Originally Posted by
oldgeezerjeff
UnderArmor makes some nice "dress" pants that are made with a light weight, somewhat stretchy easy care fabric.
I'll have to look at these. I'll need to check them out somewhere local to make sure they look dressy enough.
Originally Posted by
Hub Spanner
I love my Bluffworks pants. Their Gramercy model is their dressiest. I have a three mile commute each way.
Those look great, but wow, what a price tag! $140.
Originally Posted by
fietsbob
Polyester fabrics are more durable than cotton or wool.. black wont show chain contact. tried any Charity shops? clothes get resold there..
I do frequent thrift stores, but it's hard enough to find good dress pants at most that fit. With the kinds of specifications I'm looking for, that might not be a good use of my time. Otherwise I'm all for thrift stores- that's where most of my rain gear has come from.
Originally Posted by
Bandera
Coming from many years in a Business dress environment I think you'll find that the cut and materials of dress pants are as suitable to cycle commuting as wearing the suit-coat and tie that completes the wardrobe: hardly at all. A decent suit with the traditional two pair of pants will last through years of wear in it's intended environment with regular dry cleaning. Worn on the bike the crotch will quickly wear through on the trousers, the inevitable chain grease and snag will ruin them and replacement will be costly. The point of traditional business dress is to present a professional appearance to your associates, customers and partners. Worn, soiled or smelly doesn't exactly meet that requirement. The dress code is important to your employer or it would't exist, respecting it shows respect for the job.
Re-think changing from/to commuting kit to office wear daily.
Ask your supervisor about proper parking for your machine, where to clean-up and change and where to store your dress garb in off-hours.
Such accommodations are common today and should be worked out straight off.
As I said in my original post, my new commute is only two miles long, so the whole idea is to be able to avoid changing clothes when I get there, which I don't think should be a big deal. It's more about saving my time and being more convenient for me. I know the traditional business attire won't be very durable whilst bike riding, so I'm looking outside the box for some options that are still dressy enough, but that will be more durable and comfortable (as with the first couple of suggestions).