Endura's legendary Hummvee range isn't for just for mountain bikers

The Hummvee Short was developed over two decades with a little help from the team at Condor — and now there are new rugged additions for riders.

Twenty years ago, when email was still in its infancy, London buzzed with cycle couriers transporting documents, legal papers, and contracts around the capital. Couriers rode their bikes 24/7 and needed kit to stand up to a tough life. If it let them down, they wouldn't get their packages from A to B.

When Endura asked Condor for help in refining a new pair of shorts, Grant Young, now Condor's chairman, knew the perfect people to ask: the cycle courier.

He sat the Endura designers down with a straight-talking group of fixed gear riders, and the Hummvee was born. The shorts, with their eight-pockets, near bulletproof fabric, double and triple stitched panels, became the go-to shorts for cyclists and commuters who didn't want to wear Lycra, especially at a time when Lycra was a serious faux-par in shops, pubs, and cafes.

As the decades have passed, and the magazine awards rolled in, Endura have expanded the Hummvee range. This season they've added PrimaLoft jackets and chinos that are perfect for city riding and short trips. The kit remains as rugged and as bulletproof as ever. We've picked four items from the Hummvee line that will be key this autumn.

1. The Shacket: A shacket is a shirt that is thick enough to be half way between a shirt and a jacket — an ideal, year-round item. Shacket's roots are in military-style shirt-jackets, often called overshirts. The Endura Shacket won't look out of place off the bike, but will provide warmth as you ride from A to B, and in warmer weather it will wick your sweat. Their Shacket is reversible so you can switch up your style, too.

2. The Stay Dry Sock: Soaking wet feet feel awful. The Hummvee Waterproof sock uses a specialised knit that is not only waterproof, but also breathable, moisture-wicking, and odour resistant, making them your first choice for year-round wear. Splash through puddles without a care in the world.

3. PrimaLoft Warmth: The Women's FlipJak, a reversible outer layer is lined with PrimaLoft, creating an insulating layer for exceptional warmth in the coldest of conditions. The internal down is treated with a durable water repellent coating in order to retain loft and lock in warmth even when wet. The jacket packs down incredibly small and weighs next to nothing.

4. The Chino Short: Unlike the traditional Hummvee, which has a functional cargo short design, the Hummvee Chino is styled for day-to-day, on-and-off the bike. Endura used a tough cotton mix fabric with mechanical stretch to fit around you when cycling and, like the Hummvee, it comes with a padded liner for added on-bike comfort.