Types of Motorcycle Riding Pants and their Fabric
Motorcycle riding pants can’t be talked about enough. It is one of the toughest pieces of riding gear to get right and there are several reasons for it. It has to offer enough protection like the rest of the bits such as your helmet, riding jacket and boots, while being comfortable enough that you can stay in the saddle for hours. The second point is quite important as if you are not comfortable in the saddle, you are increasing your chances of something going wrong from the get go. So, to clear up the confusion, here’s a guide to motorcycle riding pants and their fabric. To find out which one will work better for you, read on.
In the early years of riding gear, leather and denim were considered the best fabric for most pieces of riding gear. The problem however is that leather isn’t all that comfortable in hot conditions and the denim just doesn’t offer enough protection. A lot of people still relied on denim as it looks better, and more often than not, how a particular piece of riding gears looks can be enough to convince someone to buy it. As technology progressed, we started using materials like Cordura and Kevlar which are incredibly strong and abrasion resistance, look decent, and are comfortable to wear as well. However, using Kevlar to reinforce riding pants makes them heavier and slightly uncomfortable to wear on longer rides. Enter, Dyneema.
Dyneema is like Kevlar, but just a better version of it. It’s 15 times stronger than steel! That takes care of toughness, and such levels of strength mean that you need to use less of it. That reduces weight and increases comfort, and did we mention that Dyneema is also lighter than Kevlar so that equals to even more comfort. In fact, Dyneema fabric allows riding gear manufacturers to make single layer garments that can breathe well. When you are on the motorcycle, they offer adequate protection, and when you are off it, they are just like any other pair of denim jeans to own and wear. Plus, they look good too!
A great example of such a riding pant is the BYKE'IT! Alpha Jeans. It looks good, feels comfortable against your skin, and most importantly, it is among the best when it comes to safety. Most of all, if you were off the motorcycle, nobody would even know that you are wearing a motorcycle riding pant. Just to paint you a picture of exactly how extreme the BYKE'IT! Alpha Jeans are, they float on water, feel as soft as silk, are five times more abrasion resistant and 40% lighter than Kevlar, work well in both extreme heat and cold, are fire resistant and can even self-extinguish!
Alternatively, if you would like to stick with the old-age blend of Cordura and Kevlar, you can look at Pando Moto and Rev’it! as they both offer multiple riding pants with a similar construction. It all, ultimately boils down to what feels more comfortable and works for you.
