rtciv

Hi there. I'm not certain that this is cycling related but I'm fairly sure it is. I wear through the crotch of any trousers or shorts at a shocking pace. Generally I get about 30-60 days of wear out of them before there's a hole, and then it grows rapidly and I have to retire them. Repairs are futile because the material has thinned out so much over a wide area, and I can't get patches to stay on. One thing I haven't tried yet is pre-patching new trousers before they wear out, but this would look a bit strange.

I used to work as a cycle courier and covered 20-60 miles per day, and I did go through clothes pretty quickly. BUT I wore shorts almost every day and these last much longer. I theorise that swinging my leg over my bike stretches the material a lot with trousers, even when I pull them up first to gain range of motion. With shorts, this problem isn't there.

These days I basically only cycle 3 miles per day, commuting. I'm wearing through trousers quickly. Four pairs so far this year, with huge holes in them.

Has anyone else had this problem? I can't remember how it has varied with different saddles, but I THINK it wasn't an issue back when I rode a leather one. I'm not certain, though.

I could wear a different set of clothes to cycle in and then change at work, but I'd still wear through them just as fast and it would cost me the same money/effort of constantly seeking new clothes that would otherwise last for 5 years or more. Plus I cycle around town as transport and I don't want to have to dress up just for that.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

cyclist2000

Are you wearing biking specific clothing or a pair of dockers?

paulkal

I have the same problem, my commute is about 6 km one way. My trousers last about half an year.
My solution is to use cheap trousers when I cycle.

rtciv

I don't know what dockers are, but no, none of it is cycling-specific. I just wear normal street clothes, maybe jeans or other sorts of trousers, and regular shorts that youngish men might wear.

Machka 

My cycling shorts last 2-3 years before they start to get a bit thin ... that's over 20,000 km.

rebel1916

Wear cycling shorts.

wahoonc

For years I bought khaki uniform pants at an outlet, $1 a pair. At the time I was riding an old Raleigh 3 speed with the vinyl mattress saddle, they probably did wear out a bit faster in the seat than normal but at that price who cared. I suspect most materials are going to wear out a bit faster unless they are specifically designed for cycling. I would look for the heavier weight materials and shop the thrift stores.

Aaron

cyclist2000

Use cycling shorts to work then change

Nightshade

Leather will polish up to the point of being super smooth with very little , if any, drag on the pants material.

SlimRider

My recommendation:

Eat less beans!

BarracksSi

What Nightshade said -- leather is really smooth and won't wear down the fabric as much. It's a big reason why I'll never part with my Brooks for a commuter bike. I see saddles with lycra covering and/or stitching and I wonder why the marketing department took control of saddle design.

Koobazaur

Hmmmm, I bike like 30-60 mins pretty intensly like 3-5 times a week and havent noticed too much wear on my pants. I do alternate between some strong cargos, jeans, cargo shorts and gym shorts, so I guess all these are built to last.

That and I dont have a high standard for clothes and they're probably in a much worse shape than I assume but hey, if they don't have holes and still fit....