Mountain Hardware Kor Alloy Tights

Review by Erin Trail

Initial Impressions

The Mountain Hardware Kor Alloy Tights are a lightweight winter outer layer that’s lightweight while being warm and windproof.  These tights are made to move and offer a nice option for outdoor activities.

Detailed Review

I got the Mountain Hardware Kor Alloy Tights for winter cycling, hiking, and running. These tights stood out to me because of the moisture management, wind proofing, and insulation that they offer while being flexible and light. The tights feature lightweight and breathable stretch ripstop Pertex® Quantum Air fabric on the hips, quads, and hamstrings, which gives some wind protection and insulation to areas that need it most. The inner layer of the tights feature an AirMesh™ lining with Primaloft® Gold Active for the perfect combination of warmth and breathability.

Fit

Immediately out of the box, the Mountain Hardware Kor Alloy Tights struck me as a cross between jogger pants and tights. They’re more form fitting than jogger style pants but are not skin tight like tights. The fabric isn’t super flexible, likely due to the combination of layers with wind proofing.  I was expecting them to stretch more as I moved but found that the pants felt more like hiking pants than tights or knitwear.  The lack of stretch was slightly noticeable during activities, but it didn’t limit range of motion.  I felt that the tights were true to size, with a slightly loose fit, so if you want a more loose fit, size up.

Function

I was really hoping to test these out for fat biking, but alas, Colorado winter was not good for fat biking.  I was able to test these on some cold winter runs and an overnight bikepacking trip during the winter solstice.

Running in these pants was good. I generally won’t run if it’s below 25 degrees because of my asthma, but with the Mountain Hardware Kor Alloy Tights, I was able to push the temperature envelope down to 18 degrees.  I was impressed by the wind blocking and warmth – these days were windy and my legs were plenty warm with these tights as my only bottom layer. My backside got fairly sweaty, but never got cold.  The only negative was the lack of stretch – I noticed that the knees and booty/hip areas didn’t quite have the articulation and freedom that I’m used to having when I run in tights. But given the warmth and the ability to avoid the treadmill on colder days, these tights will stay in my winter gear box.

The fabric feels a bit on the delicate side, despite being made from ripstop. I always feel like I need to be extra careful when wearing them because the fabric is on the thinner side. My concern was somewhat validated during my winter camping trip, when a tiny little ember burned a hole in the thigh. So, definitely wear something over these tights when sitting adjacent to open flames.

I did also wear the Mountain Hardware Kor Alloy Tights as daily clothes, as they are a stylish alternative to sweats when going to the gym to swim or when running errands. I liked the zippered hand pockets, which are placed at the right height and angle.  These tights would also be great for spectating winter sports or lower impact activities.

Closing Thoughts

I wanted to love the Mountain Hardware Kor Alloy Tights but I ended up just liking them. They absolutely delivered on being warm and windproof on cold weather days, and for that reason, these tights will stay in my winter rotation.  I just wish that they were a smidge more flexible (like tights) to allow more freedom of movement, and wish that the fabric felt a bit more durable.

The Mountain Hardware Kor Alloy Tights are a great option for people who run, climb, or mountain bike in colder winter conditions.  They also are a stylish and warm layer for daily life.

Erin Trail

Erin Trail’s hobby is collecting hobbies. She’s a 5th Generation Coloradan and grew up exploring the outdoors on family camping trips and hikes.  Her first backpacking trip was at eight years old to Grizzly Reservoir – she proudly carried all of her own gear those 3 miles from the main parking lot to the Reservoir.

Erin is an adult-onset athlete who started as a Masters Swimmer and then developed into a triathlete.  She completed 5 Ironman races and nearly 20 x 70.3 distance Ironman races, including the World Championship in Lahti, Finland, in 2023.  Somewhere along her triathlon journey, she picked up a deep love of cycling.

Cycling encouraged her to see landscapes in a new way, learn new skills and to develop self reliance; now she often goes and does Type 2 rides just to see if she can do it.  She’s got all the bikes: gravel, mountain, fat bike, time trial and road.

She is even known to combine her love of camping and cycling and go off on solo 24 hour overnight bikepacking trips in the mountains of Colorado. In addition to bikes, she teaches yoga, lifts weights, skis, SUPs and has recently purchased a campervan.

Erin is a former Montana park ranger with a degree in environmental engineering.  She loves getting into technical details while putting her gear (and herself) through the paces. She shares her home in Colorado with her husband, Will, and her 3 cats (Zipper, Brewtus, and Simcoe).

2025 brings some exciting things.  Erin has qualified to be on Team USA for USA Triathlon and will be competing in a World Championship off-road triathlon in Pontevedra, Spain in June. To prepare for this event, she’s got several mountain bike races and training weekends planned in the months leading up to the big day.  Additionally, she’s racing Ironman Boise 70.3 in July.  Once her race schedule closes out in July, she’ll be moving to more adventure based activities (bikepacking, vanlife, and mountain bike festivals).

When not adventuring, she can be found on a sunny patio somewhere, drinking beers with her husband.