Wild Rye Frankie Bike Shorts

Review by Erin Trail

Wild Rye, a women-owned and operated mountain-focused clothing company, recently added a longer and baggier mountain bike short to their line-up, called the Frankie.  These shorts are made from the same stretchy-but-tough fabric as their Freel shorts but have a baggier fit and longer inseam than the rest of their mountain bike line.

The details:

• Adjustable waist system for perfect fit
• 4-way stretch for added comfort
• PFAS-Free, C0 DWR finish
• Breathable, durable, abrasion resistant
• Two front pockets, one zippered side pocket
• Gusseted crotch
• UPF 50
• Inseam: 14 3/4″
• Weight: 9.3 oz

Fit and Function

I own several pieces of Wild Rye gear.  In the Freel shorts and the Freeyah pants, I’m a size 8.  In the Frankie, I’m a size 6.  The Wild Rye Frankie Bike Shorts are intentionally baggier, and if that’s not your thing (as was the case with me), definitely size down.  The Frankie fabric has a decent amount of stretch to it, which makes it pretty forgiving.  There are also hook-and-loop closure tabs at the beltline on each hip, which also helps to adjust the sizing of the shorts to accommodate a variety of chamois (or no chamois).

So the big question is why such a long inseam?  14.75 inches is considerable – it hits me (who is 5’4″ with a 31″ inseam) just below the knee when standing.  When riding, the Frankie Bike Shorts hit me just above the knee.

Some use cases for when a longer short might be just right:

• Tall women who have a hard time finding shorts with the right amount of length
• Women who want more coverage but don’t want to wear mountain bike pants
• Women who want to wear knee pads without having a gap of skin exposed between the top of the pads and the bottom of the shorts
• Cooler rides where you want a bit more coverage but don’t want to wear pants
• Anyone wanting a more baggy, loose, and long short

The Wild Rye Frankie Bike Shorts have a double button closure at the waist with a zipper. The pockets are well placed and generously sized.  I love the zippered pocket along the side of the leg.  It’s perfect for holding your phone securely and I also use it as a place to stash my used chew and gel wrappers.

Performance

I’ve worn the Wild Rye Frankie Bike Shorts on a rides, usually with cooler temperatures. I found the fabric of the shorts to be very comfortable, a great combination of durability, flexibility, and breathability.  The fabric is on the thicker side, but I don’t find that I get hot while wearing them (either the Frankies or the Freels).  I can also vouch for the durability of the fabric as I have some pretty old Freel shorts and they still look pretty fresh.

The best compliment I can pay to a piece of athletic clothing is that I don’t notice it when I’m wearing it.  That was exactly my experience as I rode my mountain bike while wearing the Wild Rye Frankie Bike Shorts.  They’re super comfortable and easy to wear.

I did find the length to be slightly too long for me.  When I stopped riding, I would sometimes catch the bottom of the shorts on my frame mounted bottle cage.  But that’s a me problem and doesn’t have anything to do with the shorts. If I had a bottle in the cage, this wouldn’t be an issue.

I do think that my personal sweet spot for these shorts are for more technical rides where I want to wear knee pads but I don’t want to wear pants.  I don’t like wearing pads with most of my shorts because of the patch of skin that inevitably shows up between the top of the pads and the bottom of the shorts.  The Wild Rye Frankie Bike Shorts eliminates that issue completely.

The other thing I love about the Wild Rye Frankie Bike Shorts is the fun colorways that are offered.  These aren’t your boring black or green shorts – they have personality.  I often wear my other Wild Rye mountain bike shorts for more casual wear and find that they work great as casual clothing.

Closing Thoughts

Wild Rye has created a pair of unique women’s mountain biking shorts with the Frankie.  These shorts are a fantastic option if you’re looking for a longer short with plenty of stretch in the fabric.  The shorts perform beautifully on and off the trail and make a great addition to a woman’s mountain clothing collection.

The Frankie shorts are available in three super fun colorways in sizes ranging from 0 to 18.

Erin Trail