Riding Pants For 40-ish Weather?

I suspect I've been drinking too much coffee.....again...

But this has been bugging me for several days now so here goes...

When I ride in 40-50 degree weather, I wear my regular riding shorts underneath
a pair of cargo pants and tuck the cuffs into my socks.

The cargo pants work pretty well. I've tried long lycra tights, but always went
back to the cargo pants because of the durability and utility. I like the cargo
pockets for temporary glove or headrag storage; I like the material because it
doesn't catch on brush or tear on thorns; and I like being able to go into a
store or fast food place without having people wonder what just walked in.

But I see some room for improvement.

To wit:

1) Some means of cinching below the knee and above the belly of the calf to give
a knicker effect - i.e. free rotation of the knee without the lower leg pulling
at the upper leg.

2) A material that looks and wears normally on the outside, but will take rain
without soaking through.

3) Lower leg cut sufficiently long and flared to go over hiking boots or riding
shoes enough so that abovementioned rain will run down over the shoes and not
into them.

4) A couple of velcro tabs or something down around the ankle to wrap the pants
leg a little snugger so it doesn't flap or catch in the chainwheel.


Anybody seen anything like this...or is it just me?

--
PeteCresswell

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
I suspect I've been drinking too much coffee.....again...

But this has been bugging me for several days now so here goes...

When I ride in 40-50 degree weather, I wear my regular riding shorts
underneath a pair of cargo pants and tuck the cuffs into my socks.

The cargo pants work pretty well. I've tried long lycra tights, but
always went back to the cargo pants because of the durability and
utility. I like the cargo pockets for temporary glove or headrag
storage; I like the material because it doesn't catch on brush or
tear on thorns; and I like being able to go into a store or fast food
place without having people wonder what just walked in.

But I see some room for improvement.

To wit:

1) Some means of cinching below the knee and above the belly of the
calf to give a knicker effect - i.e. free rotation of the knee
without the lower leg pulling at the upper leg.

2) A material that looks and wears normally on the outside, but will
take rain without soaking through.

3) Lower leg cut sufficiently long and flared to go over hiking boots
or riding shoes enough so that abovementioned rain will run down over
the shoes and not into them.

4) A couple of velcro tabs or something down around the ankle to wrap
the pants leg a little snugger so it doesn't flap or catch in the
chainwheel.


Anybody seen anything like this...or is it just me?

you design it, I'll sew it. I've been heavily investigating some of the
beefier EPIC fabrics just for this purpose. In fact, I sent some fabric to a
rider in Colorado and told him to attempt to destroy it for me.

penny

"(Pete Cresswell)" wrote in message
...
I suspect I've been drinking too much coffee.....again...

But this has been bugging me for several days now so here goes...

When I ride in 40-50 degree weather, I wear my regular riding shorts
underneath
a pair of cargo pants and tuck the cuffs into my socks.


I don't worry about long pants until it's below 30. And since the only long
pants I have that could possibly be used for cycling are Levis I just don't
bother. Thankfully I live in SoCal and there's usually somewhere over 30
any given winter day.

If/when I move somewhere cooler I'll try long tights under baggies, or maybe
BMX or moto pants.

Greg

Pete Cresswell says:

I suspect I've been drinking too much coffee.....again...

Probably so - you are not alone, though...

1) Some means of cinching below the knee and above the belly of the calf to
give
a knicker effect - i.e. free rotation of the knee without the lower leg
pulling
at the upper leg.

Good old-fashioned knee britches. Great for skiing, bking, etc. I never
actually used them for biking, since this would have been in the 60's, and
jeans were still the best for that, but they were great in the snow. Haven't
seen a pair for years (thank heavens)

Steve showing his age yet again.

you design it, I'll sew it. I've been heavily investigating some of th=
e
beefier EPIC fabrics just for this purpose. In fact, I sent some fabri=
c =

to a
rider in Colorado and told him to attempt to destroy it for me.

penny


So if JD wears them out by humping some jagged rock for 6 hrs str8, does=
=

it still count?

-- =

Slacker

Stephen Baker wrote:

Steve showing his age yet again.

Yeah, SB -- he said 40-ish, not 50-ish!

:-P

Bill "still got ~8 mos to go" S.

Slacker wrote:
you design it, I'll sew it. I've been heavily investigating some of
the beefier EPIC fabrics just for this purpose. In fact, I sent some
fabric to a
rider in Colorado and told him to attempt to destroy it for me.

penny


So if JD wears them out by humping some jagged rock for 6 hrs str8,
does it still count?

that would be a good test... I actually asked the guy to drive his car over
the fabric a few times, and to drag it through the mud. ( my potential
client is in Boulder not the west side so there)

;-)

Cargo pants with lots of zippered pockets. If it gets
colder slide on a pair of sweat pants under the cargo pants. I ride even
in sub 0 temps. Thats where it be come next month but thats when the
sun don't shine nite time.

I MTB 2004

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:31:35 GMT, "(Pete Cresswell)"
blathered:

I suspect I've been drinking too much coffee.....again...

But this has been bugging me for several days now so here goes...

When I ride in 40-50 degree weather, I wear my regular riding shorts underneath
a pair of cargo pants and tuck the cuffs into my socks.

The cargo pants work pretty well. I've tried long lycra tights, but always went
back to the cargo pants because of the durability and utility.

Powerstretch tights were working well today.
http://www.btinternet.com/~peteajone...-highraise.jpg

North Face make good ones - not biking specific, good as you need.

Pete Jones

Pete Jones wrote:
On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 00:31:35 GMT, "(Pete Cresswell)"
blathered:

I suspect I've been drinking too much coffee.....again...

But this has been bugging me for several days now so here goes...

When I ride in 40-50 degree weather, I wear my regular riding shorts
underneath a pair of cargo pants and tuck the cuffs into my socks.

The cargo pants work pretty well. I've tried long lycra tights, but
always went back to the cargo pants because of the durability and
utility.

Powerstretch tights were working well today.
http://www.btinternet.com/~peteajone...-highraise.jpg

North Face make good ones - not biking specific, good as you need.

Pete Jones

two questions: cold air coming through, and snagging?