Review: Rivendell MUSA Pants

I've had a pair of the MUSA shorts for a year or so. They were a bit too roomy for me so I resisted buying the pants for a while.

After wearing the Bicycle Fixation Hemp Knickers every day for the last couple months, I figured it was time to find another pant for the season. (Btw: no review required for the hemp knicks: they are $100, made in LA, tough, perfect design and execution and a bargain at twice the price.)

I got the MUSA pants a couple days ago and I dig them. They are the super lightweight quick-dry poly/plastic material that I prefer for pants.

The last couple years I've used REI's "Sahara" convertible pant for riding. The Sahara uses similar quick dry material and they have zippers at the ankles. It's nice to have the convertible option and the zipped ankles make for good taper-able pants, if you don't mind doing a quick sew up job on the legs.

The one complaint I've had on the Sahara's is that the seat of the pants wears out. After one season, I went through 3 pairs of Sahara's. They just are not made for riding, and at $60 a pop, that's just not a pant that will work for me year after year. That said, I'll probably still get one pair for this year just for the convertible option -- which is great for touring/long day rides/S24O's.

Enter the MUSA pant. MUSA is an acronym for "Made in the USA." The tag line is, "For What It's Worth." I'm not a marketer type, but that tag line seems genius to me... very GP.

Anyway, at $40, these pants are a steal. They include velcro tabs for the ankles and a nice seamless crotch area. They were clearly designed by someone who rides a bike. Thankfully they don't include a diaper/pad/chamois thing, so you can wear them daily. And I plan on it.

Hopefully, they'll ship a black/charcoal version soon. I've had mine for just about 48 hours and I've stained them with a rookie chain ring tag on one leg and chain slop/rub on the other. If they were black, no one would ever know.