Member Contributer burnes45 Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 I have all ways worn helmet, jacket and gloves. Want to add pants to the mix and don't know much about them. I commute to work for most of my riding so I would need something that I could wear over my cloths and not a pain to get on and off. I received a $80 gift card to Cyclegear and have been looking online at the pants. a lot of options very confusing looking for some suggestions. Don't have to go through Cyclegear just cause I have a card. I'm good at spending money in there anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suitcase Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Got Joe Rockets a few years ago - ballistic nylon, hip and knee/shin pads, full length leg zippers with velcro tighening straps for around boot tops and zippered (2) front pockets and a rear cinch pair of velcro straps and a velcro/zipper fly combo.. used them over jeans at first in cold weather, riding FSR's in all weather. The Joes come with water proof zip in liners (with liner in, and wearing jeans...its a little snug fitting) that keep out everything wet fairly well, and are very comfortable in riding cold dry weather as they are windproof. Laid a KLR down a couple of times, low speed drops, but was glad to have the armour and tuff fabric between me and the gravel and rocks. As for comfortable...well I take month long rides all over the PNW and Yukon, and take those Joe Rocket pants and one pair of jeans...ending up in the Joes for days at at time. Long story shortened ...any good quality riding pants with CE Armour and comfortable fit will leave you wondering why you didn't start wearing them from DAY 1. Good luck in your hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Lorne Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 The ability to attach your pants to your jacket is a big plus. On our trip last fall one of the guys fell and suffered unnecessary road rash to lower back & butt because his gear separated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer burnes45 Posted January 24, 2015 Author Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 I have a zipper in the back of my Icon jacket. Are they universal to fit any pants zipper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer YoshiHNS Posted January 24, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 24, 2015 You have to read the description to see what the manufacture says about zippers. Some have 360 degree zippers, some only have back half, and some just come with the zipper to be sewed on by the user. I have S&S Coast is clear. I like them. They are not full length zipper (IIRC), but it took me 2-4 minutes to get out of all my gear and 4-6 minutes to get into all my gear. Boots added to the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer wagzhp Posted January 25, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 25, 2015 I have an older pair of BMW City pants that I wear in colder weather. They are a cotton/cordura blend with 2 zippered pockets at the front of the waist, a zippered cargo pocket on the left leg and a velcro closure pocket on the right leg. I have crash tested them and they held up very well. I also have a pair of Coretech Air pants that I wear in warm weather. They are more comfortable than the BMW pants, but aren't as protective, being mostly a open mesh fabric. But they do have CE armor at the knees and hips. Both are good for commuting, but I wouldn't recommend either for track use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Lorne Posted January 25, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 25, 2015 There is no standard for the length or size of jacket/pant zippers. Check with Icon for compatible pants, or see if your local dealers have anything that might adapt. I have a zipper in the back of my Icon jacket. Are they universal to fit any pants zipper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted January 25, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 25, 2015 And remember pull overs are greatly affected by your diet or there lack of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogueWave Posted January 25, 2015 Share Posted January 25, 2015 I have a Joe Rocket jacket, it has belt loop attachments. Here is a good pants that has four season weather usage. It has a removable thermal liner as well as a rain liner. For summer it has vents http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/agv-sport-telluride-h2o-vented-pants Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Africord Posted January 26, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 26, 2015 I own jackets by ICON, Columbia, Teknic, and Shift, none of them would attach to my Firstgear pants without modification. Generally speaking, you probably will need to match brands on pants and jackets for them to attach. This is an area of my ATGATT practice that I can improve on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Duc2V4 Posted January 26, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted January 26, 2015 I own jackets by ICON, Columbia, Teknic, and Shift, none of them would attach to my Firstgear pants without modification. Generally speaking, you probably will need to match brands on pants and jackets for them to attach. This is an area of my ATGATT practice that I can improve on. Rev'it makes an accessory for their jackets that allows you to attach "jean" style pants to their Jackets. But they do caution that you would want to do this with pants designed for motorcycling and not something like Levi's. http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/revit-safeway-belt On the topic of MC pants, I wear the 'Sliders' brand pants that Competition Accessories sells (~$80-$90) along with armor underneath. I have had a few pairs of their pants (Jeans, Khakis, and Cargo pants) and to be quite honest I feel very comfortable in them and with the strapped on knee/shin guards underneath I feel pretty secure. IMO, the armor that most of these "over pants" (as well as MC pants), offer do not always seem to fit and/or be in the right place other than when in a riding position, which leads me to believe that when "leaving bike unplanned", they may not be where they need to be when you land. The strap on armor will however be where you need it, when you need it, provided you put it on correctly. Although I much prefer a leather suit when riding, commuting on the bike to work does not lend itself well to wearing a leather suit, particularly when going to meetings at clients offices! Over pants are a good option but for me Kevlar pants with wearable armor underneath feels more secure and safer. To go back to the 'Sliders', they are made of a pretty thick outer material and plenty of Kevlar in the key areas and won a MCN 'Best Buy' award. The three pairs I currently own have held up through several washes and plenty of daily wearing and other than some fading in the dark brown cargo pants, have held up looks and stitching wise too. One of the best things about them too, when ordering all you need to know is your waist and length sizes. i.e. 34x32, 36xn, etc. no need to try and figure out "Will these fit over the current gear I'm wearing?" They are made a little bit longer though, so that when you are sitting they don't rise up your leg too much. The pros and cons do need to be weighed out on this type of gear IMO as it is a compromise to some degree, that is why I chose to do the combination of wearable armor with the Kevlar pants on top. It's easy to remove the gear underneath when I get to my job location and easy to put back on. Other than having to worry about getting them dirty on my way in, here over pants would be a plus, I don't think anyone knows that I am wearing motorcycle gear at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TampaDave Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 Most cheap moto-specific pants are made out of coated polyurethane, which makes them feel stiff as iron, but I am highly skeptical of their protective value. I wore down the knee on one pair of pants just kneeling down to check my oil level. The padding is definitely a good touch and if you look at them as little more than an armor carrying system you won't be too disappointed. Don't see how they can help much in a high speed slide. Frankly I would rather wear Kevlar jeans + strap on armor. Brand name actual Cordura has good abrasion resistance and is surprisingly supple and comfortable to wear. I think the best inexpensive pants out there are the 1000d cordura pants motoport is making. Also check out the Aerostich utility pants. You can get used Aerostich gear if you search the internet thoroughly. The general rule is, for low speed impacts you need armor, for high speed you need abrasion resistance. And there just ain't such a thing as inexpensive abrasion resistance. I would consider using your gift certificate on armored under layers. Those Icon drawers with sewn-in hip pads are really cool and you can wear them with a variety of garments. Once you discover D30 you will do like I did and start tearing the foam hip pads out of your gear and wearing those shorts instead; plus, that's where the hip armor needs to be, you'll see I mean. Forcefield makes some fantastic armor for the hip, elbow and knee. You can get good armor from the discount websites, but it is really really difficult to find a decent pair of pants out there unless you go with a boutique provider. You might go through a lot of pants before you find something you like. I sure did, and I still have 3 or 4 systems in rotation (I still have my leather chaps, but that's mainly for the reaction I get from my daughter. "Dad... you aren't actually going OUT like that???"). But you will never want to get rid of your armored base layer, that will be of service right now, by immediately improving your protection in low-speed getoffs regardless of what else you are wearing, and it will serve you in the future too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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