Yup. Sadly outside of leather...not many options will provide adequate protection in a longer slide.
That's that pesky 'risk v reward' thing.
Wear all day riding pants
- Thread starter Jampy00
- Start date
That's that pesky 'risk v reward' thing.
KLR Junkie
Well-known member
Carhartt's and Wranglers may be slightly better than fashion jeans, but they're still utterly useless in a slide. A few years ago I wiped out on a bicycle wearing a pair of double layer Carhartt work pants. The ass wore through basically instantly and the double-layered knee/thigh area was maybe 95% worn through after a 20km/h slide of maybe 5 ft.
Kelvlar/Pekev lined are the way to go. Tons on unbiased info on moto jeans available. Mostly Euro-centric but a lot of those brands are also available here.
www.bennetts.co.uk
Kelvlar/Pekev lined are the way to go. Tons on unbiased info on moto jeans available. Mostly Euro-centric but a lot of those brands are also available here.
Best motorcycle riding jeans in 2026: Single layer vs lined
Lined jeans, single-layer, Kevlar, Pekev, Covec, Dyneema, Armalith… How to choose the right ones for you: safety, comfort and value.
AllistonGT
Well-known member
Premium prices? Check out Klim jeans.
I have, Thanks
Only if nothing underneath, but they frown at that at workI guess chaps would be an option?
Appreciate all the replies, I'll think I'll stick with what I'm currently wearing.
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I have a pair of Joe Rocket kevlar lined jeans with removable knee pads I've only worn once I'd sell if you're interested. Got them to replace my first identical pair that lasted 10yrs and around 150,00km's. I'm switching to a more ADV type pant.
All-day comfortable and look like regular jeans. They're a 34 or 36 waist if interested.
All-day comfortable and look like regular jeans. They're a 34 or 36 waist if interested.
A bit weird but an elderly friend of my cousin recently died.
She was knocked down on a sidewalk by a bicycle, scratched and bruised. Flesh eating disease set in and she ended up losing a leg. Then more complications and death.
Posted just in case there was any optimism left in the world.
When I ride into work I wear Klim Outrider pants. They look somewhere between Carhartt-styled pants and chinos, even more so if you remove the knee pads when you get to work. That's easy to do while wearing them.
Mine are a few years old and came with AA abrasion resistance, but according to Google, they've changed:
I've had guys come up to me asking what they are because they don't look (too much) like riding pants. The new ones are probably even better in that regard. They're comfortable enough for me to wear in the office all day and I do, but I keep dressier pants in my office in case the C-levels happen to be visiting or if I want the ladies to know I do have more than one pair of pants.
They come in a few colours. I think I have them in the sand colour.
Mine are a few years old and came with AA abrasion resistance, but according to Google, they've changed:
Mine also had much thicker armor than the Ghost stuff that's in the new iteration, but it doesn't bother me enough to swap them out.
I've had guys come up to me asking what they are because they don't look (too much) like riding pants. The new ones are probably even better in that regard. They're comfortable enough for me to wear in the office all day and I do, but I keep dressier pants in my office in case the C-levels happen to be visiting or if I want the ladies to know I do have more than one pair of pants.
They come in a few colours. I think I have them in the sand colour.
Priller
Well-known member
A less click-baity take and response. Armour does a lot more than protect against impact. It helps distribute impact to prevent seams bursting or keeping a wider piece of fabric on the road than a sharp point from a knee or elbow, which can make the difference between wearing through or not. In other words, armour isn't a magic bullet, but it does make a big difference in the right circumstances.
Naturally it all comes down to risk tolerance vs comfort. None of us would ride motorcycles at all if we wanted to be truly 'safe', and we all sit somewhere on the spectrum between the flip-flops/tank top combo and the Aerostitch suit over an airbag.
To the OP, have a look at the Euro sellers like FC-Moto. They have a plethora of certified jeans and you can sort them by CE rating. Here's the AAA jeans available, many of which are single layer:
https://www.fc-moto.com/en-us/c/mot...otorcycle-trousers/jeans/protection-class-aaa
I also have an older set of Bowtex leggings that are worn under any pants:
https://bowtex.store/
They're a bit hot in the summer, but not too bad, and it lets me wear pants other than jeans to work, which is sometimes necessary. If you take the hip armour out and your pants aren't super tight, you can't see the knee armour so they're not super obvious. Not cheap, but another option to maintain some protection. My only problem with the ones I have is the elasticated waist has given up over the years, and they are actually a bit heavy, so they tend to slide down when walking around, which requires subtle adjustment. The newer ones look much lighter, so probably don't have that issue.
Agree.
If you want to represent as a motorcyclist at work, just wear a branded shirt or cap. No matter what folks on here say, protective riding gear will never be as comfortable as casual clothes.
I don't think any less of the sales help at a motorcycle store if they're wearing riding gear or not.
All I care about when I walk into a motorcycle shop is getting good product and/or good service at a good price.
Some work places are easier to change clothes in than others. I'm fortunate that I have my own office, and the men's room has a shower, lockers and a bench we could sit down in while removing pants. There are other workplaces I could imagine changing in would be much more difficult.
OP works in a motorcycle store. I would assume they'd have a place for him to change his pants and boots.
I think if you don't have any mobility issues, you could take off your pants and boots in a washroom stall?
Or maybe I'm oversimplifying things and perhaps there are unstated reasons why wearing gear while working is the preferable option...
Relax
Well-known member
When I used to commute on my bike, I always changed in the parking lot to get the gear off me as quickly as possible on hot days. Long zips on motorcycle overpants and they come off just like the Full Monty and they fold up into my backpack. Coiled lock through the sleeve of my jacket and eyehole of my helmet to secure them to the triple clamp. I kept a pair of dress shoes in my desk drawer - not too many people would notice moto boots while you're walking.
Yeah, also wearing the clothes you commute in, you end up smelling like exhaust fumes and asphalt the whole day. You may not be able so smell it, but your co-workers and customers will. Riding gear is like a protective shell that you get to peel off and leave in a closet for the day, till you need to put it back on to head out.
I was a co-op student working in an office during university. The TTC went on strike so I rode my bicycle to work. That first day, my boss pulled me aside and told me I was stinking up the place and gave me taxi vouchers to use for the rest of the week.
justride
Well-known member
Its funny how Im thinking about the pretty much the same thing. Watching Doodle crash, looking at Mark Warehouse for contractor pants with knee pockets, DIY my jeans with knee pockets.
Anyways for me. Its been hardest gear to find.
Anyways for me. Its been hardest gear to find.
