Pants for street/work commute

So I'm a new rider, and thus far am having a blast. I currently have a helmet, 1.5mm leather jacket w/ armor, boots & leather gloves w/ knuckle/finger protection. The last part of the puzzle is the pants...and it's proving the hardest.

I plan on riding to work from time to time, about a 8-10min commute (highway mostly). Would an overpant be the best solution? Armored in the knees a must? Textile or leather?

I thought about getting some jean-style leathers (suprisingly, I wouldn't look out of place here... software company, we all wear t-shirts and whatever) but it may be overkill. Most of them aren't armored anyway. Plus... we've still got about a month of hot weather here (I forced myself to get used to the leather jacket... it's hot but manageable) so leather may not be a good idea.

Thoughts?

[Weasle1000RR]

I usually were regular jeans for my work commute. They are comfortable to ride in and from the motorcycle wrecks I've responded to (I'm a paramedic) that happened at city speeds, they seem to provide adequate protection. I know a few of the guys here will tell you they get all suited up to go 1 mile to buy milk, and that's fine if you want to spend more time getting ready and disrobing than the actual task takes to perform. But to each his own. If you really believe you want something a bit more substantial that's not leather, check out Icon's line of Steel Jeans. I've got a pair that I wear when I'm going on a ride through the mountains and don't plan on dragging knee or pushing it too hard. They are relatively comfortable and offer a greater degree of protection than standard jeans. But if that's the route you choose, Id get a pair that is one or two sizes larger than what your actual waist line is because they add in the Kevlar and reinforcement after the jean is manufactured, so the sizes aren't exact. Plus it's nice to have some space so they're not squishing your guts when you lean over the tank.

If I'm just in town or have to quickly hop on the highway i usually run in just jeans. however, they are carhardt (spelling?) so they are much thicker than normal jeans. Their work jeans are such a thick material that the JEANS take about a week of normal wear to break in

I commute on my CBR954 for about 20 miles each way that includes 15 miles of freeway. I wear full upper body protection, boots, jeans, and knee/shin guards. I felt that my knees and shin was not adequately protected. The knee/shin guards that are made for mountain biking were the lightest and most comfortable.

In my 15 years of riding, I've had several spills on the street. The most recent one was at about 50 mph on the freeway. The jeans became unusable afterwards, but I got away with minor injuries. (Thank you Jesus!).

You are doing the right thing, looking for the best way to protect yourself. Ride safe!

Have you thought of Hornee, Joe Rocket steel or Draggin jeans? They are kevlar (or similiar material) reinforced. You can also get chino style pants which suit a semi-formal work environment from Draggin.

I wear Frank Thomas cordura pants...over my work pants, they are also weather proof so if you get a bit of rain you dont get soaked.

[jhonda41]

Ideally you'd want to wear the best protection possible, that is also comfortable enough for you to WANT to wear it everyday. Textiles are probably your best bet for commuting. You'll get water resistance, venting and storage that I personally cant find in any leather suit.

I wear First Gear overpants. Waterproof (pockets too!)with a winter liner and they are pretty easy to get in and out of. I usually wear my scrubs underneath and keep a pair of sneakers or crocs at the job so that I dont have to walk around in my boots.

Textiles can get just as hot as perfed leathers though and I wear a back protector so unfortunately on the hot days I have some embarrassing sweat spots on my back (actually I could care less) but its the price you pay for safety.

I'd still rather lose an ounce of sweat than an ounce of blood.

-jh

I have vented Tourmaster pants that I really like. They have zippers running the whole length that makes them easy to get into and out of. However, I rarely wear them for my 3 mile ride into the lab, unless the A/C is out and I wear shorts. Short rides I trust the genes, I don't go that fast.

I have 2 pairs of pants, one is a pair of Motoport (aka cycleport) (yes no "s") Air Mesh Kevlar pants, these are overpants, i got em on ebay. you can custom order from Motoport to your measurements. These are ALL Kevlar, not just knee and but like jeans, and have armor that can be removed. they are stiff but much cooler than jeans in the summer, and theyre a bit heavy. i have fallen at 35 mph and walked away without the slightest scratch on my body! FYI: knee area is what hit. pants still good condition (just a little damage on knee 1 square inch) motoport sent me free patch n thread.

other pants are icon jeans with kevlar knees. i feel a bit vulnerable with em cuz no padding and only knee kevlar but if you need to look normal where your getting too or if ur gonna walk n nowhere to toss overpants like a trip to the mall then motorcycle jeans are better. hot in summer though, i thought i was sacrificing comfort all that time wearing the air mesh cuz they're big and heavy and then got jeans n they were way hotter! but now jeans are perfect. it's nice to have both. i wouldnt want to have to only have one of the two.

by the way, mesh pants are not kevlar, they're polyester usually and acording to motoport's site they rip easy and heat w/friction n can melt to ur skin, (jeans are cotton so fine but dont abrade well) as far as safety, Leather is by far number 1 and kevlar number 2 (this is from conclusion of looking at what happened to my gear after a fall- not from reading online) dont know about that 1000 denier uncoated cordura, sounds hot and heavy but better than polyester im sure. my girl just has jeans so if she's on my bike i have her put on a pair of knee/shin guards bout at local cyclegear store for $15. you can do that too (over or under pants) n take em off when you get to work.

Originally Posted by TKDmasterZ

I commute on my CBR954 for about 20 miles each way that includes 15 miles of freeway. I wear full upper body protection, boots, jeans, and knee/shin guards. I felt that my knees and shin was not adequately protected. The knee/shin guards that are made for mountain biking were the lightest and most comfortable.

Do you wear the knee/shin guards over your pants?

[shakey1378]

i use overpants too. i have leather icon automag overpants they cost me about 240 but i feel they were worth it. they come with ce rated knee pads and are "cut to fit" icon and other manuf. have textile and mesh overpants as well for warmer weather.

they fit true to size so if you wear a 34 buy a 34 and they will fit over your pants.

kind of hindsight on my part but if i could buy all my gear over again i probably would have bought an aerostich 1 piece suit for commuting to save time getting ready. but either way as long as you protect yourself thats what matters. we only get 1 life...

[jhonda41]

Originally Posted by daveincsa

Do you wear the knee/shin guards over your pants?

I've worn my knee/shin guards underneath my overpants in the dirt on occasion.

I cant fit them under my present riding pants.... too much layering for the winter

The ultimate commuter/longer trip gear, IMHO, is an Aerostich Roadcrafter. Not cheap, but you'll buy it once. I've been using mine for almost 10 years. Perfect for commuting, 10 secs and it unzips and is off. I stuff it in my Givi bags while I'm at work. Fits easily over work clothes.

Yes, I'm one of those who wears all my gear, no matter how short the trip. I'd rather sweat than bleed. **** can happen on short trips, too.

How about these?

link removed

[lanbrown]

BBT,

Not all of us live that type of lifestyle.

[shakey1378]

bbt,

its just bad that you even know that photo exists

[lanbrown]

Maybe he knows because it is of him.

Originally Posted by WyoJames

If I'm just in town or have to quickly hop on the highway i usually run in just jeans. however, they are carhardt (spelling?) so they are much thicker than normal jeans. Their work jeans are such a thick material that the JEANS take about a week of normal wear to break in

Double knee carhartt. I wear them at work anyway. I have skipped across the pavement a couple of times and it is amazing how well they held up.

That was my clubbing outfit.

On the Carhartt's for riding/work pants.