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How do you wear pants?

Monica

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Ok, I know the basics, one leg in at a time. But wondering how yall layer. Coming from street riding I normally wear jeans, maybe underarmor underneath if it is cold. But I'm looking at getting some riding pants and I have no idea how you wear them, other than putting both legs inside. Do you wear shorts underneath? Just your undies? Gosh I'm scared to of the answers, Commando? Is it like hiking pants than you wear them for the day and then at night at camp you change out of them into something else?

For further, these are to wear on day rides and on camp trips/rides.
 
Ok, I know the basics, one leg in at a time. But wondering how yall layer. Coming from street riding I normally wear jeans, maybe underarmor underneath if it is cold. But I'm looking at getting some riding pants and I have no idea how you wear them, other than putting both legs inside. Do you wear shorts underneath? Just your undies? Gosh I'm scared to of the answers, Commando? Is it like hiking pants than you wear them for the day and then at night at camp you change out of them into something else?

For further, these are to wear on day rides and on camp trips/rides.

First of all, with KLIM pants, you put both legs in at the same time. Sure it’s more difficult this way, but these pants are SPECIAL! [emoji23]

If it’s cold, I wear long johns. Otherwise just the usual underwear. I keep my pants on during the day. My motorcycle pants are comfortable, so its not a problem. Generally I'll change into jeans or shorts (depending on the weather) after I clean up at camp/hotel.


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Shorts under riding pants , when you get where your going slip them off and get comfortable , the strap on armour is way better than what comes in riding pants anyway . Lately I’ve been wearing jeans with strap on armor , starched to keep the cold out if it’s cool outside . If it’s cold enough to need all the bulk gear I usally am sitting by a fire .
 
I wear regular pants underneath as I'm generally riding somewhere where im going to slip them off upon arriving. If I was going on a long ride in the summer, shirts would not be a bad idea. During the winter, I wear regular pants, the riding pants then I slip on a big pair of insulated coveralls. Then the riding jacket. I'm good down to about 35-40 degrees for a morning commute.
It's always funny at work taking my riding pants off in my cubicle as people are walking but when I am dropping my drawers. I always get a few weird looks. :eek2:
 
Where to start? I wear an Aerostich Roadcrafter Light two piece suit. Before that it was Olympia mesh. I wear my suit over normal street clothes. For daily commute that is usually khakis and polo shirts. For longer weekend rides or trips it depends on the weather. Wear what will be comfy at the destination. I almost never wear jeans. I find them hot and uncomfortable under the suit. In summer especially, no cotton. Think hiking, backpacking. Wear that kind of stuff.

You can get some good info from the Iron Butt Association site.

I hope this helps and if course,

Keep the shiny side up.

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Great answers guys, exactly what I was looking for. A couple of yall touched on commuting to work, that was another thing I wondered about. So from what I'm gathering is to make sure my riding pants are big enough to accommodate a real layer of clothing underneath. In the case of work shoes vs riding boots, I take it yall just carry your work shoes in a backpack or tailpack and change them at work when you strip down the riding pants/suit?
 
Correct about the shoes. Also, I have liners that go inside the suit in cold or wet weather.

The Aerostich is water proof but the Olympia mesh of course was not. I kept the Olympia liners. Many suits come with the liners.

Think of the suit as gear, not clothing.

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Was wondering what you were looking for. You said "Coming from street riding" so I thought maybe you were talking about dirt. If I'm riding dirt and it's hot out I wear shorts under my riding pants. So nice to pull the riding pants off while loading bikes and gear up in the heat.

For commuting, you want to look for overpants. I have a set of Olympia overpants that I wear over my work pants for most of the year and then my warmer electric suit for winter. When I work somewhere that I have my own desk, I just toss my shoes in a drawer. Right now where I work we have flexible seating so no assigned desk so I just bring mine with me and change when I get to work.
 
Was wondering what you were looking for. You said "Coming from street riding" so I thought maybe you were talking about dirt. If I'm riding dirt and it's hot out I wear shorts under my riding pants. So nice to pull the riding pants off while loading bikes and gear up in the heat.

For commuting, you want to look for overpants. I have a set of Olympia overpants that I wear over my work pants for most of the year and then my warmer electric suit for winter. When I work somewhere that I have my own desk, I just toss my shoes in a drawer. Right now where I work we have flexible seating so no assigned desk so I just bring mine with me and change when I get to work.
Oh yeah I should have been more clear. My intention is to do more dual sport riding, perhaps even take road trips out to camp. But there will be days where I load the bike and gear and it's dedicated dirt/camp weekend. But with the plated dirtbike, I do ride it on the street just to go ride. I'm trying to figure out what to wear and how to wear it in these varying settings and conditions
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There is a lot of flexibility if you buy the right riding pants. I generally wear them over jeans, but have also worn them over shorts and even a swim suit. It depends on the bike, too. My RT has a lot of wind protection so I may not use the rain/wind liner. On a cold day on the X Challenge more protection is needed. I've worn the whole riding suit over a dress suit for a funeral. I stowed the suit jacket in the top box for the ride.

Like buying any outer wear, put on the maximum clothing you would wear under it and then go down to fit. I can't speak for all the brands, but the Olympia riding suits will be very adjustable in size.

As an aside, I carry the Olympia riding pants with me hiking they are small, relatively light and easy to get on and off over boots.

Talking about funny stares, I almost always carry my wallet in the pants under my suit. I get some strange looks at the gas station going for my wallet.
 
If it's warm, I wear some sort of shorts ... typically longer legged gym shorts that will wick away sweat ... and then a mesh pant.

If it's cool, I wear some sort of thermal leggings ... helps if there is a stirrup in order to keep the leg from riding up and bunching ... and a mesh or textile pant, depending upon the temp variation throughout the day.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NANZ4WL/?tag=twowhetex-20

If it's cold, I wear a product called "Freez-Out". On the surfaces that face the wind, there is a heavy barrier to block and breathable material elsewear. and then textile pants.
I've seen it at Cycle Gear.

I don't fool with zipped in liners. Easy enough to remove, but a pain to install.

I was not happy with the knee and hip protection my pants offered for my recent trip to Big Bend. I ordered a pair of under shorts used in ice hockey, skiing, football ... that have tail bone, hip, thigh and knee protection. Very comfortable to wear and move in.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KKNJNF0/?tag=twowhetex-20


With MC pants, it certainly helps to have the leg zip to the hip or crotch in order to get them on and off.
 
Monica, there are 2 kinds of pants. Some are "overpants" and as the name suggest, you'd wear those over your other pants or shorts. They are designed to be taken off when you get done with the ride and you'd wear your normal clothes below.

The other kind is riding pants and these are made to wear instead of your other pants. They usually are a bit more finished on the inside so they aren't so rough and they are usually a bit more fitted as they are intended to fit next to your body like regular pants.

I've worn both over the years but now I exclusively wear the second category of riding pants. They are more comfortable and cooler. I just wear normal underwear underneath them or if it's cold, I'll wear thermal underwear or tights for additional warmth. When camping, I usually carry a pair of shorts or pajamas for sleeping and maybe some jeans for walking around the campsite in the evening if it's cooler.
 
A word about overpants. Theoretically, they're sized such that if you buy them in your regular size, they'll slip on & button over a pair of jeans or shorts. The formulas aren't perfect. Some of the online stores are quite good about testing everything they sell, reviewing them on their websites, and giving sizing tips. I find Motorcyclegear.com and Revzilla particularly good about this. And if you're still not sure about fitment, call them & ask. Both are very helpful over the phone.

I wear riding pants over a pair of jeans or shorts. I have two pairs -- an exclusively summer Joe Rocket Pair, and a 3-season Tourmaster pair with zip-off panels. With either pair, I can add warmth or waterproofing (or both) by slipping on a $20 pair of Coleman rain pants.
 
I've had overpants and dedicated riding pants.
Which you choose really depends on how you want to wear them.
If you have a locker room or decent place to change, riding pants are more comfortable; less Michelin-man-like.
Overpants tend to be warmer (generalization) if that's what you are looking for. Multiple layers just does that inherently.
 
Hmm ok, I've got some clarity now about the pants situation, thank yall. I can shop with more confidence now. I like the idea of minimal w riding pants. And while I don't necessarily like layers (makes me feel like a marshmallow), I understand how overpants will be a solution to the commute or cold/wet weather scenes.

Also, here's helpful advice for the underpants when camping. :D
:doh::lol2: I'll keep this technique way back in my emergency procedures box, mkay?
 
My son has tried to reason that logic with his mother a few times. Didn't go so well.
 
I have a pair of KLIM Bandland Pro pants and a pair of Motoport AirMesh Kevlar II pants. The KLIM are GoreTex and VERY water proof. The Motoports are mesh. The BIG difference is how hard/easy they are to put on over other pants/boots.

The KLIM do not unzip up the legs. They have a zipper on each leg that comes up to about the top of the calf. Opening it, allows for more room at the bottom of the legs, but there is still a flap inside so that the material comes all the way to the bottom, similar to the wrist cuff on many jackets. These pants CANNOT be put on over boots you are already wearing. So to put them on or take them off, I always have to have my boots off. The thing is, I don't ALWAYS want to take my boots off just because I want the pants off. The most frequent situation is getting to a campsite at the end of the day or breaking camp in the morning. I may not want the pants on during those times, but I generally still want my boots on while I walk around. It is not a huge deal, just an annoyance. These are not really pants I would pick for commuting. I use them for day rides and dualsporting. I wear LD Comfort tights with them. If it is cold, I wear my KLIM mid layer pants over the LD tights. If it is REALLY cold, I wear my heated vest with the KLIM mid layer jacket. This setup is good for 110 F down to around 25 F.

The Motoport pants have a full length zipper on the right leg, and and ankle to crotch zipper on the left leg. I can easily get these on/off over my bulky dirt boots. I only wear these if I know there is no chance of rain and it is not too cold. I might wear jeans under them or the LD tights. They look horribly bulky but I don't even notice them when riding. I have a rain liner for them, but hate it because the liner against my body makes me cold! I much prefer either an external rain pant/jacket or GoreTex. This is why I finally popped for the Badlands Pro pants/jacket. I LOVE not having to worry about liners or external covers and not having to pack them. I also like having water proof pockets.

The comment above about hip protection is a good one. I don't know why, but MANY pants have zero hip armor. This makes no sense to me. If you come off the bike, the likelihood that you will land squarely on your hip is pretty high... Trust me on this one :doh: Hip bruises take a LONG time to heal, like a year or more before you can lay on that side without it hurting even if you are on a soft mattress. I had extra armor added to the Motorport pants when I ordered them. They argued with me, but I insisted. It was worth it. The padded underpants are a good idea. Again, most pants have no tail bone protection. They seem to think the only thing you will ever hit is your knee caps :shrug:

You want impact absorption AND abrasion resistance. This means at least some kind of armor and then high strength denier/cordura type material. I would not waste my time with those Kevlar reinforced jeans. They are better than nothing, but they offer no impact protection. I am not just talking about high speed impacts either. When you are dualsporting, landing on your knees in a tip over is not uncommon. A rock to the kneecap is extremely NOT FUN... Seriously... Even moderate knee armor can save you a world of pain here.
 
Here's a perspective from a LD/IBA rider. Those of us in this little segment of the motorcycling world tend to wear a variety of gear, but the two companies that always rank at the top are Aerostich and Klim. Both are more expensive than what the majority of folks buy, but the product is a buy it once and wear it forever type.

For undergear, we also tend to only wear one brand; LD Comfort. It's a dual layer fabric that wicks moisture away from your skin and holds it in the outer layer. For hot weather riding you wet down the top and let evaporation do its thing and cool you down. In cold weather its similar to wearing a pair of thermals. LD Comfort is available for both men and women. Again, this will be much more expensive than regular "underwear" but we consider it to be "undergear".

I strongly suggest going to the LD Comfort site and reading all the information that is provided on why this is the best undergear for you.

The IBA does not allow advertising on their site, but there are two companies that the IBA supports and LD Comfort is one of them. See it here: http://www.ironbutt.com/friends.cfm
 
Back in the time of 400 mile days on a sportbike, we found that bicycle shorts under our leathers gave us both wicking and padding, prevent chafing. Became the standard within most of my crew. For us guys, it also helped prevent the jewels from tucking under and getting squashed as boxers were won't to allow.

The downside could be something like the night at Arkey's Silver Dollar Saloon where my friend ended up on the dance floor in his bike shorts, t-shirt, and white Dainese boots. I thought 'tonight we die'. We lived to tell about it. Loooong story... NSFW.

Surprised no one's suggested bicycle shorts under your riding pants.
 
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Geez, i was going to say something but,...enough said :lol2:

TShelter speaks the truth.
 
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