Riding jeans have come a long way since the early days of Draggin Jeans. They didn't really fulfill the promise back in the day - ride in them and continue with your day after you get off the bike - without having to change, and look like you are wearing ordinary pants.

The knee protectors never seemed to stay in their place, were bulky and uncomfortable. I feel quite certain that there would be a very high probability that they would come out of place after the first impact. They were also cumbersome to take in and out - not only requiring you to drop your pants curb side, but also having to fidget a lot before finding the right placement. The hip protectors were not as cumbersome to take in and out, but added a lot of bulk, and were quite uncomfortable. Both the knee protectors and hip protectors made the pants uncomfortable for both riding and walking arround in. The pants were also very hot and overall quite uncomfortable - the thick kevlar liners feeling like the pant was lined with a bath towel. If they got wet, they also took ages to dry out, and oil and grit stuck to them like a sponge, and was difficult to clean out. The pants didn't look all that sleek either - the cut being wy too baggy. Still, with limited luggage space - they were my go-to for two of my trips to Africa - leaving my Cordura pant and kjacket at home, as well as my adventure mc boots or mx boots (in favor of hiking boots).
As for protection, it didn't give me much piece of mind... but is was very convenient, and over all, I was happy with my choice at the time. Walking arround in full riding gear, or leaving it unattended with the bike, both has its obvious downsides - atleast compared to not having to change into other clothing and still be ok comfortable, and not look like you are wearingriding gear.

I am older now, and more safety councious. On my later trips I have worn full riding gear - which also has its benefits, especially when it comes to dealing with ever changing climate conditions throughout a long day's ride.

But there are new innovative solutions to choose from now. Rokker RokkerTech jeans for instance has an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) woven into the main fabric, a material with fibers twice the strength of steel. It makes for a single layered jean, and a promose of abrasive protection greater than leather (or so they say) - and a jean that looks and feels quite close to the classic jean (but not 100%). Rokker also offer a water proof variant (not for me - if I was to use them on and off the bike all the time, I would prefer to put on rain gear over it on rainy or very cool days). Altberg boots seems like a popular choice - although I personally think they look a bit too much like a police boot or hiking boot to cover all mye off-the-bike needs.


What are your thoughts on the following:

Wearing cafe racer style motorcycle boots - the type that you can walk arround in, wear at the office, wear at a dinner party, etc - complete with oil resitant soles with decent grip, protection (ankle, toe, heel, sole)?

Combine the boots with a riding jean - without the knee protector in place, but rather instead wear a combined knee and shin protector on the outside of the pant (easy to take on and off and store in your panniers) - but still use pant hip protectors (easy enough to take in and out of the pant curbisde, and also stays well in place in the event of a crash).

On the torso, I am considering using a protective vest with; chest, back, shoulder and elboe protectors - combined with a light weight riding jacket (protectors taken out) - one that can be used off the bike without looking like an austronaut. Or, an oils skin jacket or similar, maybe with a zip up kevlar shirt underneath? The vest can easily be taken off and wouldn't reqire as much space to store on the bike as if I also had to store the complete jacket.

For those rides where I know I'll be riding a bit harder, faster and longer - I would put the knee/shin protectors underneath the pant, and replace the jean hip protector inserts with protective shorts underneath the jeans (the type that also protects the tail bone).

As for wearing the knee protectors outside the jeans, there is ofcourse a greater risk of them being torn off or being rotated out of position affter impact - but it would probably still offer far better protection than the protectors that are typicall inserted inside the pant? What are your thoughts about waering the knee/shin protectors on the outside - do you for instance think the risk of them being torn off or rotating being great? Another benefit of having them on the outside would be to protect the pant if having to go down on my knees in the dirt - i.e. to work on the bike.

The boots obviously won't offer the same protection as a tall MX boot - but in combination with a shin protector - could it be an ok compromize?

__________________
Blog: www.bamakobyvespa.no
My Youtube Channel