Hold the REV'IT! Eclipse at eye level, and you can literally see right through them. On a hot day, you might be tempted to ride in shorts… don't. Wear these instead. They offer a CE A rating and come with REV'IT! 's Seesmart CE Level 1 knee and hip armor, and you can adjust the knee armor up or down. Despite having the potential to pass a Darmstadt abrasion test, plain denim – or fashion jeans – can burst open the moment it hits a typical road surface in a real-world crash (ask me how I know). This is actually more of a problem at lower speeds as the rider isn’t as likely to be ‘skating’ over the surface, so much of the energy is transferred straight into the fabric, which rips apart leaving your skin exposed, especially with no armour behind to absorb it. Under EN17092, abrasion testing is carried out on a Darmstadt machine, which spins samples at an rpm specific to the performance classification being aimed for (A, AA or AAA), then drops them onto a concrete slab where they slow to a stop. If there’s no hole bigger than 5mm in any direction, it’s a pass.

There have been close ties between skate and motorcycle culture for decades. Many esteemed names in skateboarding like Max Schaff, Steve Caballero and Scott Pommier, to name just a few, all ride. So it’s only natural that aspects of skate fashion have made the transition too. If all this math is numbing, we'll translate: a single kN equals 225 pounds. That means even Level 2 armor should average "only" transmitting 2,023 pounds of force to your body in the event of a crash. ( Ouch.) The Level 1 stuff would send through 4,046 pounds. That should be sobering when you think about rolling with no armor at all. How comfortable are the pants? REV'IT! have relocated the crotch seams of a traditionally constructed jean pattern to allow for greater freedom of movement and comfort while sitting on the bike—especially for extended periods of time. This small but critical design is invisible whether on or off the bike and helps eliminate painful pressure points plus it ensures the waistband of the trousers stays in place when seated. Extra Comfort By Mechanical Stretch

About

RST X Kevlar Tech Pro | These part-lined jeans are styled to look a lot more like bike kit than the other, more casual-looking kit in our recommendations, but the accordion panels help to keep the Level 2 armour in exactly the right place. The RSTs have also been tested by Motocap , where they received impressive results. Usually, the highest (AAA-rated) clothing for moto is made of leather, making you look like a Marvel extra who wandered off the set. Dainese flips that script with what looks like traditional cargo pants, right down to the cotton feel of the fabric—which is woven with Armalith yarn, which isn't too different from the Dyneema Sa1nt uses for its jeans. The fit's different here, however, with a looser cargo cut, but like those jeans, the idea is the same—exceedingly high resistance to abrasion during a slide. In reply to a comment on our video (see below), PPE expert Paul Varnsverry took a snapshot of the abrasion resistance tests – which are carried out using a properly calibrated Cambridge machine with a 60 grit belt –and studied all the results to find that of 53 motorcycle jeans tested, only 23 had an abrasion resistance score of two or more out of ten. They were all lined jeans. PROTECTION! Hood Jeans were the first company to be awarded UKCA certificates by Satra Technology Ltd.

Many brands supply their jeans quite long, so this might not suit riders with a shorter leg, while others offer varying lengths and some will adjust the length of your jeans to suit you, free of charge. Personally, I don’t like turn-ups on a bike as I seem to keep getting the footpegs caught in them. If you work in an office or profession where you can't wear jeans, the Draggin Chinos will be a greataddition to your wardrobe. These cleverly disguised motorcycledress pants can be worn without anyone suspectingyou ride a motorcycle.You'll save time by not having to change and still look professional. Reinforced with Draggin's RooMoto MR7+protective lining using genuine DuPont™ Kevlar® fibre. Draggin Jeans have been independently tested to provide more than 7.46 seconds or 70 metres of slide time.For added impact protection these Chino riding pants can be fitted with optional Draggin Knee Armour soldseparately as a pair. Merlin Maynard | Merlin’s Maynard jeans are extremely lightweight and breathable. We love the included D3O Ghost armour and thoughtful design touches. These are part-lined jeans, with extra protection at the key impact areas, including the bum, but they feel just like normal fashion jeans to wear. Some part-lined jeans will be pretty much plain denim, with some aramid lining at the knees, hips and bum, for instance. The Riding Gear Chinos boast impressive levels of abrasion and tear resistance. This has been achieved through the use of Polyethylene, Polyarylate and Aramid fibres which are woven into the fabric. These fibres are both highly resistant to heat and stronger than steel making them a great barrier against road rash.

Motorcycle Pants

The key ingredient in chino pants is of course the chino twill fabric used in their construction. Here Riding Culture has replicated both the look and feel of traditional chino cloth. Thanks to a single-layer construction these moto chinos wear exactly how you’d expect a pair of regular chinos to; with the added benefit of all-day riding comfort due to a generous amount of built-in stretch. This is a lab test on a calibrated concrete slab. Real-word crashes are far more chaotic, and you’ll encounter asphalt and the far-more abrasive surface-dressing (or chip-seal), that councils are using on local roads with much more frequency now. MotoCAP’s testing takes into account the abrasion resistance of the entire garment. The details of the construction of these lined jeans has not been verified, but they could be part-lined with only localised areas of a protective fabric. German manufacturer Rokker Company have created an offshoot brand by the name of ‘Riding Culture’. The Riding Culture collection features pieces styled directly from staples in skate fashion which they have infused the latest safety tech. Their abrasion-resistant Riding Culture Chinos epitomise this approach.

Councils throughout England increasingly use surface dressing because (and this is in the words of the councils):

Because boot diameter is very variable, REV'IT! cut these with wider leg openings, but also provide dual-position snap closures to eliminate any gaping between pant and boot. Armour does not just protect you from an impact injury – it makes a huge difference to the abrasion-resistance of the material. Not just because it puts more stuff there to wear out; it absorbs a lot of the energy that would otherwise rip at the fabric. Single layer jeans (left) can be lighter and more form-fitting than lined jeans (right). Granted, I’m not the most stylish model. The knee armour is more prominent in this pair of single-layer jeans, but thinner armour is available such as D3O’s Ghost.