commuting pants
 

Hi everyone, first post here.

I am looking for some pants for commuting, i been commuting with shorts, but now its getting cold and id ont like wearing jeans to commute my 12 miles to work.

I did find these pants on treehugger.com

http://www.cordarounds.com/bike-to-work/

but are there any others.

I dont like the tights look. I want something a little bit more casual to walk around. I like jeans, but cycling int hem is rough! and i get pretty sweaty.

I looked at performancebike and nashbar but all they have is tights and raingear for pants.

Anyone use something else?

I'm starting to wonder about this too. I've been riding in a pair of zip-off hiking shorts over the summer and have thought about zipping the legs back in; I've also considered a pair of warmup-style pants, should be able to get those about anywhere.

I'm with you on the tights look.

My favorite pants for cycling are from Nau, gusseted crotch (aka no seam fold where it hurts), recycled synthetic materials (means they shed water really well and wick sweat). Look like dress pants. I've got lighter (wearever pants... they are awesome...) and medium weight (can't remember the name) and heavier (basically fleece pants that look like dress pants... they even have a faint striping... very snazzy) ones.

However, Nau is going through some reorganization, and won't have anything available until mid october. If you think synthetic pants that look like dress / business pants might be up your ally, you might check out some of the stuff from Patagonia... Specifically I think the following are promising:

1. Sol
2. Byway
3. El Cap

Also, I've considered the MH Matterhorn Convertible as it's the only synthetic convertible I've seen that doesn't have gawd-aweful ugly cargo pockets.

J&G Patrol Pants...pricey but worth every penny. Mine are going into their 3rd winter of commuting.

Ooh... nice...

When I wear tights I wear shorts over them. My winter tights are covered by my rain pants.
All my saddles are now anatomic. If the saddle doesn't have a gash,then I won't ride it.
Chafing problems are pretty low with regular seams. I couldn't wear knickers to work as the
guys would have a laugh for years to come. Yes, I wish there was a better market for commuter
pants.

I have the same requirement for inflatable companions.

I had to troll that one out!:crash:
Sometimes the truth is stranger than friction,,er fiction.

How warm are you looking for them to be? Will you be wearing them while at work, or do you change when you get there?

I'm thinking about buying these

http://www.rivbike.com/products/list...product=22-433

I just wear my normal pants. Unless it's raining, I don't like to wear "cycling" clothing when commuting. I find them unnecessary and then I just have to haul more stuff and take time to change.

I am not a big fan of tights-only either. My wife says I look good in them, but she also likes a good laugh at my expense sometimes. Regardless, I wear long, knee-length shorts over whatever. They have plenty of pockets, beltloops [for a belt - didn't see that one coming...], and breathe pretty well in warm weather. When it turns chilly, I can wear them with tights or legwarmers in the morning, then stuff the leggings in my pack for the ride home.
Pros: no chance of getting my pants caught in my chain; my wallet, passcard, keys, etc. are in the same pockets no matter what; I look like a messenger.
Cons: looks weird to be wearing shorts when there is snow on the ground; I look like a messenger.

I tried the zip-off pants, but I found the thigh area too restrictive. Also, the zips are at the knee when standing, but as soon as you sit and pedal - zwippp! They are at mid-thigh.

I wear Dickies style work pants.Loose fitting,dry fast,cheap,lightweight,breathable and come in my favorite color.

Chrome Shins, pricey, but worth every penny. Made in USA too.

Portland Cyclewear Messenger Pants. Decent price and seem pretty durable. Worn them several times a week for about a year and they're holding up very well.

So your issue seems to be the apearance of them...
Why not just get an elastic ankle band and nylon pants.
Scott

I wear jeans, but they tend to rip since I don't roll them up. Acceptable loss.

I ordered some pants from rei a while ago, and they arrived today. I totally forgot, but im going to try these out.

They are the novara headwing pant. black, and cost 75$.. THats very expensive for me, but im hoping they will last for a while!

I tried them on, and it looks good, they are tighter up in the butt, and nice and loose in the legs. I like that as i dont have huge calves. If i had a nice body i wouldnt mind wearing tights.. but until then :)


The reason i dont want to commute in jeans is because ill sweat like a pig in them. I want something that breaths as well as keep me a little warm.

LOL - the commuter forum is a crack up sometimes. I just clicked over from a thread where a guy was talking about basically never putting an expensive part on a commuter bike (I ride every day to work - ~100 miles a week - why would I ride a clunker?) then here I see a $160 pair of pants! :beer:

Oh, absolutely not a "shot" Nick - a little rich for me but I'm sure they are worth the dough. It's just the contrast cracks me up. Not sure you'll find such a huge difference on any other bike forum. Oh, perhaps classic and vintage - tell somebody they spent WAY to much dropping $100 on a nice old frame, then tell them they should get a $500 paint job for the same bike........

The REI Headwind pants are probably the single best cycling clothing purchase I've ever made. I'm going on 4 winters on them (so maybe 3-400 days) and they show ZERO wear whatsoever. They are good by themselves down to about 35F. Below that and to about 20F (lowest I go), I add a pair of long underwear. They are not tight unless you buy the wrong size. They are not really very loose fitting either. Just right, including narrow legs so they don't get stuck in your chain/rings.

i wore the REI headwind pants today, and they were pretty nice, it was rather hot, so they were not a good choice to use, but they look good and they don't look like a racer boy type of tight which i like.

Since I'm in them so much anyway - it's lycra shorts for the nice weather --- and I just got out and wore my tights the last couple days. Have a feeling I will be moving into my heavier winter tights very soon. For deeper winter I'll wear the winter tights with a wind/rainproof pant over them.

Real men wear tights. <--not in reference to tude. :p

I wear nylon hiking pants. as it gets cooler i wear different thermal layers beneath them. i'm warm down to about 20°F wearing wool thermals and waterproof biking pants.

I wore these all summer (leg zipped off) and now am wearing them full leg in the cooler weather...

Hiking Pants http://www.blair.com/webapp/wcs/stor...roductId=34273

Sound like they fit a bit like my Nau wearevers (kind of like a slim fit straight leg jean... except much lighter / stretchier material)... but obviously from a thicker material. Nice.

one concern is how hard you ride and how much you sweat. i'd never wear something that was khaki like because i ride hard and sweat a lot. its important to me to wear all sweat wicking fabrics.

Yeah i sweat alot! Im hoping this REI headwind pants work out.

As a long time lurker, I learned about the REI Headwind pants from this forum, bought them, and really, really like them. I've only had then for a a few months so cannot comment on longevity.

For the record, I tend to get colder more easily than most, and I went for a short 10 mile ride on Sunday in 28F weather, and was nicely warm on my legs.

They are not too tight either.

I like mine too...but they don't seem to be available on REI's site anymore.

I like the J&G Patrol Pants, I have issues with paying $100 for a pair of pants, at some point I will probably throw the money for them. Currently I ride wearing Carhartt work pants or shorts.

+1 on the Chrome shins. That said, I've found any loose fitting street pant works if you throw bike shorts on underneath. It's down to forty degrees at night now, but the shins are still fine, I just wear calf length wool tights (with a chamois) underneath.