Cool pants

[Icemaestro]

I know we're going into winter, but the pants I'm using at the moment are still really hot, so looking at getting somethign better that I can wear around places too...given that, leather pants are pretty much out of the question, so some sort of reinforced denim? I know the new draggins have some sort of combination of kevlar and dyneema that aparently has passed CE approval...but how much better is this than the Shift 2009 Denim Torque Kevlar Jeans from cycle gear? the difference is around 130$ so being a student.... as a bonus, theyre a bit longer to accomodate ride up...

[Gizzit]

I know we're going into winter, but the pants I'm using at the moment are still really hot, so looking at getting somethign better that I can wear around places too...given that, leather pants are pretty much out of the question, so some sort of reinforced denim? I know the new draggins have some sort of combination of kevlar and dyneema that aparently has passed CE approval...but how much better is this than the Shift 2009 Denim Torque Kevlar Jeans from cycle gear? the difference is around 130$ so being a student.... as a bonus, theyre a bit longer to accomodate ride up...

I've been interested in kevlar jeans as well, and have been looking at Draggins, Hornee, Tecknic Warrior, etc. I haven't seen any reports on the Shift Torque jeans. Do you know what the coverage is like for the kevlar panels ? The Tecknic Warrior's only have kevlar on the butt, and the knees. They don't have any cover on the hips/thigh area ... which I think is important. The Draggins and the Hornee's both have good cover in all those areas. There is quite a price difference in the Tecknic's to the Draggins and Hornee's, buth I think it relates to the difference in kevlar coverage for a start. I'm not sure about the quality and how well the Shift or Tecknic's are put together, but I am happy that both Draggins and Hornee are well made.
What do you know about the Shifts ... or any others ?

[Icemaestro]

First thing that comes up on google is this http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/410/39/Motorcycle-Article/Product-Review-Shift-Torque-Jeans.aspx ...seems to think theyr pretty awesome...I'd straight up buy the draggins but 330 bucks???

Ixon evil jeans come with ce protectors in the knees and are 350$ (draggins you can buy ce knee protectors for 40bux separately) http://www.cycletreads.co.nz/content/catalogueViewEntry.aspx?profilePK=sports&entryPK=3537

Technic warrior http://www.motorcyclegear.co.nz/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1074&cat=Road+%3A+Pants+%3A+Teknic for 169$

yeah you're right, only the draggins (didn't look at hornee's, where are they?) have the kevlar more than just butt and knee...

Would be interested to hear from people who ahve crashed in any of these...

[Gizzit]

First thing that comes up on google is this http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/410/39/Motorcycle-Article/Product-Review-Shift-Torque-Jeans.aspx ...seems to think theyr pretty awesome...I'd straight up buy the draggins but 330 bucks???

Ixon evil jeans come with ce protectors in the knees and are 350$ (draggins you can buy ce knee protectors for 40bux separately) http://www.cycletreads.co.nz/content/catalogueViewEntry.aspx?profilePK=sports&entryPK=3537

Technic warrior http://www.motorcyclegear.co.nz/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1074&cat=Road+%3A+Pants+%3A+Teknic for 169$

yeah you're right, only the draggins (didn't look at hornee's, where are they?) have the kevlar more than just butt and knee...

Would be interested to hear from people who ahve crashed in any of these...

Well you can get Draggins from $249.00 from a few places. It depends on which style you want though, as to price. I think you need to shop around for decent prices!

Hornee are Australian, http://www.hornee.com.au/site/
They are available here from Leather Direct http://www.leatherdirect.co.nz/store.php?c=422
I'm not sure who else has them in NZ.

There are a few guys on here that have binned their bikes wearing Draggins, and all seem to be happy with the protection .... from having their skin removed by the road ... offered by them. That's the only protection they offer, unless you use armour under them. Use the Search function. There are a few threads on this topic.
Good luck in your choice.

[Quasievil]

Would be interested to hear from people who ahve crashed in any of these...

Ive crashed in Jeans before and they are in a word useless, the kevlar is sure strong but as jeans are usually a loose fit the road rash transfers to your skin as the Jean rubs hard against it, additionally having armour in a loose fitting jean is dodgy as there is no guarantee that the amour will be in the right place at the first hit as well as during the crash sequence.

Yes its nice riding in jeans and yes it will be cooler as opposed to a heavier garment however in my opinion they provide little real protection. The Jean what ever brand is at the bottom of possible protection options in the market.

[bull]

Ive lowsided in my draggins (http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1801249&postcount=3) at low speed and i got the friction burn that Quasi mentions - id hate to think what would come of my leg at a higher speed but for casual around the block riding or to the shops/school they are ok - but if I had enough money for some leather armoured pants thats what i would choose.

[zeocen]

Ive crashed in Jeans before and they are in a word useless, the kevlar is sure strong but as jeans are usually a loose fit the road rash transfers to your skin as the Jean rubs hard against it, additionally having armour in a loose fitting jean is dodgy as there is no guarantee that the amour will be in the right place at the first hit as well as during the crash sequence.

Yes its nice riding in jeans and yes it will be cooler as opposed to a heavier garment however in my opinion they provide little real protection. The Jean what ever brand is at the bottom of possible protection options in the market.

:/ I'm still wearing your old sliderz with MX armour underneath purely because of form over function. I understood If I came off I'd be in a bit of trouble with friction burn but was under the impression the armour would stay put as it's strapped on, the jeans you used to make were the less baggiest by far, which is why I chose them. Though I haven't found any hip/thigh protectors for under the body.

Is there anything remotely casual that offers good protection? I must admit the the whole jeans thing is always in the back of my head and causes me to stay at a fairly cruise-ish pace and proper pants would fix this but the fact of the matter is being able to wear jeans off and on the bike is so damn convenient (ie: lazy) that I struggle to find anything better.

Do you have any suggestions on casual/semi-casual pants attire, as you haven't done me wrong in gear (or anyone I know, infact) and seem to genuinly care for safety I take what you say quite heavily.

[nallac]

you say form over function,
how long does it take to put your MX armour on?
myself i like to be in jeans , don't ride em sweet FA now after reading KB
i prefer my skin on me..

just waiting till i can afford some real decent pants...ie Quassi's, ay Gizzit.



:/ I'm still wearing your old sliderz with MX armour underneath purely because of form over function. I understood If I came off I'd be in a bit of trouble with friction burn but was under the impression the armour would stay put as it's strapped on, the jeans you used to make were the less baggiest by far, which is why I chose them. Though I haven't found any hip/thigh protectors for under the body.

Is there anything remotely casual that offers good protection? I must admit the the whole jeans thing is always in the back of my head and causes me to stay at a fairly cruise-ish pace and proper pants would fix this but the fact of the matter is being able to wear jeans off and on the bike is so damn convenient (ie: lazy) that I struggle to find anything better.

Do you have any suggestions on casual/semi-casual pants attire, as you haven't done me wrong in gear (or anyone I know, infact) and seem to genuinly care for safety I take what you say quite heavily.

[zeocen]

Takes all of 45 seconds to put my MX gear on underneath. Quicker to take them off (velcro) when stopped at a rest area, destination, etc..

[nallac]

if they are under, wouldn't it be just as easy to remove leather pants if hot?..

[zeocen]

Yeah it could be, I actually am in a position where I wouldn't mind keeping my ventura bag on my bike 24/7 so I could just leave my jeans in there, it just means finding a place to put them on and hiding my white legs!

[Quasievil]

:/ I'm still wearing your old sliderz with MX armour underneath purely because of form over function. I understood If I came off I'd be in a bit of trouble with friction burn but was under the impression the armour would stay put as it's strapped on, the jeans you used to make were the less baggiest by far, which is why I chose them. Though I haven't found any hip/thigh protectors for under the body.

Is there anything remotely casual that offers good protection? I must admit the the whole jeans thing is always in the back of my head and causes me to stay at a fairly cruise-ish pace and proper pants would fix this but the fact of the matter is being able to wear jeans off and on the bike is so damn convenient (ie: lazy) that I struggle to find anything better.

Do you have any suggestions on casual/semi-casual pants attire, as you haven't done me wrong in gear (or anyone I know, infact) and seem to genuinly care for safety I take what you say quite heavily.

When I crashed in them they rode up to put my knee in the area of zero Kevlar coupled with a small rip it gave me a nice bit of rash on my knee.

Is there anything remotely casual that offers good protection well that depends on definition of good protection really, jeans (on there own) offer zero impact protection ie if your knee goes down hard your in for a major, as opposed to having a good armour to take the shock, jeans offer a better than nothing road rash protection, but that also depends on the crash dynamic ie speed ,slide distance etc so I would summarize if you came off in jeans and where okay I would put that down to luck more so than a protection garment performing........but thats my opinion, do I ride in Jeans? yes I do but only locally and in doing so I take the risk of potential issues if the worst happens, I dont ride in jeans expecting any kind of high performance protection in a crash......why, well because its only a fabric garment what else would you expect eh ??

If you want high level protection, a quality leather brand is all that will work period, unfortunetely.

[jrandom]

Ive crashed in Jeans before and they are in a word useless, the kevlar is sure strong but as jeans are usually a loose fit the road rash transfers to your skin as the Jean rubs hard against it

What he said. I've had less road burn from going down on the peddly than I got when I had a flop wearing my Draggins. That kevlar shit really burns the skin, even though the road doesn't break through it.

I'll continue to ride in Draggins, but not for protection - just because the arse of normal jeans wears out real fast if you wear them on a motorcycle, as in big rips and tears within a few months if you ride a lot, so it's far more cost-effective to ride in kevlar jeans.

When it comes to gear, you gotta pay your money and take your chances. If you genuinely want to protect yourself properly, ride everywhere in a properly fitted one-piece and back protector.

But if you want real-world comfort when you're on and off the bike but are still concerned about protection, strap on some MX or downhilling-style knee armour under your jeans. You'll land on your knees in the majority of bins, and the impact is what fucks them up real good.

Plain old jeans (or kevlar ones if you don't want to wear out the arse) plus strapped-on MX knee armour, IMHO, is a better bet than the loose dangly cordura pants with free-floating 'knee armour' that many n00b riders seem to like wearing. Road rash is painful while it heals, but fucked knees last a lifetime.

[Gizzit]

First thing that comes up on google is this http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/410/39/Motorcycle-Article/Product-Review-Shift-Torque-Jeans.aspx ...seems to think theyr pretty awesome...I'd straight up buy the draggins but 330 bucks???


I checked out those Shift jeans review at motorcycle-usa site. It seems like a good review mate, and a viable option for jeans. As some have mentioned, having MX style fitted knee protection that is fitted to your legs, would be a good option when wearing jeans.

And ... Jeans aren't the first choice ..... obviously for protection, but getting reasonable quality jeans, and armour may help, .... if you want/need to wear casual clothing for what ever reason.

It's always about making a choice .... knowing the risks, and lots of people do just that. The trouble is where people make choices, being ignorant of the potential dangers and the risk associated with their choice.

Good luck with finding jeans that are good value/affordable for you! Let us/me know how you get on.
Cheers. :niceone:

[Icemaestro]

Yeah I was going to comment on my cordura pants, the knee protection in them seems pretty useless to me (and I tried on a few) - doesn't stay right in front of the knee!

Anyone want to make some jeans with leather bits underneath where the kevlar is?:-D

[Gizzit]

Yeah I was going to comment on my cordura pants, the knee protection in them seems pretty useless to me (and I tried on a few) - doesn't stay right in front of the knee!

Anyone want to make some jeans with leather bits underneath where the kevlar is?:-D

Yeah the leather inside the jeans, ..... has already been suggested in another thread on riding gear .... it may work well if it's fixed to the jeans really well ??!!

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=93736

Yeah for knee armour .... the only thing that will probably do any good .... and help with impact, would be strap on knee armour. It's pretty reasonable .... $30 - $40 on up for basic gear that should help, ... although you can spend a lot more, for some pretty sophisticated stuff!
Hopefully ..... that looks after your knees, and the kevlar jeans help with the road rash, but that still leaves you vulnerable to getting munted in your hip/thigh area, and there doesn't seem to be many options for padding/armour, that you can wear under jeans, ..... well that I've found yet anyway!

Good luck. :)

[wetdog]

Would these work for hip protection under some Kevlar jeans with MX knee guards?

Clicky (http://www.motorcyclegear.co.nz/shopexd.asp?id=116)

I'm currently looking for all new gear for an all new start in biking. I will probably go all leather, but would like to be versatile a bit with some goood jeans with the MX style armour.

[Icemaestro]

I see you were going to try it...have you done it yet? how'd you affix the leather?

Can you walk normally in strap on knee armour?
As for hip - I used to be an ice skater - used to have a set of under clothes that had pockets with some pad type stuff in it that I think contained kevlar (not certain though) - I've fallen straight onto hips from about .75m up onto ice) and been okay (though little red from impact) is that the kind of thing you're thinking of?

[Gizzit]

Would these work for hip protection under some Kevlar jeans with MX knee guards?

Clicky (http://www.motorcyclegear.co.nz/shopexd.asp?id=116)

I'm currently looking for all new gear for an all new start in biking. I will probably go all leather, but would like to be versatile a bit with some good jeans with the MX style armour.

They look like the goods !! I'm sure they would certainly help ... if they fit secure enough in place. Good find !!

And yeah ... leather is the top choice for safety, obviously, but it is handy to have some choices when you don't want to wear the full monty, ...... for whatever reason.

Thanks. :niceone:

[Gizzit]

I see you were going to try it...have you done it yet? how'd you affix the leather?

No I haven't yet, as I still am undecided how to fix it, given that I'm pretty sure it will shrink when washed, so could be an issue that way. I'll let you know if I figure it out ..... or someone here may already have that issue sorted ??



Can you walk normally in strap on knee armour?

No idea ..... if you can actually LOOK normal wearing it .... let alone walk ok .. !!?? LOL :) I assume you can. I guess it depends on the gear. Something you would need to try before buying it. It should be ok to walk in if you aren't walking too far ..... I'm sure others here can tell you.



As for hip - I used to be an ice skater - used to have a set of under clothes that had pockets with some pad type stuff in it that I think contained kevlar (not certain though) - I've fallen straight onto hips from about .75m up onto ice) and been okay (though little red from impact) is that the kind of thing you're thinking of?

See the previous post by Wetdog. I think he's found a good solution to that problem ...... for those of us who have never been ice skaters !!! lol :)

[Icemaestro]

Found these http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Cortech_Mod_Denim_Pants--622523.html ...that sounds like the leather in denim thing...Plus have ce protectors in the knees!

[98tls]

Ive a set of perforated leathers (bazillons of little holes) and there bloody awsome as in not to hot.

[Icemaestro]

Ive a set of perforated leathers (bazillons of little holes) and there bloody awsome as in not to hot.

Interesting...
How do they look when walking around? do they have padding in knees/hips? and what are they called/how much do they cost :-)

[98tls]

Interesting...
How do they look when walking around? do they have padding in knees/hips? and what are they called/how much do they cost :-) They look like most other leathers,plenty of armour etc,got mine in the states,must be importers of Joe Rocket gear here.(yea wank name but who cares)Good quality stuff.Quasi may well have some similar,dunno pm him.

[RocKai]

Ok, here's a real experience from one of my teacher (lady) who rode in her Draggins Jeans. She had a crash at about 50 kmh because a damn F*&%ing Porsche woman cross her path without signalling and push her to the gravel. It ripped her draggins real bad and totalled her knee cap as well. Only at 45-50kmh!!! From her experience she said it is no protection at all, unless you ride like a nana, in a 50kmh zone! :sweatdrop . I'd go for what 98tls has pointed out. Who cares what you look like when you wear the full monty, least you're knee are intact after all. Or just buy one size up and wear jeans underneath.

[Quasievil]

They look like most other leathers,plenty of armour etc,got mine in the states,must be importers of Joe Rocket gear here.(yea wank name but who cares)Good quality stuff.Quasi may well have some similar,dunno pm him.

Got some perforations in our estremos, but not that much, in saying that we have made some fully perforated ones for an adventure biker world travelling kind, he loves them