Denim jeans while riding.

[1st bike]

so here is my .02 again. i feel that engineered textiles will do a better job than denim at protecting you against road rash. too many factors for denim to work. i don't own (nor do i know anybody that does) a new pair of jeans, everyone wears jeans....alot. and denim gets soft. so after about a year, it is pretty much a t-shirt on your legs. insofar as armor is concerned, it has to help, think of a boxing glove. foam, really nothing substantial, but anything that can prevent my elbow from contacting directly the pavement is great. especially if instead of digging in as skin and bone would, the plastic will slide a bit more freely going down the road. but what do i know? i bought a pink bike....

[trbig]

i feel that engineered textiles will do a better job than denim at protecting you against road rash. too many factors for denim to work.

Why do you feel this way? Do the textiles not get more nimble with time like the denim? My mesh jacket has. Someone assumed denim gets weaker simply because they aren't new. Since the fibers are moving easier, does this mean the cotton has become weaker somehow, or could it mean that it's ability to move easier would make it even more adept at moving without tearing?

I think there's an inherant "something" deep in our neanderthal brains that tells us that more expensive automatically means better. I would agree that some padding would help on an impact, but this whole thing has been about abrasion, not impacts, and the resulting road rash, not broken bones.

I'm not trying to start an argument... just wanting to see if opinions are based on fact or just assumptions.

Tod

[Montreux_Blue]

Everyone should get one of theses jackets. LMAO Notice how he does a couple extra rollovers, what a drama queen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lc1Tx-1GZcI

[trbig]

Yeah.. looks about as useful as a little kid's water wings for the pool. It didn't protect anything that was actually taking the damage.. and really only got bumped on the one shoulder after he was almost stopped.. in which it just mashed down to his shoulder anyway.


Tod

[DJinNH]

I'm 6'02", 248 lbs so if I were to wear leather pants along with a leather jacket, I think some confused farmer would be trying to get me back to his fields.

Don

[1st bike]

first off, no argument. don't worry about that tod, i am pretty sure most of us can discuss something without it turning into a screaming match, espically something as banal as chaps, and leather pants..... engineered textiles do become worn. everything has a life. but becoming softer, and becoming thinner are two different things. as a leather jacket wears and gets broken in, it becomes softer and more willing to bend and fold, it does not become thinner, as denim does after some wears and some washes. that is the point i am trying to make. i don't want to spend more, but i do feel with it offers more protection. kinda like wearing insulated carharts and jeans is going to offer more protection than shorts (seriously, sandals dude? come on, you are better than that)

[Guy_b_g]

What do the pros wear? Don't you think they know something we may not have learned by personal experience?

There is not a track out there that will let you race in denim, and as far as I know, there isn't even one that will let you do a track day in denim.

Why do you suppose that no motorcycle cops wear denim? Always leather or armored textiles. Fact is, leather offers more protection.

That said, I do wear denim at times, even knowing the disadvantages.

[Crazcnuk]

"What do the pros wear"

Very expensive stuff, usually paid for by sponsors. I don't own ANYTHING that pros can afford, why would I start here?

"There is not a track out there that will let you race in denim, and as far as I know, there isn't even one that will let you do a track day in denim"

When I raced my bike, at the track, I wore my jeans. Depends on what class you race in. They were more concerned about my open-face helmet, but let me race anyway. They were more concerned about my prescription glasses for eye protection than with the open-face itself.

I've torn holes through my leather jackets, too (one right over the heart, figure that out). But have not suffered a serious injury through either leather or Denim.

The trick is that either material will absorb a lot of force before tearing. Thus there is less force for injury. However, you can punch holes, or abrade any material given the right circumstances.

"Why do you suppose that no motorcycle cops wear denim"

Why do you suppose no beat cops wear denim? Why do you suppose no UNIFORM anywhere is made of denim? Denim is not considered clasy enough, nothing to do with protection.

I wear denim all the time. And yes, I have some newer pairs and some older. I buy 2-4 pr per year depending on how they last.

Denim jeans have been the pants of choice for work, in all kinds of fields, for over 500 years becasue they are rugged, offer a decent amount of protection and are a reasonable price.

Just don't buy the very thin, high dollar 'fashion' brands.

[Larrym]

Cheech and Chong??

Abrasion Resistance??

I'd like to see a comparison test between the new textiles and Hemp. The hemp is a longer and stronger fiber than regular cotton.

I'd bet money on the hemp to win.

Not available at WalMart though....

[Montreux_Blue]

Hemp pants..... ebay...... get to testing!

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=hem...hirt&_osacat=0

[Larrym]

Eco-Marketing Monster!!

EEeeeK!!!

P..A...T..A...GONIA!!!!

Run for your lives!!!!!

[XSokieSPECIAL]

Hemp pants..... ebay...... get to testing!

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=hem...hirt&_osacat=0

Leave it to you Jeremy to be the "hemp expert".

BTW They don't sell what you were searching for there on ebay.

[Guy_b_g]

2 fast racing school

We require a one or two piece suit with protective armor only; while we highly recommend such suits be leather, we do not require that only leather suits be worn. Non-leather suits such as Joe Rocket or Aerostitch brand riding suits are acceptable.

Mandello Park

With regard to clothing only full piece or two-piece leathers are allowed once the two piece can zip together, under no circumstances will you be allowed on the track wearing cordura or fabric clothing. If you are wearing a two-piece leather suit it must be the full zip together type.

Tony's track days:

JACKET/PANTS: One piece leathers, or two-piece leathers that connect with a zipper are best. If the jacket and pants do not connect, they must fully overlap when the rider is seated on the bike in the tucked position.

We also allow non-leather riding suits (such as Aerostich) provided they are motorcycle specific and have extra padding in the knees and elbows at a minimum. If they don't have the padding built in, consider purchasing separate padding for these areas.

these are just the first three track days I looked at, maybe if you look around long enough you can actually find a track that will allow you to ride in denim...if so feel free to post it.

Point taken about cop uniforms, but my bet is that they would still require leasther.

I'm not preaching here, just stating the facts, as I stated before, I wear denim at times too.

[CatatonicBug]

I think it's interesting that those track things all tout the benefits of leather over textiles, but the textile companies say they are superior to leather. To be honest, I would trust a textile suit over leather myself, but my experience is extremely limited. I could be convinced otherwise if presented with more information on the subject.

[LoHo]

Man, I have always loved this site! Some guys do some tests about abrasion resistance, others on this list relate their stories about denim holding up pretty well, and others throw in about how the test is flawed because of this or that...democracy at work.

When I first started riding, I occasionally wore armor protection designed for skateboarders on my knees under my Levi's. I never got the chance to see if it worked (knock on wood), but I did feel safer with it on. You might try that before you start riveting your Wranglers.

The argument that track racers wear top-to-bottom armor is a little otherworldly, as the same approch could be used to argue that whenever one get in a car, one should have on a full Formula 1 protection suit.

I used to wear a half helmet until I saw a video of a guy face planting in a highside. I like half helmets, but I have grown fond of my chin and teeth, so I have on a full face most of the time. I have a Joe Rocket Santa Fe armored mesh jacket that works even in our 100+ degree summers. I just bought a River Road canvas armored jacket for winter that looks good enough to wear into restaurant without everyone thinking I'm there to rob the place.

I do look forward to WildKat modeling her Daisy Duke line of rider wear...abrasion resistance be damned!