Riding pants

[HotMess]

I am almost done buying my riding gear and the only item I am indecisive is the riding pants.

A bit of a background - I am a new rider, am going to take almost a month time combined worth of classes and when I am confident in my skills enough, I will be commuting to work over a freeway in the summer time, in the clear weather (will try to avoid riding in the rain as much as possible at the beginning.)

What is the best option for me as far as riding pants are going. I cannot decide - chaps? leather pants? textile pants? just jeans? What are pro's and con's for each?

thanks,
hm

[Thumper]

Chaps really only protect your legs from bugs and rocks and other objects that might hit you while in motion. If you go down, they offer no protection for your backside, and I've seen way too many pictures of seriously posterior road rash to ever consider them worth spending the money on.

Leather overpants with armor would probably be the ideal, though in warm weather they're not going to be especially comfortable. For a couple of winters I wore leather overpants (no armor) and they kept me warm down to 45-50 (I'm cold blooded, other people might be warmer in lower temps)

Textile/mesh combo pants (off the top of my head, something like Olympia's Air Glide pants) would offer a reasonable combination of seasonal comfort and protection. I have a pair of TourMaster Venture overpants for winter, they're heavily lined (liner comes out) that really work for warmth and protection, but I wouldn't want to wear them in summer.

Kevlar lined jeans would be better than nothing...and I admit, that's what I wear most often these days. I've got a pair of Shift jeans that I like; they're comfortable and the Kevlar is covered with a liner. I've worn Icon Super Duty pants (and gone down in them, slow speed, they held up well) that I liked, but my favorite has been a pair of Australian Draggin' Jeans. Those were just the most comfortable.

Regular jeans will shred quickly, not your best bet.

Basically...whatever you will wear will be your best choice. Armored leather might offer the best protection, but if you won't wear them when it's hot...

Have fun with it!

[HotMess]

Thank you, Thumper! Great post! I will check all your suggestions out.

[Grey Thumper]

Pants are pretty tough, actually. I've been looking in vain for a pair of jeans-cut perforated leather pants. It's easy to find racer-type perforated leathers though (that have sliders and are meant to be tucked into your boot), so if you're fine with those, I think they'd combine great protection with good venting. In the meantime, I'm using Aussie Draggin' jeans.

[dr_bar]

I highly recommend Olympia or other textile pants with armor, before even considering any style of jeans period. You can get textile with zip out liners for spring/fall/winter riding, they will keep you warm. But most of all, when it gets warm out and you remove the liners, you'll be more likely to wear textile over leathers as they will be cooler...
Go to a bike shop(s) and try everything they have, on. Then repeat at every local shop until you've found comfort and proper fit. You will not regret taking the time to find the right pair. If your jacket isn't hi-vis, consider adding a hi-vis vest to your list, Harley and Olympia have very stylish versions of them. Being seen is a priority for us all, not just beginers...

Good luck with your search,

Doug

[Grey Thumper]

I highly recommend Olympia or other textile pants with armor, before even considering any style of jeans period.

I'm curious about this. Are you referring to regular denim or motorcycle jeans? I've got both (a pair of mesh Joe Rocket Phoenix overpants and kevlar-lined Draggin Jeans). I assumed the Draggin's were more protective, so I use them most of the time, but I'd appreciate a different view.

[Thumper]

I highly recommend Olympia or other textile pants with armor, before even considering any style of jeans period.

I'm curious about this. Are you referring to regular denim or motorcycle jeans? I've got both (a pair of mesh Joe Rocket Phoenix overpants and Kevlar-lined Draggin Jeans). I assumed the Draggin's were more protective, so I use them most of the time, but I'd appreciate a different view.

There's typically no impact protection in m/c jeans. Textile holds up better than armor when you hit the ground and the armor will help absorb the shock of impact. But, the m/c jeans are better than regular denim in terms of saving your skin...you'll probably still get some road rash, but your likely won't deglove skin the way you might in regular jeans. I wonder, too, sometimes, if unlined Kevlar might actually cause a little bit of abrasion. It's a rough material, and it seems to me that if you hit the ground at any speed and that slides on your skin, there's going to be a raspberry or two.

Overall, I think anyone is better off in armored gear, textile over denim, even Kevlar lined...but it does come down to what one is willing to wear every single time. For me, it's the jeans in summer. Better than regular jeans, not as hot as textile--although, I would like to try the Olympia Air Glide pants. I have the jacket and air flows through that quite nicely. I would imagine the pants would be cooler than m/c jeans....

[waylander]

I am looking into a pair of Kevlar re-enforced jeans but was wondering if anyone has any experience with these?
http://www.bohn-armor-pants.com

Seems to me to be a reasonable alternative to wearing Denim and then an over pants.

Thoughts?

[JC Viper]

I've had experience with Draggin' Jeans and they do work pretty well but I felt more secure with my slim MotoGP pants with knee and shin armor in them (it also has thigh armor as well) and just throw on a pair of jeans on top of them. I would find a pair of Kevlar reinforced jeans that have pockets for knee armor in them. I gave them to a buddy and he went to uniform station to get LEO knee pads that wrap around the pants.

While not all my accidents impact my helmet they all do involved my legs hitting the ground regardless.

[JVRR]

If I am reading your post right it sounds like you do not really ride yet. I would slow down. What you want will likely change drastically once you start riding. Also, a month worth of classes? Have you taken any yet? That seems excessive (classes are never bad, but needing a month's worth just to hit the freeway?) I ask because I felt the same way before I started, even after my first class. But as soon as I was on my own bike within about a week I was riding an hour on the freeway down to Tacoma and stuff. Everyone's comfort level is different. No problem with that. Just saying wait until you get some riding experience if you have none yet (if so, disregard).