I mostly wear Levi's for riding and need to do better but have the whole commute/work issue to deal with. I've been looking at riding pants, particularly the Kevlar jeans. They seem so thin compared to my Levi's and at more than twice the price, I'm wondering if they're actually any better. I'll likely go with some form of overpants, but I'm curious about the Kevlar.
Depending on what you do when you get where you're going, you could wear armor under the jeans...
I've relayed this story on another thread.
Had an old pair of Draggin Jeans. The denim in the crutch was worn, so I I didn't wear them anymore. I decided to test the Kevlar with an angle grinder. A good quality powerful grinder with a metal grinding wheel.
Only slightly frayed the kevlar, but vaporized the denim in a nanosecond.
Duluth Trading makes some jeans with firehose canvas. They are way more durable than regular denim. Might be an option. There are some reviews of guys that have came off bikes with them and they held up. That being said, I own several pairs of them but I ride with my Vanson leathers.
consider some overpants or a commuter one piece. I like my caliber pants. a buddy has an olympia suit and I'm always kind of jealous when we get to the end of a group ride, he unzips, and steps out of his suit in a t shirt ans shorts.
Get some overpants with pads.
I have the Aerostitch Darien pants, and they're fantastic. Short rides and commutes I wear them over jeans or khakis...long rides and hot weather I wear them over shorts. They're pricey, but they'll last a LONG time. Mine are 5 years old, have been used daily thru 2 1/2 Seattle winters, and they are still in great shape (and I've never gotten even a little bit wet).
Kevlar is great, but you need the armor too.
Kevlar cloth isn't going to prevent a complex fracture. It will keep your bone from shooting out of your pants, but not out of your skin.
Tiz is correct, I always wear shin/knee armour under the Kevlar jeans, since I crashed once without it. The Kevlar for the scrapes and the armour for the breaks. I got small motocross armour and strap it on under the jeans. Some armour velcros in the jeans and some slots into a pocket in the jeans, depending on the brand. There are so many options nowdays.
Quote from: ducatiz on April 09, 2012, 11:26:34 AM
It will keep your bone from shooting out of your pants, but not out of your skin.
That made me laugh until I pictured it in my mind.
I'll likely go with mesh overpants for commuting and leathers for everything else. Thanks for all the feedback [thumbsup]