I know it's the wrong time of year to be asking this, but here goes. I'm assuming a bulk of people probably ride with cycling-specific pants/shorts and what not, but I'm wondering what other people use?

Denim is too expensive and gets worn out to spend another spring/summer/fall replacing my pants because they get worn out and rip where I make contact with the seat. I was considering a pair of Dickie's, but remember them not breathing that well in vocational school.

Any suggestions? I'm a t-shirt + jeans (or cut-offs when it's hot) kinda guy, don't really wear anything else unless I'm going to a wedding or funeral. Any suggestions would be welcome. Want to be able to wake up in the am, toss them on and not have to change out of them unless I spill something on them.

Thanks in advance.

Hiking pants, shorts, and convertible pants. They're usually light weight, and quick drying. Most are made with rip-stop material. If you really shop around around you can find ones with articulated knees, and/or a gusseted crotch. There's probably some pretty good deals around since they're out of season for most places. I'd check Sierra Trading Post, REI, and any of the big box hunting/camping stores.

Same ^^ -- I often wear regular cargo shorts on my commute -- gives me no problems.

+1 these specifically

I don't mind Dickies pants so much. Their shorts are ridiculously baggy, though.

I wear board shorts quite a bit as well. Most are quick dry like the hiking shorts mentioned previously

I generally don't wear "shorts," usually cut-off jeans. I'm fairly picky about the fit of my clothing, thanks for the suggestions though.

Now you're reminding me of a certain Katy Perry / Snoop Dogg song.

Another good choice is Red Kap pants.

What kind of denim do you wear? Dickies breathe a lot better than all of my denim except one pair of Guess jeans I have.

I wear tek-gear athletic pants. Roomy, and not to expensive (when you buy them 1/2 off especially). They come in different colors, patterns, and styles.

Would tactical pants be more your thing? Lots of people wear them for cycling.

+1 on tactical pants. I used to rip jeans with the teeth on the gear all the time carrying my bike up and down the stair at the train station. Those day are gone with these 5.11 tactical pants. I had teeth snag on the pants where I swear will result in a hole and it survived. They also have extra material on area like the seat area.

I wear either Target Champion Brand golf shorts,which are stretchy, decent looking and dry quickly, or REI convertible pants, or a pair of Cloudveil climbing knickers.

Mostly the Target shorts, though. Usually over a pair of bike shorts, but often just over some synthetic-weave undies.

any shorts that fit over my bike shorts.

Any nylon shorts without a major seam down the middle. I've even bought swimming trunks and cut out of the liner... although they were a bit too short for my taste. Cargo shorts are good too.

Rip-stop cargo shorts and a decent pair of undies (underarmor) on my SS around town/commuter. I usually don't ride over 5 miles each way on that bike and don't need a chamois.

I ride a 30 mile commute each day and still don't need a chamois. I do like to use a little aquaphor on my right inner leg though, because my thighs are frog-like and tend to rub -- regardless of clothing or saddle.

Man, all it takes is one day of forgetting to use it and sure enough I get raw....when I do use it, I don't even spare a thought about comfort.

This. Convertible pants are great during the spring and fall when the temperatures change during the day.

Lightweight polyester/polycotton hiking shorts are perfect. The seams are so thin they dont casue any problems (its not like denim jeans). They are hardwearing and look good enough to wear around town without feeling like a freak. Zipped pockets are useful but you dont need lots of them.

I wear whatever I'm going to wear for the day at work - usually cargo shorts or something similar and a polo, bowling or t-shirt. I have an office all to myself and work mostly independently so nobody cares what I wear.

For some it's going to depend on the length of their commute. Mine is only 10 miles round trip so I don't get too uncomfortable. Having recently gotten into longer distance road cycling, there's no way I would wear street clothes on a long ride.

I've never tried commuting in long pants but maybe some day I'll give it a shot. Fortunately where I live commuting year-round in shorts doable.

Thanks for the ideas guys. Think I'm going to give Dickie's a go first as they're the cheapest option.

Cycling shorts for their padding and lack of chafing, with cargo shorts over them so I don't scare the ladies at work when I walk in, and to put stuff in (spare lights, gloves when i'm not using them, etc.)

When you guys say "Ripstop" or "Tactical" pants, would that be something like this?:

https://www.armynavydeals.com/asp/pro...own%20Trousers

Those look like a tactical pant style.

In clothing and camping gear, ripstop frequently refers to a weave of Nylon (usually) that won't immediately split from one end to the other once it gets a tiny tear in it.

Got a pair of MTB shorts , Design used a panel of stretch material across the back,
and one in the inside leg for flexibility.