Rider RSS Cortech AA Dyneema Riding Jeans Review

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Riding the 2026 Indian Chief Vintage while wearing Cortech AA DyneemaJeans. (Photo by Garth Milan)

For the past year, a pair of Cortech AA Dyneema Jeans has been my go-to riding pants. Made of dark blue denim with a classic five-pocket, straight-leg design, they look good and feel good on and off the bike. But they don’t sacrifice safety for style; these riding jeans offer serious protection.

Not long ago, if you wanted to wear jeans on a motorcycle, you had to go with regular ol’ Levi’s or Wranglers, which offered no crash protection whatsoever, or you needed to buy specialized riding jeans that were reinforced with Kevlar. Large Kevlar panels were stitched inside the denim – typically along the entire front of the jeans and in the seat where impacts were most likely to occur – adding a tough, abrasion-resistant layer. But that layer made the jeans heavy, and in hot weather, they were uncomfortably warm. Depending on the brand or style, Kevlar-lined jeans often lacked armor too.



We now live in more interesting times, when AI does the thinking for us and our smartphones track every move we make and word we speak. We also have access to state-of-the-art materials and manufacturing processes. The Dyneema in the name of Cortech’s jeans refers to the brand name of a fiber made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene. Claimed to be the world’s strongest fiber, Dyneema is 40% stronger than aramid fibers (like Kevlar) and – listen up, Superman! – 15 times stronger than steel.

A nifty thing about Dyneema is that it can be woven into fabric. The Cortech AA Dyneema jeans are made of 12.75-oz. single-layer denim comprised of 93% cotton, 2% polyester, 4% Dyneema, and 1% Lycra. That small percentage of Dyneema makes a big difference in terms of protection – these jeans are CE-certified AA to EN 17092-3:2020 standards for abrasion and impact resistance. And that 1% Lycra makes a big difference in terms of comfort – these jeans have just enough stretch to make them easy to wear anywhere.



More protection comes courtesy of Armanox CE Level 1 knee and hip armor, which is thin, flexible, and perforated for breathability. The armor pockets attach via buttons so they can be removed when not on the bike, though I’ve worn these jeans all day while sitting on airplanes or walking around trade shows with the armor in and was never bothered by it. And because the jeans are single-layer denim, they feel just like regular jeans. They’re not heavy, bulky, or hot due to extra layers. You can also wash them just like regular jeans – remove the armor, toss them in the washing machine, and then hang them up to dry.

Read all of Rider’s apparel reviews here

Cortech AA Dyneema Riding Jeans deliver comfort, style, and protection for an affordable price. They are available in black or blue in waist sizes 30-42 and inseams 30-34 for $149.99, and they are backed by a four-year warranty.

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these riding jeans offer serious protection.

If they said that it was "serious protection", it must be...right?

That small percentage of Dyneema makes a big difference in terms of protection – these jeans are CE-certified AA to EN 17092-3:2020 standards for abrasion and impact resistance.

And quoting the protection level sounds sooo impressive.

To be fair, these are some nice riding jeans. At one point last summer I bought a pair and really thought about keeping them. Unfortunately I realized that they'll do next to nothing for rain and probably be hot. So I returned them to CG.

When I did some research on the EN 17092 certification, it raised my eyebrows a lot. As MotoLegends wrote, "In some respects, EN17092 replaced a much more demanding standard known as EN13595." Basically, they replaced a tough standard with one that was easy for everyone to meet, except for the cost for the testing. A side benefit is that the cost for getting the certification, acts as a barrier to competition by the "little" guys wanting to enter the market.

Initially, you would see the speeds listed that told you how much "serious protection" you were getting. Then people started realizing that those speeds weren't that fast when you equated the kph to mph. Zone 1 (the highest risk area) on a AA garment means it should hold up to a slide at 43 mph for 2 seconds.

As they say, "Buyer beware". But it is not just these jeans, but all riding gear today.

Chris