Need advise on type of pants

[Bill144]

I have been riding for 30 years. I have gone down once and that was in year 1. I have been wearing leather jackets and jeans for the last 20 years.
After joining this site I realize that armored jeans are a must. I have an armoured jacket.

We tour a lot and are always 2 up. We live in the Okanagan Valley which can be hot but are surrounded by mountain passes which can be cold. Normally I would put on ski type underwear under the jeans and if it was really cold I would put on the rain pants for wind protection. It has been all I needed.

I was at a local dealer checking out the over pants (Olympia - Airglide). She explained that the would go over shorts - so when your parked for a while you take them off and just wear the shorts. These pants also have the rain gear that zippers inside.

Another type were just pants. They also had a zippered rain liner and a separate insulated liner.

I'm trying to find out which pair are the easiest to wear. Before if I needed rain pants I just put them on. Now I have to A. take off my over pants and zipper in the rain gear or B. Take my pants off to the underwear and zipper in the rain liner. Then if it gets cold I have to do it all over again the add the insulated section.

Because I live in an area where we can go from 90' F to 40'F in a short distance I do want the protection but don't want to be changing every 2 hours.

So my question is - what type of pants would work best for me.

 

[STDaveNW]

Lisa wears the airglide and loves them.
My own opinion is the rain liner belongs on the outside not the inside. She also has frog toggs and uses the liner mostly for warmth.
I wear Joe Rocket Atomic armored overpants, they have zip off patches on the thighs for summer. I still use my golfing rain gear when it rains.

 

[wcleland]

Mesh pants with a liner. You've got everything covered. I've used my TourMaster Ventures in the low 40's to the high 80's.

 

[mjhenne]

If you don't want to take your pants off to mess with liners maybe a pair of convertible pants?

Zip off/on the outside panel over the mesh for varying temps, leave the rain liner home and use Frogg Toggs for the rain and a bit of extra warmth if needed. Save you from having to strip down to your thong in a gas staion parking lot to make gear adjustments.

http://www.newenough.com/protective...er_ego_textile_mesh_motorcycle_overpants.html

I have a pair of First Gear TPG Escape pants that I like. For warmer weather they have almost effective zippered vents along the outside of the thighs. I can feel a bit of a cool breeze. The vents would probably work really well on a bike with less wind protection than the ST. They also have a mesh lining rather that the usual solid, slick hot day sweat box lining. They are OK into the sticky 80's. A tad warm but tolerable. Might be a bit more comfortable on a warm day in an area with low humidity. When it is really cold they have to come off to put the insulating liner in. If I was riding in the mountains in 40 to 90 to 40 degree weather I'd not need the liner.

http://www.newenough.com/protective...gear/tpg_escape_textile_motorcycle_pants.html

 

[Barnyard]

You might try looking at these, I haven't gotten a pair yet but they look comfortable and versatile. Look at Bohn-Armor-pants.com for men and women.

I have been riding for 30 years. I have gone down once and that was in year 1. I have been wearing leather jackets and jeans for the last 20 years.
After joining this site I realize that armored jeans are a must. I have an armoured jacket.

We tour a lot and are always 2 up. We live in the Okanagan Valley which can be hot but are surrounded by mountain passes which can be cold. Normally I would put on ski type underwear under the jeans and if it was really cold I would put on the rain pants for wind protection. It has been all I needed.

I was at a local dealer checking out the over pants (Olympia - Airglide). She explained that the would go over shorts - so when your parked for a while you take them off and just wear the shorts. These pants also have the rain gear that zippers inside.

Another type were just pants. They also had a zippered rain liner and a separate insulated liner.

I'm trying to find out which pair are the easiest to wear. Before if I needed rain pants I just put them on. Now I have to A. take off my over pants and zipper in the rain gear or B. Take my pants off to the underwear and zipper in the rain liner. Then if it gets cold I have to do it all over again the add the insulated section.

Because I live in an area where we can go from 90' F to 40'F in a short distance I do want the protection but don't want to be changing every 2 hours.

So my question is - what type of pants would work best for me.

 

[GlenT]

I've tried a variety of pants. Fortunately, my wife and I have compatible inseams, so that allows some flexibility.

I love my Frank Thomas overpants for winter use. That's what I am using now. I wear them over jeans. They have a good liner. If it really gets cold, I wear longjohns under the jeans. I never get wet with these, but they are too hot for summer use. But these only have knee armour.

I have a new pair of Joe Rocket Alter-ego pants. They are great for warmer weather. They have a good liner and a large zip out strip that travels from one leg, across the butt, to the other leg. They also have long side zips, so you can put them on without taking off your boots. These have knee and hip armour.

I also have a pair of Joe Rocket Atomic pants, but they don't have a liner. These have knee, hip and base-of-spine armour.

In summer, when its really hot, I ride with silk weight long johns from L.L. Bean or Mountain Equipment Coop. These wick moisture away from your legs to keep you cool without accumulted sweat in places like the inside of your knees.

I sometimes ride with bicycle shorts (padded butt removed) under pants when it is hot, so I can just take the riding pants off when I stop.

I size the summer pants big enough to also use as over-pants too, so that if I am going somewhere (commuting) and don't want to change with I get there, I can just take them off.

One of the annoyances is fitting pants so that they knee padding is in the right place. Look for pants (Joe Rocket is good) that have alternate pockets for knee armour, so that you can get it in the right spot when you are actually sitting on your bike.

I also carry a one-piece Spada rain suit when travelling long distances, for tsunami protection.

It's hard to know what to pack. I usually take too much clothing with me when I travel, but I like being comfortable. Last Memorial Day weekend, we rode from BC to California. The temp went from 39 to 91 degrees in 24 hours. It's hard to get one pair of pants to cover this range.

For me, layering is the best strategy. Yes you have to stop and put on/take off layers. But its also an opportunity to stop and stretch. Sometimes you don't bother because its warm and if you get a little wet, you will dry out later. But when its cold and pouring with no relief in sight, you want to be comfortable. Especially if you are trying to make some miles.

 

[John Anthony]

I've ridden my Motoport police pants in temps ranging from the low 40's to well over 100 and been quite comfortable. One of my better investments in comfort and protection.

John

 

[wcleland]

Which brings up a another question. I use my mesh Tourmasters over jeans. After reading some of these posts I'm considering just using them over my skivies (you can't see thru them). Is this a common practice?

 

[river]

I have been riding for 30 years. I have gone down once and that was in year 1. I have been wearing leather jackets and jeans for the last 20 years.
After joining this site I realize that armored jeans are a must. I have an armoured jacket.

We tour a lot and are always 2 up. We live in the Okanagan Valley which can be hot but are surrounded by mountain passes which can be cold. Normally I would put on ski type underwear under the jeans and if it was really cold I would put on the rain pants for wind protection. It has been all I needed.

I was at a local dealer checking out the over pants (Olympia - Airglide). She explained that the would go over shorts - so when your parked for a while you take them off and just wear the shorts. These pants also have the rain gear that zippers inside.

Another type were just pants. They also had a zippered rain liner and a separate insulated liner.

I'm trying to find out which pair are the easiest to wear. Before if I needed rain pants I just put them on. Now I have to A. take off my over pants and zipper in the rain gear or B. Take my pants off to the underwear and zipper in the rain liner. Then if it gets cold I have to do it all over again the add the insulated section.

Because I live in an area where we can go from 90' F to 40'F in a short distance I do want the protection but don't want to be changing every 2 hours.

So my question is - what type of pants would work best for me.

I just got my Airglides and love them but haven't used them much yet. It says (I think) right on the Olympia website that these can be worn as pants, presumably over underwear! : I would use those moisture wicking long ones, cheap at wallymart.

Why do the other ones seem more like regular pants? Tighter?

 

[Capt_Gruuvy]

I wear lined (Thinsulate) chaps. The lining comes out for summer riding.

If it rains I slide on my cheap ($15.00) plastic rain pants over everthing.

I went down once on the freeway but fortunately I didn't slide very far as I slammed into the k rail in one bounce.

I'm not big on changing or dealing with gear when I get somewhere. Easy on / easy off and throw it in the panniers.

 

[GlenT]

Which brings up a another question. I use my mesh Tourmasters over jeans. After reading some of these posts I'm considering just using them over my skivies (you can't see thru them). Is this a common practice?

Cycling shorts under mesh is a good choice. Allows you to strip down to shorts and t-shirt in public and eat your burger and fries while staying cool.

I sometimes wear the cycle shorts as underwear. They are designed to elimate seams where you sit and they don't bunch up in the crotch. So for high mileage days, cycle shorts and then riding pants are about all you need for decent comfort.

I should also mentioned that I've got a variety of riding gear, but I have a modest budget and shop for deals. New Enough is a good choice. I watch Craig's list. My best deal is a Hein Gericke mesh jacket with liner that I got at a BMW rally in Auburn last year for $30, tax included. I used the mesh jacket more than I thought I would last summer. A lot of my cold weather gear comes from Mark's Work Wearhouse, and MEC. You can pay $100 plus for high-end motorcycle underwear or $25 for cycling shorts.