Fresh Goods from Wild Rye

I love the opportunity to write about female-led brands, especially those doing things a little differently. I wish we had more in the mountain bike world, and I’m always excited to learn about new initiatives and small businesses catering to the female demographic. Wild Rye is a very cool small business based out of Sun Valley, Idaho, led my some rad riding women. I reviewed a short and tank from Wild Rye last year and dove a bit deeper into Wild Rye’s backstory and sustainability initiatives in that review. Check that story out if the brand is new to you and you’d like to learn a bit more about the Wild Rye's ethos.

Wild Rye has a fairly stable line of gear but they changes patterns up and tweaks fit yearly. This year they launched a few new products, including a maternity bib short for expecting mom’s still shredding. I received the Rita Lightweight Short and the Alden Anorak Windbreaker. I also sent a special request for the Elorie Technical overalls to see what all the fuss is about.

Alden Anorak Windbreaker - size L, Slate Green

The Alden is a lightweight water resistant pullover windbreaker meant to be versatile enough for riding, as well as your ski, hiking or other outdoor missions. A silky soft blend of 46% recycled poly, 44% polyester and 10% spandex make the Alden a lightweight and airy layer for spring and fall riding. It has a PFAS-free DWR coating for rain resistance, and is lightweight and fast drying.

The fabric is seriously the softest shell material I have ever felt. Silky and soft to the touch, it feels luxurious against my exposed skin.

The shell has an interior wicking layer added to the upper back, a hood and a kangaroo pocket with zips. A sizeable zipper opens until approximately mid-way, with a big enough opening to make donning or removing the anorak easy with a helmet on. Elastics on bottom half of arm cuffs taper the cuff in at the wrists, and there is a drawstring cinchable bottom hem.

The front kangaroo pocket is large but doesn’t contain any small internal pockets. Because of the loose fit of the anorak I found any item I put in the kangaroo pocket would drop the front of the pocket while riding so I didn’t use it riding. A small phone pocket on either the chest or back of the anorak would be a useful addition. This was never a major issue for me though because if the weather is cool or iffy enough for a shell, I’m also going to have some kind of pack with me. The hood isn’t adjustable and I didn’t find it large enough to fit over a bike helmet, so it would be more useful for other activities, apres or casual use. I rarely ever use a hood while riding so this is no loss for me, but I like my emergency layer to have a hood. A hood can add a lot of warmth for situations where one might be stuck out on the trail due to mechanical or injury.

When zipped up, I found the shell surprisingly warm. When unzipped the anorak allows for a reasonable amount of air flow thanks to a back ventilation seam across the mid-back. I found the air flow to be enough for easy to moderate efforts, but on tougher climbs I got sweaty and that was my sign to move the shell to my pack for the decent. The Alden anorak also packs into itself, but I didn’t use that feature and typically just shoved it into a hip pack or small pack with no problem – it packs down quite small and doesn’t seem to wrinkle after, which is nice if you like to keep it crisp.

The DWR coating makes the shell water resistant, but not waterproof. Water will bead off the surface, which makes this great as a piece for an overcast day, the day after a rainstorm to protect against moisture still in the forest or when light rain is in the forecast. On a full rain day, the fabric will definitely wet through. Despite the coating, the Alden is quiet and doesn't have much of a swishing sound to it when moving.

PFAS-free DWR means the DWR finish (Durable Water Repellency) is made without PFAS, a class of chemicals knows as “forever chemicals” that persist for centuries without degrading. PFAS have been shown to have negative human health and environmental impacts, so look for gear made without PFAS if possible.

For many years, my go-to ride layer for spring and fall has been the Arc'teryx Squamish hoody. I find the Alden anorak slightly warmer and more weather resistant than that layer, and I prefer how soft the Alden feels against my skin, but it comes with the trade-off of being slightly less breathable on higher output rides. I received the Alden in a large and I found the sizing generous. The Slate Green colour is stunning, like a beautiful desert sage. I received a lot of compliments on this jacket and in particular the muted soft colour palette. Unlike a lot of technical wear, the Alden is also stylish enough to do double duty as riding shell, and also a jacket I would wear as an everyday clothing item.

Alden Anorak retails 220 CAD

Rita Lightweight Short in Sicilian Summer – Size 12

This bright 6-inch inseam Rita shorts have stretch and movement and are very quick drying. The Rita’s are made with 90% polyester and 10% spandex with 4-way stretch and have a DWR finish and UPF 50 fabric. The Rita’s fall under the mountain bike category for Wild Rye, but I found them a better everyday short.

These shorts could find a welcome home in the warm dusty trails of the Baja or California where knee pads are overkill, but I found a 6 inch inseam too short to use with knee pads, leaving me feeling pretty exposed. The length was also short enough that Rita got a little cheeky with my inner thighs when grinding up steeper hills.

The design and features of the shorts are top notch. The fabric is lighter and silkier feeling that typical mountain bike shorts, they are loaded with usable pockets, they are fast drying and offer freedom of movement. The two front pockets are full depth and a side zippered pocket is really well placed, perfectly holding cards or ID. I wouldn’t hesitate to try out a longer version of these shorts. The Rita comes in a 6 inch inseam, whereas the longer cut sister, the Riley, has 10 inches of coverage.

The waist band of the Rita includes a stretch panel and snap and zipper closure at front. I found the sizing to be generous at the waist, making them sit a little lower on my hips. If you prefer a higher rise short it may be better to select a size based on the lower end of the waist measurement, especially considering the stretch panel built into the back of the short. The waistband has belt loops, but is otherwise not adjustable.

If you are someone who also doesn’t love short shorts on the bike, don’t write these off entirely. The magic of these fun pants is their versatility. These are great water sports shorts – paddle boarding or riding to the river or lake for a swim. They have UV protection, dry very quickly and are lightweight and cool. I used these on hot summer days to go for walks, ride down to the river, or just chill. The fabric is resilient and can stand up to hanging out on logs or rocks by the water, and has a splash and mud resistant DWR coating. The pockets are useful, waist band is comfy and the length is great for everyday adventures. I personally didn’t love them mountain biking because I prefer longer shorts that cover the tops of my knee pads and offer more protection, but I thought they were amazing off the bike for other pursuits. For those who love short shorts while riding, these are rad, and bonus – also make great beach shorts!

Rita Shorts are 151 CAD, on sale right now for 91.

Elorie Technical Overalls – Ochre – size 12

Wild Rye has the Elorie overalls under the “lifestyle” collection, and they are not bike-specific but overalls as mountain bike wear are popping up everywhere lately, so I wanted to give them a whirl on the bike. I’m really into garments and gear that can multi-task. I’d rather invest in a few pieces I can use for a lot, rather than a lot of lesser quality items I use less often.

The Elorie overalls look like a classic cotton overall online, but they are actually a stretchy, breathable nylon blend made from 95% recycled nylon and 5% spandex with a PFC free DWR coating and are abrasion resistant. Pocket lovers rejoice, because 6 are packed all over these overalls: 2 butt pockets, 2 slash style front pockets, one large chest pocket with a snap and wee small pocket inside the chest pocket. They come in size 0-14 and the current colours are black and ochre.

The overalls feature brass buttons and strap adjustments which give a fun slow-country feel to the garment. The straps hold securely in place with perfectly-sized notches over the buttons and are adjustable using brass hardware. The adjustment mechanism takes a few tries to get used to but works well and holds in place once adjusted so there is no strap slippage. The legs are straight cut. On larger sizes I feel like the cuff is a bit wider than I like it. I would prefer to see just a slight taper on the leg size 8 to account for the extra fabric circumference. The purely straight cut on larger sizes creates an unnecessary amount of flop around the bottom of the leg, but they are also easy to roll up.

The sides fasten with three buttons but I found I was able to pull them on without having to unbutton the sides unless they were fresh out of the wash. The sides are slightly fitted and hug the side of the body giving a really nice shape to the silhouette, keeping these fresh and stylish. I wore my Elorie overalls walking around Whitefish Montana and was stopped several times by women admiring them and asking where they could get some. One woman even commented how flattering they were, while simultaneously looking really confused she was saying that about… overalls?

I rode in these overalls at the dirt jump park and trail riding in the spring before the weather got cooking hot. I was initially concerned about how wide the cuff was when dirt jumping, but then I remembered Natasha Miller throwing down at Joyride in her baggy pants and quickly realized the cuff size was not a problem. Dirt jumping isn’t my strong suit and I’m always trying to teach myself to stand taller, so the pull of the overalls actually kind of helped me – I used the strap tension as a cue to myself if I was standing up or not. No cuff catch, no butt crack and good physical cues made these a DJ winner for me.

I also enjoyed these trail riding, but I found the cuffs got heavy and sloppy in any kind of damp condition. I’d reach for these to ride in cooler dry weather, but not wet, due to the cuff issues. The DWR coating otherwise worked pretty well to keep my butt dry from trail splashes. The fabric breathes really well and I didn’t find the overalls extremely hot like I thought I might. I also had no discomfort from the seam placement in the crotch. I like these enough that I’m planning to alter the cuff the bring them in a bit, and that will take these up a few notches for me.

Other than adding a slight leg taper, there is nothing I would change about these overalls. The fit is really well thought out, flattering and adjustable. I have a long torso so one piece items are dicey for me, but the adjustable straps deal with torso length differences handily. My favourite part of the design is the button closures on the side and the slight taper that gives shape and style to the overalls.

Elorie Overalls 234 CAD, on sale right now for 140.