I've accidentally moved close to my work - about 4km. It's no longer worth getting changed for the ride, but as we head into summer, riding in jeans isn't going to work. So I'm looking for suggestions for long pants that are as cool (ie, ventilated) as possible.

I work at a university so relatively informal pants is ok - but would prefer something that could be mistaken for actual work attire by the casual observer.

Hmm, any way you could stash "work" clothes there? By doing that, I can wear whatever works best for the commute.

I get away with it with dark grey rei hiking pants, roll them up, ride, roll down. Usually find them for 30 on sale and are very versatile.

Track suit trousers? Plus 4 knickers? Sweatpants? regular Khaki shorts?


what is the costume you wear at work?

golf pants have been recommended here in the past. They are very light weight and breathable but look like work appropriate khakis (unless you get some plaid ones). I tried some but found them too tight. I also have a short commute but I either wear jeans and suffer a little or wear shorts and change quickly if it's too hot as it has been for the past week

Could you get away with convertible pants? The kind with zip-off legs that turn into shorts?

I have a pair of REI pants(sorry,don't remember the model) that look pretty much like black dress slacks,but they don't wrinkle,wick/dry fast,and are water resistant.

There's also Cordarounds.

The October issue of Momentum Magazine has a section on fashion for the commuter. Not on the website yet, but I did get my digital copy yesterday. They listed and showed quite a few designers that made fashionable commuter clothing. I was surpised to see how many people were doing this kind of designing.

BTW, I love this magazine. Geared for the everyday/commuter cyclist. You can get a digital subscription quite cheap.

MUSA pants by Rivendell are really comfortable casual cycling pants. I wear them a lot, they are very comfortable the only dead give away is the reflective strip on the cuff. Beta brand also makes a few different styles.

Marc

Levis Commuter Jeans/Pants

I have one pair of the pants and wish i had several. They're comfortable on the bike and work well for a business casual work place.
They're a little too warm for me during the summer months, so I've been wearing Russell "Dry Power" athletic pants and changing at the office during the heat/humidity.

Caveat: I have NOT tried riding in these, but I noticed some inexpensive golf pants at my local Costco for $20 which looked like 'business casual' khakis (in a variety of solid colors), but felt like workout wear. Light weight, seemed breathable, and claimed to wick moisture. I believe they were branded Callaway. I note that you're not in the US, so this might be of limited use to you, but it might be worth investigating similar options.

I'm faculty and just leave my towels and clothes hanging on the wall radiator, as do most of my colleagues. Can you do the same?

You may not believe this, but I commuted this summer wearing wool dress trousers. Remember that cycling clothing used to be made of wool. It works surprisingly well in summer and winter.

Hi all,
Sorry, I missed the notifications from this thread! There's a shower at work, and no problem leaving clothes there - it's just a bit silly for a 4km commute. I previously lived 12km away (same office) and that's what I did.

Zip off pants are the best solution I have atm, but they're quite noisy to walk in, and not really formal enough for meetings.

Still, some good ideas here I'll look into.

https://shop.outlier.cc/shop/retail/new-og.html

Yes..but... $240?? Also, one of their big selling points seems to be the American-made-ness which is, um, not very important to me

About all I have these days are convertible pants I buy when they are on sale for 1/2 off or more.

I use Rohan Bags, hiking pants without the external cargo pockets.

I am amazed that so few US riders have heard of bicycle clips: springy metal or plastic cuffs that keep the material from flapping around and getting oily. There is no need roll your trouser leg up and the clips are much quicker than velcro.

I'm bringing back the knickers for all occasions. Aerotech designs have some that are reasonably priced.

Was wondering where those were available, will start commuting again very soon and trying to figure out what to do about the clothes bit. Figured to wear shorts, put the pants in the rack trunk, Change at work. I've also cut the tops off of old work socks and slipped them over the pants. Works in a pinch.

Thanks for mentioning that magazine, just picked up a year subscription for five bucks on the ipad.

+ 1 for Golf pants, I use them everyday.

I have been a fan of the brand 5.11 tactical. They are about on par with price of most jeans but made for stain/oil resistance and oriented to EMS and police uniform use. The EMS specific ones even have knee pads(which are handy for a mechanic).

Lots of great suggestions here and +1 on the thanks for the magazine as well - very nice. I am a faculty member at a university too and have worn simple Dickies 874 work pants for years. They are tough, made of mostly polyester so they have some wicking ability and dry out rather quickly in rain, etc and resist stains from road well. I just roll them up as far as the temps dictate on any given day and then roll them down, thrown on a button down shirt and they pass pretty well at meetings. They are not as light or breathable as some of the much more expensive suggestions here, but at $27 they are a good value.

+1 for Dickies 874.
I get the Black and Navy Blue ones, take the logo patch off carefully, and you've instantly got yourself a pair of dress pants with industrial durability.

These are awesome: https://swrve.myshopify.com/collections/pants-jeans/

You can try them on (along withe Outlier brand mentioned above) at Hub & Bespoke in the Fremont neighborhood.