I was surprised to see this topic. Particularly since I have two pairs of these pants. One normal, one with flannel lining. Since buying these, I've also been completely sold on the Duluth Trading "Ballroom" jeans. I have two pairs of those now too. Nothing flashy, but very comfortable.
Back to the firehose pants. Mine are three years old. They hold up really well. I still haven't seen any fraying and only a little fading. Oddly, the lined ones I have are sort of pinkish, where the un-lined ones are a true carmel/tan.
Unfortunately, these pants may hold up a little too well, actually. The firehose material has not broken in for me. Not a bit. With jeans, they will sort of "conform" to your butt after a few weeks of wear. This firehose material will not be anything other the the shape it was stitched in when it was first delivered. Also, the weave is a bit tighter than jean material. Less wind gets through, so they're a tad warmer than an equivalent pair of jeans. This actually makes them a bit nicer for riding around town than jeans.
So, all in all, I think they're a great pair of riding and work pants, but they do lack the "break in" that makes jeans great. For that, though, I buy the ballroom jeans, and those satisfy my need for comfy, tough jeans.