Alpinestar Leather Pants fitment

Hi all!
I finally purchased a pair of leather pants, but don't feel quite comfortable in them yet on the bike. They are Alpinestars GP Plus Leather pants to zip into my Alpinestars jacket. I really should be a 52 (from A-star measurements online) in the pants, but I got them from a very well off guy on Kijiji who only wanted $175 for them and they were only worn once (I could tell they were new as they were squeaky clean, still stiff, and smelt new). I really couldn't pass down this deal, it was a steal!
They are pretty baggy in the knees, thighs, and arse while standing, but when I sit on my bike they really tighten up and only have a slight amount of slack in leather part of the knee where the accordion stretch part is.
Now my question is, it's very awkward for me to put my legs up on pegs getting out of 1st at a stop with the leathers. The first time I wore them it took me a couple seconds to find the shifter pedal! To all of you that went from riding jeans to leathers, did you have the same thing happen to you? Is this because the leather is still stiff and needs to be broken in? Do I just need to get used to them?The knee area is extremely tight when I'm tucked also. It's hard to explain, they are comfortable, but not comfortable.
Gunna keep riding with them for a bit to see if anything improves.
Thanks!

Are you wearing them over your boots or tucked in? They might have to be the tuck in style, so pull them up a bit.

When I first started riding with full leathers, I drove too fast. Was used to the wind blast with just a jacket, full race leathers were thicker and I didn't feel the same wind blast, so went faster. lol ....that's my excuse officer.

They'll soften over time, especially a few hot sweaty rides burning you case they seem quite tight. And yes, wearing them standing up looks like you took a shitnin your pants, that is normal. Really good stuff though.. worth the hassle

They are tucked into my SMX-6 boots. They wouldnt be able to go over them.
I packed on another 120kms yesterday and I am used to the shifting now. The only thing bothering me atm with the break in process is the darn knee pads being so tight when I put my feet up from a stop and start riding. I found that if I slightly push the knee pads down a bit when I start riding I am much more comfortable as it releives the tension from the knee armor bending, putting pressure on the knees (feels like its stretching the skin on them). Maybe the knee armor itself will get broken in after use? The pants are 1 size too big for me. My size should be a 52, but these pants are a 54 and I just couldnt pass down the deal and didnt think that 1 size too big would be a deal breaker (saved over $400)l. I know if the were a 52 everything would be a bit more snug and the length would also be bang on. Gunna try and do everything I can to make these work! I'll probably end up using these for weekend rides and stick with the ressurgence riding pants for commuting/city when I know iI'll be in stop/go traffic.

I've got the Missle (airflow) version of them, they are a great pant all around. One thing to remember is they are off the rack sizing, not a custom suit, etc so they try to aim to fit a wide range of sizes and riding positions.

I went up a size as well versus what the size chart said, my "suggested" size felt a bit too restrictive all around, lots of pressure on my hips (beyond what I felt would 'break in'). Definitely have diaper but in most of these pants, that's normal. Your knee pad experience is similar to mine, sometimes I do have to adjust them down slightly to relieve the tightness/pressure and usually that is one of the first things to start nagging at me on long rides. As Riceburner said, when you tuck them into your pants, pull them up an inch or so and that'll buy you some more 'knee' room.

It definitely is a different experience than riding in jeans, you feel bulkier, less mobile to start. After awhile of riding in them, it will be like second nature, like you aren't wearing anything and jumping on the bike in anything but them, you will feel naked (at least I do).

$175 is an amazing deal, you should ask the guy if he has anything else he wants to part ways with.

rust0r said:

I've got the Missle (airflow) version of them, they are a great pant all around. One thing to remember is they are off the rack sizing, not a custom suit, etc so they try to aim to fit a wide range of sizes and riding positions.

I went up a size as well versus what the size chart said, my "suggested" size felt a bit too restrictive all around, lots of pressure on my hips (beyond what I felt would 'break in'). Definitely have diaper but in most of these pants, that's normal. Your knee pad experience is similar to mine, sometimes I do have to adjust them down slightly to relieve the tightness/pressure and usually that is one of the first things to start nagging at me on long rides. As Riceburner said, when you tuck them into your pants, pull them up an inch or so and that'll buy you some more 'knee' room.

It definitely is a different experience than riding in jeans, you feel bulkier, less mobile to start. After awhile of riding in them, it will be like second nature, like you aren't wearing anything and jumping on the bike in anything but them, you will feel naked (at least I do).

$175 is an amazing deal, you should ask the guy if he has anything else he wants to part ways with.

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I will try not tucking them into my boots as low and see if that makes any difference or not! I just wish they were a big more snug, but beggers can't be choosers. I've always wanted a pair, but cound't justify spending $580+HST on a new pair of missile pants. I almost want to take a dremel to the bottom part ofthe knee pad and cleanly (following the current curve) take off an inch or so of the padding. To me this seems like it would resolve the issue completely and wouldnt need to push them down that slight bit when I start riding after a stop, but I don't know if taking a dremel to the pads is a smart idea or not LOL
My ressurgence jeans have Icon D30 knee and hip armor in them and are very soft (until they hit impact) which allows them to bend effortlessly, and that's something I have becom accustomed to.
Ya, as soon as I saw the ad on kijiji I hopped on it instantly. He bought a brand new CBR 600RR rode it once, hated the seating position so he sold it and got another cruiser.....must be nice having money haha! He is selling a black A-star jacket (size 54) with an inflatable vest for super cheap also, but my jacket size is a 50, or else I would have picked that up too.

Don't do any permanent adjustments to it or sell it. Try using a spray bottle & gently spray some water & let it dry. Test & repeat again. Leather normally shrinks when wet.

Plus we normally get heavier as we get older. Not sure how long you intend to ride but it will fit you in the next 3-5 years.

For that price I would keep it & probably get another.

Give them a chance to break in first. Not tucking them into you boots as much may help too. If they are still bothering you once broken in, then decide if trimming the pads would help.

I found a solution to why my pants were so tight in my knee area. One of my friends suggested to get some compression pants (under armor, nike, addidas etc) to wear under the leathers as they will wick away the sweat rather than make your legs tacky and have them stick to the material on the inside of the leathers. I picked up a pair of under armor heat gear 3/4 compression pants last night before my ride and let me say it made a night and day difference! The pants are MUCH more comfortable and the area in the knees isn't nearly as tight anymore because the material on the inside of the pants isn't sticking to my skin feeling like it's stretching it in the knee areas.
Not sure if you guys that wear full leathers use compression pants/shirts under your gear or not, but it sure made my gear a hella lot more more comfortable. Thinking of picking up a compression shirt to put under my leather jacket. It didn't seem to make me any warmer, if anything it kept me cooler.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the gear is a chit load easier to take off with the heat gear also and I'm not fighting for dear life to pull it off my sweaty skin:lmao:

arogal said:

I found a solution to why my pants were so tight in my knee area. One of my friends suggested to get some compression pants (under armor, nike, addidas etc) to wear under the leathers as they will wick away the sweat rather than make your legs tacky and have them stick to the material on the inside of the leathers. I picked up a pair of under armor heat gear 3/4 compression pants last night before my ride and let me say it made a night and day difference! The pants are MUCH more comfortable and the area in the knees isn't nearly as tight anymore because the material on the inside of the pants isn't sticking to my skin feeling like it's stretching it in the knee areas.
Not sure if you guys that wear full leathers use compression pants/shirts under your gear or not, but it sure made my gear a hella lot more more comfortable. Thinking of picking up a compression shirt to put under my leather jacket. It didn't seem to make me any warmer, if anything it kept me cooler.
Oh, I forgot to mention that the gear is a chit load easier to take off with the heat gear also and I'm not fighting for dear life to pull it off my sweaty skin:lmao:

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Nice! Thanks for the update.

Once thing I find in falls once I started wearing a base layer (under armor heat something), I definitely don't last as long on the bike before legs cramp up. I think the added bulk behind the knee (even though minor), contributes to some discomfort as the ride progresses. Keep and eye on it, if it happens you're not alone lol.

I've been interested in the summer stuff as you mentioned, it's suppose to keep you cooler and let you slide out of your gear a lot easier; but hate the thought of more 'bulk' based on my experience with bundling up in fall.

rust0r said:

Nice! Thanks for the update.

Once thing I find in falls once I started wearing a base layer (under armor heat something), I definitely don't last as long on the bike before legs cramp up. I think the added bulk behind the knee (even though minor), contributes to some discomfort as the ride progresses. Keep and eye on it, if it happens you're not alone lol.

I've been interested in the summer stuff as you mentioned, it's suppose to keep you cooler and let you slide out of your gear a lot easier; but hate the thought of more 'bulk' based on my experience with bundling up in fall.

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I packed on about 150kms last night and didn't notice any discomfort. The Under Armor Heat gear so extremely thin, it doesn't add any bulk what so ever (at least what I noticed)....but my pants are 1 size too big and really should be a tad tighter. Just can't justify spending the $$ on another pair when I picked these up for $175 with the tags still on them. I didn't even know i was wearing the base layer, other than the fact that my legs weren't sticking to the inside of the pants anymore! $35 well spent!