Bike jeans -why?

[DukeNukem]

Many of the jeans allow the armour to be removed from the outside, other than that they are pretty much like normal jeans. And if you search hard enough not all jeans are made equal, you don’t have to wear the baggy huge things (my preference is a trimmer fit because I’m not a big guy).

[Cpt_Tact]

For me its all about comfort and mobility, I have never been a fan of leather trousers even when they are broken in and textiles are bulky and just sound like a crisp packet when you walk

Jeans give me the freedom to move around on the bike, I have put in light hip armour that isn't visible and the knee armour is in a knee sock so it stays where it should and a zip belt to attach my jacket to my jeans to reduce the risk of it sliding up or moving (bonus is it keeps the wind out). When I get to where I am going I can walk about, sit comfortable and not boil in the bag in the summer months. Yes leather will more likely keep you in one piece if you have an off, yes it has a longer "burn/ slide time" but who are we kidding, on most roads I doubt you would slide for more than a second or two before hitting something solid so if the jeans have a burn time of 3-5 seconds I'll take it and pray it's a hedge and not a bus/ vehicle coming the other way where nothing is going to protect you from that!

Winter months when its dry I put on some technical long johns to reduce the chill and the jeans I have have a light water repellent which keeps the showers at bay. They also have some Lycra in them for a little stretch which means when I do want to have kids I will still be able to and they look fitted so blend in and look good.

Gear is very personal, some of my friends will only ride in a one piece but it's because that is what they are most comfortable in. Comfort to me means less distractions and so IMO reduces the risks of having an accident because you were distracted by a pinch or rubbing somewhere about you gear. It's the same for gloves, I like the lighter short cuff gloves rather than a full gauntlet and my personal favorite is the Kevlar lined AlpineStar Scheme's with pretty much 0 impact protection.

[Via]

I found vast majority of cold wearing jeans is from wind.

On colder days I'd shove goretex over trousers over the jeans even if not a spec of rain in sight. The extra wind resistance made a massive difference in keeping legs warm.

Same as for autumn when I was leaving at 4.30am when it was starting to bite yet if I wore winter jacket I'd be melting coming home, just shoving a waterproof over coat over summer jacket kept wind away and easy to roll up for the journey home.

[Ian193]

I have a pair of armr textile trousers with armour in that I wear every time I ride takes me about 10 minutes to get all the gear on and unlock/cover the scooter and they keep me warm and dry

[learningtofly]

Well, this may be a bit off topic, but I recently bought 4 sets of M&S thermals. I have to say, the difference in terms of warmth is incredible.

[mikestrivens]

I have found that Outlast base layers are just brilliant.

[Liveware Problem]

I feel I'm going against the grain here, I don't like mine at all. Perhaps I bought the wrong brand (Bullit)?

They were marketed as 'slim fit' but they're about the bulkiest things imaginable.

Obviously with the lining they will be bulkier than normal jeans, but these just seem so thick they are as warm as my textiles, but somehow with less freedom of movement! A size up would be too big and of course bulkier still..

Just me then!? Or should I try another brand?

[mikestrivens]

try Hood Jeans, but you are right in that they are much thicker than normal jeans and warmer due to the kevlar and other linings.

[_amw_]

I don't have any currently, but I'm pretty sure the point is they are better than normal jeans. So if you're going to consider riding the bike while wearing 'normal' jeans then you'd be a lot better off wearing bike/kevlar jeans than normal ones.

I can certainly see the point of anything that means you might not have to 'get changed' - it isn't always possible or easy.

[Goethite]

Better than normal jeans, not as good as proper kit... mine have kevlar lining for the skid areas but honestly they are stiff (the jeans, not the lining), awkward to wear and very badly fitted - though from what I understand that's an issue with the women's kit rather than the mens. I'm wearing a pair 1-2 sizes larger than normal and they're too tight in half the places and too big in the rest.

Having come off last week in regular jeans (not even a tear) I'm not sure anything that hasn't got padding in is worth it. It's the padding my bruised knees are wishing for!

[Tankbag]

A 1st for me bought some RoadSkin jeans at the NEC at the weekend, felt comfortable at the show but have to see real world, I'm thinking on tours when it's a day out where ever it is on the bike but being able to mill about like a normal tourist when needed.

[Guest]

Bolidster

https://www.bolidster.com/reliable-denim/ridester-17-en/

Just like wearing ordinary jeans but with protection. Not cheap mind.

[geofferz]

62% of the fun of biking is wearing leathers. Where else can you get away with looking like this? Look how good my ass looks.

 

 

Why wear boring old jeans?

[mikestrivens]

My arse never looked like that and is definitely better hidden in Hood jeans.