Riding pants comfort?

Longdog Cymru

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I've ridden with Draggin Jeans and regular Goretex stuff, , I do find if I take the liners out of my Halvarssons leave the zippers wide open I stay cool, the main thing is the venting really works, whereas the Dragging Jeans would just hold heat and sweat to my skin and not breath. Yes, I too lived in FL for nearly a decade, so I do know heat, damp sticky heat! Keep skin covered and allowing to vent is key.
I agree, I wear Havarssons too and Dogdaze is right when he says keep skin covered and well ventilated.
 

EricV

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Keep in mind the location of people making comments. That gives some context to what they offer.

Having moved from Utah desert to MS humidity, I gave in and bought some mesh riding gear. Huge improvement. Not as protective as my Klim gear, but still armor in all the standard places and a back pad. I'm wearing Joe Rocket Phoenix Ion pants and an Olympia Alpha Mesh Tech Jacket. They make the heat and humidity of the South tolerable. FL has a little more air blowing across the peninsula than MS, so I was still reasonably comfortable in heavier pants with large mesh panels when riding there. Still, I've worn the mesh now from CO to FL and been fine with it. It can be cool in temps under 60F, but the under/over rain jacket that came with my Olympia mesh jacket solves that.

Jeans absorb any sweat, mesh just blows thru and dries you quickly if you sweat at stops or from walking around. I wear them over LDComfort shorts. Perhaps not the best if you going to work and have to change, jeans make that un-necessary, but for casual riding the mesh keeps me very comfortable.
 

richarddacat

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Duluth Trading Co. has a selection of nice riding jeans.
Instead of buying the Motoports I went the cheap route and got a pair of Duluth’s firehose jeans.
 

EricV

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Duluth Trading Co. has a selection of nice riding jeans.
Instead of buying the Motoports I went the cheap route and got a pair of Duluth’s firehose jeans.
Fixed that for you. ;)

You can't really compare fully armored, dedicated riding pants to jeans of any kind. It's not really an apples to apples comparison. We all make our choices and manage our risks. I haven't ridden in jeans other than a short ride to work or the scooter since the early '90's. I'm not saying don't do it, just not to call walking around wear "riding" wear. It's not.
 

richarddacat

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Fixed that for you. ;)

You can't really compare fully armored, dedicated riding pants to jeans of any kind. It's not really an apples to apples comparison. We all make our choices and manage our risks. I haven't ridden in jeans other than a short ride to work or the scooter since the early '90's. I'm not saying don't do it, just not to call walking around wear "riding" wear. It's not.
The thread said “riding pants for comfort”, at least mine are tougher than jeans. ;)

They do offer some with Kevlar.
 

SHUMBA

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The thread said “riding pants for comfort”, at least mine are tougher than jeans. ;)

They do offer some with Kevlar.
I have two pairs of Resurgence riding jeans. The guy I bought the second pair from ordered the "skinny fit" cut. Unless you are skinny don't order the skinny fit. Best to go a size larger and use a belt to keep your pants on. On cooler mornings wear a track pant or long underwear beneath your jeans for warmth. Make sure that you get BOTH knee and hip armor. Yes, these jeans are a little warm on a hot day, but there's no free lunch, what's your skin worth???
SHUMBA

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I just received my Reax 610 riding pants and they fit great. They cane with D30 knee protection and it fits me well. I also bought the Rokker D30 hip pads that fit these pants perfectly, probably because these are made by Rokker. I am very satisfied, especially comparing them to the Bull-It riding pants that are a bit awkward with the insert fittings, the mesh.

I received a pair of what looks like brand new Olympia riding pants that zipper into my Olympia jacket. These are ballistic as all get out and have the exact armor pockets that seem to accommodate the Rokker D30. Best of all these were an eBay gamble at $77US. They have fully removable cold weather liners. Water resistant/water proof, but that will need to be tested.

A solid steal as the Reax jeans were $180 plus and additional $25 for the hip armor. Still I have 3 decent options, with Bull-It being the least likely to get worn unless it’s cool, overcast but all seem to be true to fit, even if the Reax gives you a bit of extra room for your armor, which I greatly appreciate.

Even in the warm months I will have appropriate pants now. No more hot Draggin’ jeans, as I sold them a year or so back as I’m not going to fit into 34” waist, that and these are all much better options.

I’ll still be on the lookout on eBay it forums for some light weather tops for the warm months where even with mesh panels open, the big waterproof jacket may just be a wink hot in slow traffic.

But these Reax are an excellent alternative to the very pricy Rokker and most Klim alternatives.


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timebak

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I guess I must be deformed.... I went to 4 different bike shops in St. Louis today to buy some riding pants and boots. Boots were no problem - every pair of 13's I tried on fit me fine. But finding a pair of pants that fit right was darn near impossible. If the waist was right, then the knee pads were below my knees or the legs so skinny I could barely get my legs in them. If the knee pads were in the right place, then the belt was above my navel. Etc., etc., etc.... Problem was all the shops were low of stock due to end of riding season and model year approaching fast so none had much selection in 38 waist or XL size. FINALLY found a pair of kevlar lined Street Steel jeans with knee pads that fit perfectly. Gonna have to ride over to Iron Pony in Columbus, Ohio to get properly fitted out.
 

Barnaby'sdad

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I have a pair of Tourmaster Tracker Air Pants some 8yrs old. Excellent venting and knee armour placement. Excellent for those runs across the Outback in 105*C temps
I had a similar looking pair of overpants from Tourmaster. I wore them over whatever I had on at the time (ex. Jeans). With the vents closed, they were comfortable until it got pretty chilly out. I wore them up over 95* with the vents open. They survived 10+ off-road wipe-outs. Thankfully never had to test them out on a paved surface (knock on wood).
 
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I'd recommend a pair of second-hand BMW Rallye pants - 2's or 3's.
(Don't buy BMW gear new and get hosed on the price.)
They're light, vent pretty well and they have excellent but comfortable armor.
 

Baja Explorer

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I guess I must be deformed.... I went to 4 different bike shops in St. Louis today to buy some riding pants and boots. Boots were no problem - every pair of 13's I tried on fit me fine. But finding a pair of pants that fit right was darn near impossible. If the waist was right, then the knee pads were below my knees or the legs so skinny I could barely get my legs in them. If the knee pads were in the right place, then the belt was above my navel. Etc., etc., etc.... Problem was all the shops were low of stock due to end of riding season and model year approaching fast so none had much selection in 38 waist or XL size. FINALLY found a pair of kevlar lined Street Steel jeans with knee pads that fit perfectly. Gonna have to ride over to Iron Pony in Columbus, Ohio to get properly fitted out.
Hi:
Go on ebay, there is a pair of black 38 waist Aerostich pants for sale now ! check it out.
 

EricV

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When the larger than standard guys are shopping for pants, most of us with normal inseams need to buy 'short' versions in the waist size needed. The riding gear companies seem to think that every rider that needs a 40" waist has a 40" inseam. I have bought pants that I liked and fit in the waist, then had a specialty tailor that does riding gear modify them to shorten the bottom and move the armor pockets where they needed to be. I was very happy with the results, but not so please with paying another $100 for custom work on top of the pant cost.
 
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