DarKris

Ever since I started cycling a few years back, my pants started to look like this:




I have many more pants that have been worn out like this, and I’m struggling to find if there is any solution that will allow me to continue riding with regular pants. I typically ride in casual/work pants during the week on breaks, but even if it’s for a few minutes it seems like I’m wearing out my pants still.

I have different saddles like Specialized Power and Brooks C17 where I’ve worn or ripped pants by the saddle. I didn’t know if I was putting more pressure on my saddle due to my weight causing my pants to wear. I could try a wider saddle (currently using ~155mm saddles). Otherwise I basically can’t ride my bike until the weekends...

AlmostTrick

I'm sure some posters who are actually helpful will come along soon, but in the meantime...

tyrion

My pants tend to rip just like that too. Pants are basically bicycle disposables for me.

I bet a smooth leather B17 would be a little less hard on pants than a C17 (just a guess I haven't tried any of the "C" models).

squirtdad

bike shorts, if you are doing the mileage to do that, get bike shorts (added benefit is you don't catch your shorts on the saddle .....not that I have ever done that with loose shorts )

GMoser85

Shorts defiantly help, hiking pants work great for riding, lightweight and stretchable. REI Sahara I use. Specialized has cycling pants, I'm sure others do too.

CliffordK

I wear jeans most of the time. Cycling shorts some of the time.

I don't think I've ever worn out the seat of a good pair of jeans. Knees, thighs, but not seats.

pdlamb

I wore out a couple pairs of cutoff blue jean shorts riding bikes, so it can be done.

I'll second or third the idea of bike shorts. It only takes a few minutes to change when you get where you're going. If you're too shy for the spandex crowd, get some mountain bike shorts instead.

DarKris

Unfortunately I don't really have the option to change on breaks. I'm also around a size 48-50 waist so that severely limits my pants choices. It sucks because riding for 10 mins on breaks helps me de-stress quite a bit. I even have a pair of pants that I ONLY wear for work that I never ride in for longer than 10 mins either on break or after work that ended up tearing and I would say that I rode my bike with those pants on only about a handful of times.

brawlo

Looks like you need to consider trying to find different pants materials if they're not lasting long. Those 1st 2 pics look more like a lack of material strength rather than then specifically wearing out. Also consider wearing mtb liner shorts or "shy shorts" if you don't already. They may allow your clothing freer movement and less wear

fietsbob

I'm into polyester track suit warm up over-trousers these days , not woven cotton.

cyccommute 

Just got to say: I don’t wear Lycra because I look good in it. True bike shorts wear like iron. I’ve got shorts that are over 10 years old and have been ridden hard.

cyclist2000

I did a search for commuter cycling pants and it came up with a few different brands. I haven't tried any of them but Chrome is one that I am familiar with.

alo

Buy better quality pants.

DarKris

Can you give some examples? What material to look for? Any brands that make durable, casual big & tall pants? Suggestions?

alo

I am Australian, so most brands are different to the US.

Check out different ones yourself.

DarKris

Okay well I’m definitely annoyed with the condescending “advice”. The point of me posting in the Clyde sub-forum was to see if anyone else like me has had these issues. The fact is most, if not all cycling specific casual pants aren’t made in larger sizes. And since most other pants aren’t “designed” for cycling in mind, I wouldn’t even know what to look for on my own.

No I’m not trying to find casual pants primarily dedicated to cycling, but when I’m not in a position to change to cycling specific clothing, I don’t want to avoid getting on my bike because I’m worried about wearing out the pants that I’m currently wearing.

Trakhak

The solution: wear synthetic material, not cotton. Lightweight fleece pants can last years of daily cycling. Some cotton/synthetic blends can last somewhat longer than 100% cotton.

Here are some loose-fitting Champion cotton/synthetic blend pants. The Kohl's page I linked to is for 3XL pants---waist 48 to 50, according to Champion's sizing. Inexpensive and pretty durable for bike riding. The material is a bit thin, so I'd suggest wearing cycling undershorts with a bit of padding under them, but try them as is first.

But for the most durable pants, go 100% polyester. I searched the Champion website for "men's 100% polyester pants 3XL." Here's what came up. There are probably other brands that offer similar products. Champion just happens to be the brand I'm familiar with.

cyccommute 

Don't go getting your knickers in a knot! People are (mostly) trying to help but you have to meet us part way. I don't think you'll find too many people with your same problem because most of us have moved past that point. If we wore "regular pants" to ride, it was probably in the distant past. In my case, that's 40 years in the past and no fabric available then is likely to be available now.

To be at least a little helpful, you might try Love2Pedal. They have many large sizes in nonLycra shorts. You might consider these guys. They seem to have nonpadded as well.


Then you probably want to consider pants with a high percentage of nylon. That's what gives bicycle shorts their durability. It's not the Lycra...it's only there for stretch...but the tough polyamide fibers that make them wear longer. Most people don't like the feel of nylon too much as it is rather slick and not really breathable. But if you want clothes that are going to last up to the constant rubbing against the saddle, you probably want nylon.

I would definitely stay away from cottons and cotton blends. They are just too soft. Perhaps look at what Carhartt has to offer. This convertible pant is largely synthetic, this one is 100% nylon, and this one, although mostly cotton, is durable because of the ripstop. You might want to look at convertible hiking pants at REI. They tend to be high nylon content and are quite durable.

DarKris

Thank you as this is more of what I was looking for. I was primarily annoyed with the response suggesting that I just “do ‘x’ and figure out the rest yourself” without pointing me in a good direction to even try and figure things out. With this I at least have a good baseline of what to look out for. Only thing now is hoping I find something in a size that fits me.

Trakhak

Good luck in your search. I was very happy when I finally found loose-fitting, durable pants.

One other suggestion: since synthetic pants tend to have a slicker finish than cotton and thus tend to ride down your butt while you're cycling, you might want to pick up some good-quality suspenders. I don't bother with suspenders for short neighborhood shopping rides, but anything more than a couple of miles and I use my pants with the suspenders.

Archwhorides 

Nylon blend hiking shorts and pants, with padded liners under ( reduces stray pressure spots). Hiking pants have a wide size range

DarKris

Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions on pants and materials to look for. I was able to get some pants that work very well and I was also able to find some casual pants that are made of stronger material (wool/polyester) that I’m more confident in them holding up better.