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What is the best winter riding pants?

DaveJohns

New member
Fall is here with fury north of Boston, and my 2-year old BMW riding pants I bought at Brecht BMW in Escondido, CA (before moving to MA) have begun to leak. It's time for a new set of britches, but I don't see a lot available with the full bib and suspenders.

I like the bib since it keeps my belly warm from what wind still makes it up the front of my jacket.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good set of daily winter riding pants, and where I can find them? I like the outer leg zippers and a good warm liner.
 
For my part, I am partial to the Aerostich products. I have an old Roadcrafter suit that is still in good shape, but my next 'stich will be a Darien.

The link will get you to Areostich Riderwearhouse online catalog. There is a cool feature that will let you compare colors for the various suits.

Regarding the differences between the Roadcrafter and the Darien, the Roadcrafter is a fitted suit, as in 42-Short for me. Except for the 15 or 20 pounds I've gained since acquiring it in 1997 or thereabouts, it is still a perfect fit. It is also a lined suit, and is very much waterproof. I've ridden in drenching downpours and stayed dry.

The Darien is more suitable for layering up and riding in cold weather, IMO. Also, I like the 3/4's length in the jacket. In terms of fitment (unless something has changed) the Darien is a Small, Medium, or Large option. If and when I get around to one, I will hopefully make a week-long camping trip out of the purchase and drop in there so they can tweak the fitment for me.

My #1 riding crony swears by the Joe Rocket stuff; but he can buy it off the shelf to fit him and I don't share that honor. To me the fit is important because if I am going to stay in the gear all day, comfort is a huge issue.

Shop around and try on various brands and soon something will jump out at you.

Good luck, and come back and tell us what you finally opt for. And welcome to the boards. :wave
 
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in winter I use my Aerostitch Roadcrafter, its too hot for summer but when its not so hot it works great and I got it loose enough that I can fit a jacket underneath. The Aerostitch Darien pants would make for good winter pants or the First Gear HT overpants are cheaper and have a removeable termal lining.
 
RiverRat280 said:
in winter I use my Aerostitch Roadcrafter, its too hot for summer but when its not so hot it works great and I got it loose enough that I can fit a jacket underneath. The Aerostitch Darien pants would make for good winter pants or the First Gear HT overpants are cheaper and have a removeable termal lining.

I have a pair of the firstgear HT pants, and am VERY happy with them. They have not leaked on me, the full leg zippers make them easy to get in and out of them, and the thermal lining is quite warm. I have been using these on my rides to work, even when it's below freezing. They are just "normal" pants (no bibs) but I still think they're quite good. I have a 3/4 length jacket (Olympia AST), so I don't get any wind coming up from the bottom.
 
i have been wearing Joe Rocket Ballistic 5.0 for the past two years. I can't recommend them. They are not warm enough for winter. I manage to get by wearing polypro under my denims but it isn't really warm. In addition to that they leak when riding in the rain for extended time periods. I am ordering the FXRG leathers from the Harley dealer. Quite expensive but they are suposed to be warm and dry. Haven't used them myself yet but talked to some other guys that told me so. I am going for the FXRG jacket and pants.
 
RiverRat280 said:
in winter I use my Aerostitch Roadcrafter, its too hot for summer but when its not so hot it works great and I got it loose enough that I can fit a jacket underneath. The Aerostitch Darien pants would make for good winter pants or the First Gear HT overpants are cheaper and have a removeable termal lining.

Funny how these things work. My Roadcrafter 2 piece is my spring-summer-fall suit. In the winter I use my First Gear pants with the liner.
 
DaveJohns said:
Fall is here with fury north of Boston, and my 2-year old BMW riding pants I bought at Brecht BMW in Escondido, CA (before moving to MA) have begun to leak. It's time for a new set of britches, but I don't see a lot available with the full bib and suspenders.

I like the bib since it keeps my belly warm from what wind still makes it up the front of my jacket.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good set of daily winter riding pants, and where I can find them? I like the outer leg zippers and a good warm liner.

Hey Dave,
Welcome to the forum. :wave
A couple ideas for you on where to look at gear. Max BMW in N.Hampton, NH has a selection of gear. If you want to take a ride out to Acton, you might enjoy a nice Cappucino at MotoMarket. It's on 119, about 3 miles East of 495.

Good luck,
Gail
 
I have a Cycleport (www.Motoport.com) Ultra II pants with the insulated liner. In summer the pants are cool and feel like blue jeans. With the liners I have ridden in 20 degree for hours and once did 800 miles in a 35-40 degree rain storm. ( Santa Fe to KC ). Legs were warm (and dry) the whole way. ( on an RT- a GS might be a stiffer test).
 
Thanks

Hey, everyone, thanks for the information. I have a little more direction now.

Sherides, I've been to Max BMW - they treated me well. I haven't made it out to Acton yet, though.

Shoeman, I've also been to Cycle Port in Escondido, although I didn't know at the time they only did business over the internet - I walked in off the street when my wife and I were leaving on our way from San Diego to San Fran, up HWY 1. she needed rain gloves. Great ride. I grew up in Mid MO. Those midwest winters are a bear. The coldest weather I've ridden in was from college in Columia, MO to my apt, 10 miles south. Weatherman said -2??F before the windchill...

Again, thanks to all.
-Dave
 
PGlaves said:
Funny how these things work. My Roadcrafter 2 piece is my spring-summer-fall suit. In the winter I use my First Gear pants with the liner.
I've been doing the same. Maybe I just got a lemon, but I haven't been happy with quality of the First Gear HT pants. The zipper attaching the liner to the pants has broken twice. Once under warranty, and the second time I slapped a bunch of velcro on it to hold it in place. I'm in the market for a new pair of winter pants too.
 
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Winter Riding Pants

I just purchased the Olympia Ultra Tour pants that were specially priced on a web special from A&S Cycles. I took them out today for about a 150 mile ride. The temperature was in the low 60's and I left the liner in because I wanted to test them. I was actuallly too warm with the liner in. The liner completely blocked the wind. When I stopped for lunch, my legs were perspiring.

I ride a R1200RT so there is not much air circulation due to the excellent fairing on this bike. My previous bike was a R1200C and I have worn leather pants with Patagonia fleece long underwear and still felt a little chill in temperatures in the upper twenties and low thirties on the Blue Ridge Parkway. If you are riding a cruiser, you will probably need some pants that block the wind.

In the summer, I wear the BMW Summer Pants and have found them to be comfortable through a wide range of temperatures. They are not very cool in the warmest portion of our summer with the high humidity and temperatures that we get in NC (90 degrees+ and 90% humidity). I wore these Summer Pants on a ride in May to Helen, GA in 70 degree temperatures and was quite comfortable. The next morning in North Carolina, on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the termperature dropped to 38 degrees. I had the BMW Summer Pants on and was still comfortable. Of course, that may again be due to the RT's fairing. It started to rain and I had to put the rain suit on and was still comfortable with the Summer Pants under the rain suit.

If price is no object for you, I would go with the Aerostich or the Motoport pants. You can find reasonably priced alternatives, however, from Olympia, Joe Rocket or First Gear, if your budget will not permit the premium priced products.
 
Olympia Ranger 2?

Does anyone have experience with the Olympia Ranger 2 Overpants? I'm wondering how they compare in warmth/quality to the Firstgear HT 2.0.
-Mike
 
Belstaff Pioneer?

Anyone had any experience with Belstaff's Pioneer Pants. I've heard that they appear to be well made with lots of features.
 
shoeman said:
I have a Cycleport (www.Motoport.com) Ultra II pants with the insulated liner. In summer the pants are cool and feel like blue jeans. With the liners I have ridden in 20 degree for hours and once did 800 miles in a 35-40 degree rain storm. ( Santa Fe to KC ). Legs were warm (and dry) the whole way. ( on an RT- a GS might be a stiffer test).
Nice pants... BUTT... do you have the Ultra II Kevlar Light, Ultra II Cordura Light, Ultra II Kevlar pant or Ultra II Cordura pant? Their product naming convention is a little confusing. Their webpage is not very good either, for a product I've never seen, I want to see photos... detail photos and they don't have those. It looks like the zipper is on the inside of the leg? I see that as a potential problem... if it were on the outer portion of the leg, it could be unzipped a bit (assuming it also had dual zippers at the top and bottom) for a little ventilation. Also, a zipper on the inseam could be painful on a long ride I would imagine... depending how it's lined/padded on the inside (again, photos would help).

I have only worn two pairs of pants in my riding career, so I'm no authority, but the Cycloak pants were extremely comfortable, waterproof (goretex lined), and had the bib style mentioned above. The company (Reima) now concentrates on making snowmobile suits. The pants can still be found if you search hard enough:

http://tinyurl.com/yfprcx
 
FWIW,
After a couple years, I'm not much of a fan of my darien pants. They're a pain to get on (no smooth sliding liner) and the zipper pulls keep breaking.
 
Olympia Ranger pants

peaceablemike said:
Does anyone have experience with the Olympia Ranger 2 Overpants? I'm wondering how they compare in warmth/quality to the Firstgear HT 2.0.
-Mike

I have the Olympia ranger pants. I haven't used with them in the rain so I can't say if they are waterproof. They are warm. At 40 deg F. (like today) I don't even need the liner when worn over jeans. for comparison-I commute on the interstate, 70-80 mph, on an F650. Below 40 I will put the liner in. I've used them as low as 27 F. for about 45 minutes. Any longer and I might want to wear duofolds under the jeans. The velcro over the zippers can be a little bit of a pain but I guess thats what it takes to be waterproof. I do wish that the liners zipped to the pants so that I wouldn't have to use 2 zippers + velcro to get them on/off.
 
darian pants with suspenders, flannel lined jeans and long undies underneath, good till around freezing

Knary... I fixed my zipper pulls , replaced them with paper clips then wrap them in tape. works great
 
RatSnake said:
Anyone had any experience with Belstaff's Pioneer Pants. I've heard that they appear to be well made with lots of features.


i love mine, well made and very warm/waterproof. the only issue i've had is a broken fly, but there is velcro there as well so i never bothered fixing it.
 
Hodag said:
darian pants with suspenders, flannel lined jeans and long undies underneath, good till around freezing

Knary... I fixed my zipper pulls , replaced them with paper clips then wrap them in tape. works great

It might work great, but considering the price of these ballistic plastic tarps shaped liked pants, it's inexcusable that paper clips with wrapped with tape would be needed. MHO. When Aerostich realizes that we're no longer in the late 80's, I'll give them some of my money again.
 
BubbaZanetti said:
i love mine, well made and very warm/waterproof. the only issue i've had is a broken fly, but there is velcro there as well so i never bothered fixing it.
How old were they when the fly broke? I've had more than one problem with First Gear zippers, and I don't want the same issues with any new pants I buy.
 
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