Pants for commuting
 

For those of you who don't change clothes after your ride to work, what brand of pants do you like? I don't commute because there is a railroad overpass and no shoulders on the road and a blind curve, a recipe for disaster all in one place. I do like to ride at lunch and changing clothes cuts off the ride time. I keep a bike in my office. We're pretty casual here but we only wear jeans on Fridays. I'd be riding no more than five miles in a business district or in a suburban neighborhood nearby.

I've been wearing Lee Tri-Flex slacks most days but I haven't tried to ride in them. Any other brands you all like and can recommend?
Thanks

I wear synthetic hiking pants, including one pair with zip-off legs. They actually seem to last longer than jeans, and are not permanently stained by bike chain and brake crud.

My workplace has a dress code, but it has its ups and downs in terms of enforcement. Every couple of years, it gets enforced for a few weeks if some manager gets excited about it, or if people are really getting sloppy.

Personally, I would not tolerate any bike that dictated my clothing. The bike exists to make short distance travel as convenient as possible. I ride a European commuting bike with B67 Brooks saddle, fenders, normal upright geometry, and a chainguard. I think that is a better route for me than trying to find special pants to wear on what is essentially a sports and recreation device.

Likewise here. My commuting bike is exactly as you describe, albeit with parts sourced from various continents, and a plastic saddle. What we're talking about is the clothing being dictated by the workplace rather than the bike.

But we Americans are an odd lot, we also ride bikes recreationally, over long distances, and so forth. So I have multiple bikes, all equipped differently. And I still wear any clothing on any of them. I actually don't own any cycling specific garb. Even in Europe, many cyclists bring out different gear for recreational rides.

I wear Van Heusen dress pants. But I also have a Dutch bike that doesn't require me to make changes to how I dress. I'm currently looking for over pants though since it has gotten to cold for just the pants.

While not bike-specific, I've found that Kuhl makes slimmer, technical pants with ventilation that seems durable and are presentable at work. In Texas I can only commute in pants in the middle of winter though. I have to wear shorts most of the year and change at work. Vuori makes some good pants too, again, not bike-specific, but they work well. A little pricey though.

For bike-oriented brands, check out Chrome and Swrve. There's always discount codes for them.

My ride is a similar distance. I just wear the pants I would wear at work whether I rode, drove, or walked. I usually get my dress pants at Nordstrom Rack, but can’t recommend any specific brand. Although I do avoid wearing my really nice all wool slacks. They just don’t stand up to the saddle wear.

I change at work, but have worn zip-offs (and the same pants sans zippers) while commuting. This requires an ankle band to keep the pants out of the chain. Would sure like to find some that I don't have to use the ankle band.

For a lunchtime ride of <5 miles, I would just wear whatever pants I happened to wear to work that day. Jeans (just not low-rise in back, unless you actually are a plumber), khakis, or even some decent-looking workman's pants -- I've got a couple pairs that are like Carhartts, but without the hammer loop...They are great for commuting and don't look too bad.

Since I commute to a professional-casual workplace, I have tried some of the special pants designed for cycle commuting -- Rapha, Prana, etc. None of 'em really do it for me. Lousy fit and the nylon material is just weird once I'm off the bike -- makes that "swoosh" sound when I walk.

Same answer as last time. The Levi's 511 commuter jeans. Have not needed to shop in a few years but last time found them at Macy's. The labels had changed, they no longer had any bike branding. But they still had the stretchy fabric, reflective piping inside the cuff, reinforced crotch, the disguised u-lock holster. Same problem as ever with fit because the various colors are made of pretty different fabric. That was two or three years ago now. No idea if they are still around.

https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/clothi...ns/p/191510034
https://www.levi.com/US/en_US/clothi...ns/p/191510059

Top-loading, not side-loading pockets are pretty important so stuff doesn't fall out, and if they're too big they flop around your hips. If you like getting stuff out of your rear pockets, it's nice if they don't have zippers or buttons. In other words, jeans not khakis.

They are cotton. I don't usually set out in the rain, though don't worry if there's some in the forecast. It's temperate here.

In past years in the winter I've worn snowboard pants over my jeans. It has not really gotten that cold here lately.

I've had a couple pair of Nikon Dri-Fit golf pants for about 10 years now. I've pedaled thousands of miles in them with no significant wear. I'm not sure if the same ones are available today but they're featherweight and very comfortable. They're expensive if purchased at a Nike store or website but I think I got them new on eBay for $35 each.