Draggin jeans VS Rhinos?

[Gezza]

As the climates just starting to warm up a tad i'm keen on a pair of Draggin jeans or another brand iv'e just found on the net called Rhino http://www.rhinopants.co.nz/index.html. There seems to be a rather large price difference between the to,and quite a bit of discussion around the price we pay for Draggins especially. For my minds thinking, the Rhino's look like a bloody good buy at $160.Anyone wear them??? And what do you think??.

Gezza

[raziel1983]

If ya don't come off it doesn't matter, right??

[Geeman]

I generally believe that you get what you pay for. Am sitting here in my draggin cargos and also have a pair of draggin traffic jeans - my daily wear. They last well and are worth it for me for the added peace of mind over regular jeans.

The Rhino jeans could be comparable but I wouldn't want to buy them without more info - the website info is minimal.

[Gezza]

Hey raziel....Excuse me if i'm wrong but i'm sure youv'e had a close call with a bus if i recall. Saying that though,!! You'll need more than Rhino's and draggins to save you from that.

[crazyhorse]

I stick to what I know. Draggins are it for me :yes:

[huff3r]

I've also heard of a third brand, "Hornee" jeans... perhaps they are worth investigating also?

[chester]

leather is better :bash:

[zealchick]

I binned my bike with draggins on... havn't checked out rhinos but my draggins saved my kneecap! I'm voting for dragggins worth every cent! Now i have to buy a new pair

[CookMySock]

Um, dri-rider pants are cheaper than that, and probably a lot better protection.

Steve

[KrazyGixxerBoy]

I've heard mixed reviews on Draggin jeans and the type....In a bin I prefer to have the most protection available...for me, that's leather with CE armour etc. I can imagine that Draggin jeans may be alright in a low speed skate on a smooth surface...it's the impact at the end that concerns me. Just my opinion but I prefer to stick with leather. Good luck with the hunt.

edit: In saying that, I actually prefer NOT to bin it at all!

[Gizzit]

As far as denim jeans go ......... The Rhino's look ok on the website. They do have armour for them, and zipped leg/cuff.

Kevlar is Kevlar .... and should help against abrasion. The armour may help a little bit with impact. I'd say they would be a lot better than wearing your Levi's.

Draggins are expensive. I've got some, and so far (touch wood) never had to test them out !! I hope I never do.

Usually I ride all in leather gear, with armour in. Sometimes with Cordura gear with armour in. Somehow, even the Cordura gear feels safer to me than when I'm wearing jeans (and leather jacket, etc).

I use my jeans and cordura jacket usually, for riding my 50cc Jog scoot to work, but am only doing around 50kmh. The full leathers on the Jog .... wouldn't be a good look !!!! lol :D and I think I am reasonably safe in what I wear.

Wear what you think is appropriate for the ride. ( ATGATT ) !!!! ;)

[Pussy]

I've heard mixed reviews on Draggin jeans and the type....In a bin I prefer to have the most protection available...for me, that's leather with CE armour etc. I can imagine that Draggin jeans may be alright in a low speed skate on a smooth surface...it's the impact at the end that concerns me. Just my opinion but I prefer to stick with leather. Good luck with the hunt.

edit: In saying that, I actually prefer NOT to bin it at all!

You're on to it!
To anyone using kevlar jeans.... at the VERY least, use knee armour.
Knees don't look/function very well when the patella is ground off

[crazyhorse]

leather is better :bash:

What he said :done:

[ckai]

I've also heard of a third brand, "Hornee" jeans... perhaps they are worth investigating also?

There's quite a few others as well. I have cor...cor...cor...shit cor something. Can't bloody remember and can't be assed checking. They were $160. Style too, apparently they make my ass look great


You're on to it!
To anyone using kevlar jeans.... at the VERY least, use knee armour.
Knees don't look/function very well when the patella is ground off

Totally with you on that one. I came off in leathers where the leathers didn't have good armour, I broke. Ripping the armour out of the cut up leathers to put in the jeans. I wasn't going fast at point of impact either. Pretty much high sided at maybe 50-70 km/hr.

If I was in my jeans, which I would have if I didn't want to stretch the new leathers, I would have broken soooooo any more bones.

Even those strap on knee/shin guards would be the way to go.

The Rhino's look all right though, especially with the armour. Un-armoured gear is only gonna protect you against sliding. You still have an impact to get there...

[Beeza]

Draggin jeans are HORRENDOUSLY over-priced. Mega-ripoff. Kevlar is kevlar.

[steve_t]

The Rhino website doesn't tell you how much kevlar coverage there is. Anyone seen any of these?
Those Hood jeans from the UK basically have a full kevlar liner. The Hornee jeans look quite well covered too. My Shift jeans are OK but don't have internal pockets for armour :(
Haven't tried the Teknic jeans on.
Bought some 1tonne jeans a while back and they seemed good but were the wrong size and they didn't have any of my size when I tried to exchange them
Any others? (besides Draggins)

[Flip]

I was knocked off in town the other week.

I had dragon jeans on with hard CE armor in the knees. The only injury I had was a big black bruise where my wallet was.

I would say they worked very well.

[oldrider]

Fifty five years and thousands of Km of riding and I can still count my serious off's on one hand but during those off's I was very thankful for whatever protection I had!

It's like a life jacket, they are only any use when you are trying to drown-or not!

Now if you think about it over my riding time there is a lot of it that I could have done with being more comfortable and even a little more fashionable!

Because of that I have risked riding in ordinary jeans more often than I should have!

I am very interested / tempted to try the Draggin Jeans (or competitors products) but they are very expensive and probably no where near as effective as they claim they are, when it comes to the "crunch"!

Subsequently, I have not been game to try them, even though I would really like to! (flip floppin like a politician here)

Gutless prick I know! Maybe one day!

[sprintz]

Ive had a pair of draggin for 3 years and they've worn really well and look ok but thats not the point.
Thank God Ive never had to try them out in earnest and frankly I doubt they'd save my bones in a serious incident. Probably do the job if your in a slide though. The only serious protection is armour.

Leather can roll up into little balls on contact with rough road surface and tear off like a banana skin. Only know this cause my mates wife works on the ambulances in Invergiggle and a mate had the same experience.

He wouldnt even ride a moped down to the corner dairy without serious gear on now.

[Gizzit]

...... SNIP ........
Thank God Ive never had to try them out in earnest and frankly I doubt they'd save my bones in a serious incident. Probably do the job if your in a slide though. The only serious protection is armour. .... SNIP .....

Jeans with Kevlar in them ... will ... ONLY .... give some protection against "road rash" ... i.e. help to keep your skin intact, if you are sliding along the road ... and probably only for a short distance .... I would think.
They are not designed to do anything more than that. They are still just jeans after all .....

Any armour that was effective, underneath the jeans, would probably help against impact injury.

You have to be real about things. If you come off your bike/scoot/whatever, and land on the road .... something has got to give !! It ain't going to be the road !! You .. more than likely .... are going to get some kind of injuries.

Good leather gear, with proper certified armour securely in place, is going to be the best protection, bar none ..... IMHO.

and .... in saying that ...... I often wear draggins .... around town / 50kmh zones ... On the open road, .... it's leather ...

[NordieBoy]

You're on to it!
To anyone using kevlar jeans.... at the VERY least, use knee armour.
Knees don't look/function very well when the patella is ground off

Grinding is what the kevlar is to protect against.

You may have a shattered kneecap but it won't be ground away.

[Pussy]

Grinding is what the kevlar is to protect against.

You may have a shattered kneecap but it won't be ground away.

And it's shit useless at it.
I'll take a photo of a knee showing the "protection" that Draggins offer, and post it up in the near future.
So you've "ground" your knee on chip seal at 100km/h and not been damaged?

[Gezza]

Guys
The whole idea of starting this thread was to establish the difference in quality and price of jeans with kevlar in them. I regard myself as a casual rider and more often than not find myself wearing work pants(which is not good) as the temperatures start to increase, hence the discussion on kevlar jeans. I think we all understand that the kevlar jeans will only stop road rash but hey!!! They've gotta be better than work pants.

[Gizzit]

Guys
The whole idea of starting this thread was to establish the difference in quality and price of jeans with kevlar in them. I regard myself as a casual rider and more often than not find myself wearing work pants(which is not good) as the temperatures start to increase, hence the discussion on kevlar jeans. I think we all understand that the kevlar jeans will only stop road rash but hey!!! They've gotta be better than work pants.

Agreed !! :niceone:

[IdunBrokdItAgin]

Guys
The whole idea of starting this thread was to establish the difference in quality and price of jeans with kevlar in them. I regard myself as a casual rider and more often than not find myself wearing work pants(which is not good) as the temperatures start to increase, hence the discussion on kevlar jeans. I think we all understand that the kevlar jeans will only stop road rash but hey!!! They've gotta be better than work pants.

Well said.

Every time there is a thread on any bike gear it always turns into "well the best gear for safety is" or "Jesus christ that is overpriced when a bin liner and some gaffer tape will do".

Now, I'm an ATGATT person but lately I've decided that my bike wear needs to be a little bit less extreme in the safety aspects. In this respect I have down graded (?) from cordura with knee amour to draggin jeans and from full on gauntlet racing gloves to wrist length to fit under my leather jacket better.

I am happy in both choices for commuting because I accept that they aren't top of the safety options. But for ease of use and for the type of risk on a commute they are fine.

Now I don't skimp on costs so cost is not a deterent but if I am commuting then I don't want to feel like I am ready to go into outer space or ready for a jousting session (from the amount of time it used to take to get all my gear on it felt like this).

Protection versus functionality is where I currently am in my headspace.
Be aware of what your gear is designed to do and accept the risk of it.
If you think there is an increased chance of coming of on a ride (say a track day or a wet commuting day) then put on your better stuff (if you have it).

Otherwise any protection is better than none.

Safe riding!

[wynw]

I havnt tried rhino jeans but tested my draggin's when i binned my 750:argh: a few years back, Still got all my skin and stilll wearing the jeans... good enough for me, and they are comfortable too:2thumbsup.

[Quasievil]

I think Rhino are lifestyle imports ones, Rick has started them on a new site is all.

As far as quality goes Im sure they are fine, probably 12 oz denium with soft kevlar in them.

I use a simlair style and ride in town, tho last year I fell off testing my motard brakes out the front of the house, was doing say 40 kmph, I had grazing all over the place, trouble is jeans are so loose fitting that they move around in a crash, yes lots of kevlar on the knee but not much use if they ride up ya leg so had grazes on both knees................imagine highway speeds.

[pritch]

leather is better :bash:

I'll second that.

If I had a job I could wear jeans to though, I'd consider kevlar jeans to cover the commute, but since I don't...

[chester]

price shouldnt be an issue, how much does your skin cost?
After havin a bin you will understand what you need to protect yourself.
Its not a nice feeling sliding down the road on ya arse, Ive got a set of Quasi leathers to thank for keeping my skin on, its a pity they dont make them for ya bike to slide on....:girlfight:

[Pathos]

When I was looking at kevlar jeans the price was dependant on how much kevlar was in the jeans. Draggin jeans have always been the most expensive but seemed to have the most sensible kevlar coverage. I haven't seem many other brands but the ones I have seemed to simply be cheaper because they had less kevlar. I've stuck with Draggins so far.

Draggins Jeans have:
a) kevlar on the knees
b) kevlar around the buttocks
c) kevlar along the hips (also to stop the trouser leg tearing off above the knee exposing the knee).

The website mentions the knee and hips but has no mention of the buttocks. But 45% is alot so they may do. Silly that they don't have a diagram to show where the kevlar covers.

[Gezza]

H all
I decided on the Rhinos for a few reasons.
1 I had the right to return them if i was not happy with the product.
2 I heard the jeans were a very good product and came with knee and thigh armour.
3 I thought the Draggins(the name most associate kevlar jeans with) were way over priced.

I have now inspected and tried them on and am pleased to say that i'm more than happy with them.They have kevlar from the front pockets right around the buttock area and half way down the backs of your legs.The knee area is protected buy the kevlar which starts well above the knee and goes down to about gumboot height.Zips also on the bottom of the legs so you can adjust when you have your boots on.Overall, A quality product from what i can see, and look rather smart. I could wear these to the pub.The weight of the jeans was also quite a suprise but i guess thats just the weight of the kevlar inserts.

[Gizzit]

H all
I decided on the Rhinos for a few reasons.

. . . . . . SNIP . . . . . . . .

Overall, A quality product from what i can see, and look rather smart. I could wear these to the pub.The weight of the jeans was also quite a suprise but i guess thats just the weight of the kevlar inserts.

They sound like the business !! Best of luck with them. :niceone:

I hope you never have to report back to us how they hold up in a bin !! Let us know what you think of them quality wise, wear wise after you've had them for a few months or so. :)

[ynot slow]

I am thinking of grabbing kevlar jeans brand not an issue,but they will need to have provision for armour,and I would use them for short rides,have seen the ones from lifestyle imports at Manfeild,and looked ok,and if they're as good as his boots then they'll be fine.

[Quasievil]

I am thinking of grabbing kevlar jeans brand not an issue,but they will need to have provision for armour,and I would use them for short rides,have seen the ones from lifestyle imports at Manfeild,and looked ok,and if they're as good as his boots then they'll be fine.

Get armour that isnt in the jeans mate, armour that goes directly on the knee, if the armour is fitted into the jean best of luck when it comes to needing it to stay in the right spot, jeans are poor at keeping armour correctly positioned.

As an idea of what I mean check this out (http://www.quasimoto.co.nz/products/knox-armour/knox-cross-lite-knee-protector)

[EnzoYug]

here's my 2cents as a member of the road-rash-ass club.

Firstly; leather + armor is the best you can do saftey wise. Everyone agreed? Great.

So the synthetic stuff aka: Cordua or what ever. I've crashed in that, Revit pants they were - anyway I slid down the motorway doing 90-100k's. The revit pants, burnt right through on the ass, the jeans underneath - burnt right through to the ass, my underwear... guess what.

Long story short - I have a nice patch of scar tissue on my ass thanks to that one.

I now have a pair of Draggin Jeans with 'stocking' knee armor - this is the armor that straps around the leg and is worn under the jeans. I haven't crashed in that but I'd say that you'd end up slight more bruised that with the padded synthetic stuff, but with more skin left on your bones.

It's really your call but I'd put my money on the kevlar stopping road burn than the synthetic stuff - however the normal denim will be gone in seconds in a fast slide - so maybe the kevlar will just slide up and/or bunch up offering no protection.

...Either way there's heaps of factors but square-inch for square-inch I'd say the kevlar will save your bacony-bits better. And as for the Rhino jeans - well, would you trust your soft bits to an unknown company to save $100?

[crazyhorse]

There was a stand at Wanganui selling Rhino gear.

I was very impressed with their pants :)

[ynot slow]

Get armour that isnt in the jeans mate, armour that goes directly on the knee, if the armour is fitted into the jean best of luck when it comes to needing it to stay in the right spot, jeans are poor at keeping armour correctly positioned.

As an idea of what I mean check this out (http://www.quasimoto.co.nz/products/knox-armour/knox-cross-lite-knee-protector)

That was what I was meaning,or as long as armour is fixed in place.Or if it can be fixed (within opening in jeans) with minimal movement.

[mazz1972]

I've heard that the person behind Hornee jeans used to work for Draggin and left to set up Hornee, and I've also heard their jeans are better than Draggins. Their website has very good info, pictures of the kevlar, testing reports, blah blah.

I'm not overly keen on any jeans because of the lack of impact protection. I guess you have to decide for yourself what's more important for you, impact protection vs injuries from sliding. Putting armour into the jeans would be a solution but as Quasi has said, getting it to stay in the right place during an "incident" might be pot luck, especially on knees, especially considering that alot of the means jean styles were traditionally quiteloose fitting....but brands seem to be improving their styles in the past couple of years.

[Love my Bonnie]

I wear IXON evil jeans
costly ay $379 a pair, but heaps of kevlar
knee armour that is height adjustable
the waist is adjustble
even the leg length is adjustable
Great product, but then most IXON gear is

More like motorcycle pants, rather than jeans.

[firefighter]

Get armour that isnt in the jeans mate, armour that goes directly on the knee, if the armour is fitted into the jean best of luck when it comes to needing it to stay in the right spot, jeans are poor at keeping armour correctly positioned.

As an idea of what I mean check this out (http://www.quasimoto.co.nz/products/knox-armour/knox-cross-lite-knee-protector)

Do these have any armour or are they just pads? Are they designed for road or off-road?

Do they provide impact or slide resistance/how much of either do they provide?

[-JT-]

My wife and I both use separate knee armour whether we're wearing our Draggin jeans or our cordura pants.

We have this one (Fly brand) : http://mxdirtrider.com/h-products/pr-apparel-fly-racing-mx-body-armor-2010-adult-knee-shin-guard-moto.htm
and something similar to this (Fox brand) : http://www.cyclelink.com.au/prod6661.htm