the shorts are not brand new is that the Neon Coral colour of the Comp shorts seemed to fade very slightly over time.

The Andorra Pro shorts (including liner) retail for R1,880 and are available in Black or Turquoise, while the Andorra Comp shorts retail for R1,130 (excluding a liner) and are available in Carbon or Neon Coral colours.

I personally prefer the longer length of the Andorra Pro. They just give that bit more protection and look better with knee pads. If you generally do longer rides, you can simply wear bib shorts underneath either pair instead of the fairly light liner which comes with the Andorra Pro – so it may make more sense to buy the cheaper Andorra Comp shorts.