Leather pants or leather chaps?

[Sgt Mike]

Which one do the majority wear? Safety is my #1 priority. In addition to a vented leather jacket I want to wear leather pants but I' m wondering if they are too hot as opposed to leather chaps. You opinion is valued and will help in my decision. Thanks.

Mike

[2WheelFun]

Originally Posted by Sgt Mike

Which one do the majority wear? Safety is my #1 priority. In addition to a vented leather jacket I want to wear leather pants but I' m wondering if they are too hot as opposed to leather chaps. You opinion is valued and will help in my decision. Thanks.

Mike

Mike, I were both a leather jacket and chaps. Here is what I wear:

Jacket:


Chaps:

[Paco]

Everytime I see leather chaps my brain sees the Village People,
Get leather pants.

[2WheelFun]

Originally Posted by Paco

Everytime I see leather chaps my brain sees the Village People,
Get leather pants.

LMAO....I don't live in a village.

[Mr_Lycos]

That depends, are you riding your bike to the gay bar or to the Judas Priest concert?

I keed, I keed! wearing chaps is good in colder weather, because your basically layering pants with pants. Leather jeans are less bulky, but still alot heavier than denim jeans. In the end, with me, it all determines what the weather is: Cold=chaps, warm=leather pants.

[2WheelFun]

I keep it simple by wearing chaps for the cold and when it's warm / hot here I can simply remove them in just a few seconds....I usually wear them all the time however. Of course I keep my pants on just so others don't get any ideas.

[oldodge]

Chaps for me. I wear them when it is cold and remove them when it is warm. I too wear pants. Wouldn't want to ruin anyones lunch, now would we!

[vanb]

Leather chaps for me with blue jeans or if it gets real hot blue jean shorts.Not a leather pants man myself.

[bikeaholic]

chaps for me

[jnk]

i bought my first pair of chaps in the fall they were great untill it got below 50 then i froze wherever there was no leather not to mention they won't protect your back side should you go down so i bought leather overpants htey have zippers all the way up both legs so easy to put on in hot weather there are some jeans called draggin jeansthey are kevlar lined they also make shirts and jackets www.dragginjeans.com or call at 1-800-459-2239

[dfgpilot]

H Sgt Mike.

Get them both. You'll find days to to use either. Leather is better than denim.

If interested check out the textiles like FirstGear's HT Overpants. I have them. Comes with body armor, waterproof(has like a gortex breathable membrane), and a removable insulated inner liner. I've ridden with them in 20F temps wearing Jeans & the Schampa WarmSkin Pants.

Good luck with your choice

[ussnewco]

I agree with dfgpilot, get both you'll be happy to have a choice. If you can only get one get the chaps. But what ever you get make sure you get it with a lining, normally cost a little extra in the chaps but it's worth it. I've been buying a lot leather from www.leatherup.com they got great prices and really good return policy.

[TimR]

I wear chaps so i can take them of when i get to my destination.if its a very hot day i wear short pants under my chaps so i dont melt down.i,ll wear my leather jacket if it is cold enough but i at least wear long sleeves in the summer ,you can always change shirts when you arrive at destination.the sleeves help prevent sun burn to.and i wear full gloves in winter and fingerless in summer.hope i never need them for protection in a crash but gloves of any type will help to protect hands.

[flynsouth]

Chaps to keep my legs warm (altough my teenage daughters do look at me funny I'm sure it'd be worse with pants) and always jeans. No real practical reason except that's what I'm comfortable with. I can't bring myself to wear shorts on the bike even in 95+ heat and doubt you'll ever see leather pants in my closet...well of course there is my MX gear but that's a different story................

[centerpunch]

I have been on long rides through the desert in 90's weather with jeans and ended up puting on my chaps to insulate my legs from engine heat. When I get where I am going I can just take them off. My buddie wears his leather pants when it is cold because it keeps his crotch warm. No windshield. I wear chaps all year due to the insulation factor as well as protection with two layers.

[cboutfit]

I also were chaps and coat, but I was a slow learner, I went down this year for the first time in 25 year not once but twice this year, both within 2 months, one was dog at 50 mph and the second one was a deer with a highside dismount at about 30 mph. I can tell you that blue Jeans hold up pretty well for about 10 feet after that its all skin. the leather gloves wore through but left minimmal damage to the hands. For me now its leather all the time. and yea helmets both times.

[Lee_2061]

Pants, but in Summer, Draggin Jeans Cargo Pants. Cooler and love all them extra pockets.

[trikebubble]

Originally Posted by whistle clean

Mike, I were both a leather jacket and chaps. Here is what I wear:

Jacket:


Chaps:

Hey Whistle,
Is this your doby double or what?

Anyway, I wear chaps also. But I don't look as good as Whistle's picture.

[Uncle Bob]

Protect what's most important to you, gee below the waist what would that be ?.

There are leather pants with sturdy zippers up the side so that you can put them on over your jeans and then take them off once you get where you're going.

Sliding down the highway on your butt you'll probably be thinking to yourself "why didn't I get the pants ?".

[jukief]

I wear a textile jacket and matching pants. I prefer them over leather because they have full armor. The jacket has armor on the back, shoulders and elbows. The pants have armor in the knees. One pair of my gloves (the mid-weight ones) even have kevlar on the outside of the fingers and the palms. The textile has the added benefit, as someone else already mentioned, of being waterproof and windproof. No need for rain gear. With the zip-out liner in, my coat is toasty warm no matter how cold it gets. When the weather's warm, without the liner, it's still comfortable--not too hot.

I've been thinking about getting some chaps, though, for commuting to work. They'd be a lot easier to take off and put back on quickly. For longer rides, though, I sure feel a lot more safe having the armor. I haven't ever taken a spill, but there's always a first time.

I took a spill on my bicycle once, though. I was making a left-hand turn onto a street and a car turned right behind me, then came up on my left-hand side and forced me over to the far right side of the street. There was a bunch of gravel there, and I took a HARD spill when I hit it. I had on leather bicycling gloves (the kind with padded palms). I put my hands out to stop my fall, and the palms of those gloves, padding and all, got completely eaten up. My palms got all gouged up and bloody, with gravel embedded in them. I was really grateful I'd been wearing the gloves or it would have been worse, but I was shocked that they didn't protect my hands better. That was just on a bicycle, going about 10mpg. I can't imagine what would happen going 50 or 60 on a motorcycle. Yikes.