Retrofitting Jeans

victorbrca

victorbrca

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Me and my girlfriend have been shopping for a pair of riding jeans for her, however we can't find anything that she likes. Everything we find has a really bad fit and she doesn't want to buy it.

Anyone ever tried to modify a normal jeans (like adding reinforcements, kevlar and knee pads)?
 
won't work. tell her to get over it...or check out Draggin' Jeans (the Australian website...the USA version is a different company and is not as good, i am told)
 
Ride fitted or bleed trying?

Good luck at finding something that she'll like :)
 
Just wear a pair of FFAM or Rock and Religion jeans....you might fly down the road with gravel embedding itself in your skin and arterial blood spurting from veiny bits...but you'll look ****ing cool.
 
Not gonna work with jeans that look good - can work with jeans or cargo pants that have a loose fit.

knee/shin armor goes easily underneath and weighs nothing, this looks bulky - it's not best is a thin pair of knee socks underneath. The loose jeans hold the knee cap armor bit in place. Bought them for offroad in Aus but now wear them pretty often on road.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/350/491/ITEM/Alpinestars-Reflex-Knee-Guards.aspx

Hip armor from several manufactures that is thin and light but the armor is going to give her more curves in places she may not like. These have both foam and hard armor and are very thin and cool

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/350/35685/ITEM/Icon-Field-Armor-Stryker-Shorts.aspx

I bought a pair of Sliders which are kevlar but rarely wear them - too heavy and hot.
 
Agree, adding any kind of armour or under-armour won't look right in tight jeans. Daught's overpant suggestions seems the best route for her.
 
Tell your girlfriend to get over it. Quality motorcycling gear and fashion don't intersect, for the most part. Not to sound harsh, but I've had this conversation so many times, and it always goes the same way.

The purpose of quality motorcycling gear, if you choose to wear it, is not to make you look good. It's to protect you in the event of disaster, and to make sure that the skin under the gear doesn't come apart.

Modifying regular jeans is a terrible idea. The stitching isn't designed to withstand abrasion - you can put all the kevlar and armour in there that you want, but they're going to come apart if there's a slide.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. Maybe I should have been more clear. She does have a pair of riding over pants, proper riding boots and knee/shin guards. The problem is that on hot days, like this Sunday, she won't wear the over pants no matter how important I explain they are, and how many times I say sweating is a lot better than bleeding.

So I know riding jeans are not safe, but they are at least a bit better than normal jeans. And Jimmy doesn't have women demo pants, so not much I can do there.
 
what oomis said.

but again, if fashion is that important to her, check out the draggin jeans (Australian website). they look good, but are NOT cheap.

http://www.dragginjeans.net/

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victorbrca said:
Thanks for all the replies guys. Maybe I should have been more clear. She does have a pair of riding over pants, proper riding boots and knee/shin guards. The problem is that on hot days, like this Sunday, she won't wear the over pants no matter how important I explain they are, and how many times I say sweating is a lot better than bleeding.

So I know riding jeans are not safe, but they are at least a bit better than normal jeans. And Jimmy doesn't have women demo pants, so not much I can do there.
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Though I admit to being a gear nazi in a previous life, I'm over it now. I've ridden in regular jeans before, though I have kevlar riding jeans now that I prefer for obvious reasons.

At the end of the day, if she's your passenger, it's your decision as to whether or not you're comfortable with how she's dressed when she's riding with you. And I believe very strongly that as part of your responsibility to your passenger, that if you're not comfortable with any aspect of your passenger, then it's your decision. I can see how this would lead to tensions in a relationship, but if you're riding with me, I'm the boss of you while you're on my bike. You don't like it, find your own ride.

If she's riding her own bike, well then she's responsible for her own decisions.
 
Check out Spidi stuff at Motoretta. They actually make fitted protected jeans for ladies (although I'm not sure if there are any left). They obviously won't be better than the crappy fitting kevlar stuff/real riding pants...but I suppose they're better than nothing.

Tbh OP, just tell your gf to give up. Wear kneepads and look silly or just wear jeans and give up the protection. I'm a dude that's into fashion and believe me, I've looked everywhere for an alternative to riding pants. I don't wear skinny's, but my jeans are tighter than average, for sure. I would never wear any of the protective jeans that gear manufacturers make because you're spending more to still have a slightly better, but still crappy fit.

If it's any consolation, heavy, selvedge denim (jeans that tend to be over 200 dollars) will offer slightly more abrasion resistance than typical denim. I used to have jeans that were so heavy/stiff/dry that they could stand up on their own when I first got them lmao
 
Check Shift and Icon as welll - they also make women's riding jeans and are more "fashion forward". If she's petite, she might also find these more comfortable to wear as the "women's" riding jeans that are just a smaller version than men's often don't fit right in the waist, knees, etc. so aside from looking fugly, don't do much for safety either.

As for people saying get over it - I'm not sure I agree. Seems like bit of a cop out to me....and condescending as well. Unfortunately, seems to be the way a lot of manufacturer's think, too (especially US ones). Rev'It, Dianese, and lots of other european/asian brands create nice looking gear people want to wear....end of the day, people DO wear it....instead of just forgoing it.
 
azia said:
As for people saying get over it - I'm not sure I agree. Seems like bit of a cop out to me....and condescending as well. Unfortunately, seems to be the way a lot of manufacturer's think, too (especially US ones). Rev'It, Dianese, and lots of other european/asian brands create nice looking gear people want to wear....end of the day, people DO wear it....instead of just forgoing it.
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But that really is the only option. I'm STILL looking for a brand that has actually managed to put fashion and function together perfectly. Spidi's the only truly fashionable one that I've managed to find so far (although their more fashionable lines actually sacrifice safety in some way)... and even then, I still think it could be a lot better. What I said is not to be confused with minimalist gear that looks good (ie dainese, rev'it, etc.).

lol on second though maybe I should just start a new thread. GL OP
 
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