Riding pants in real life

[bajakirch]

I picked up a pair of Fieldsheer riding pants via Craigs List this winter. I've been using them for the past week and I can say that I really like them. It might be a different story come July, but for now I think they're the bee's-knees. And given that my valve cover gasket is still blowing back a bit of oil, the pants are pretty much required protection until I can tear things apart again and fix it.

Now that I've started using the bike to commute to work again, I'm running into some practical issues and thought I'd see what others are doing.

The pants have zippered gussetted legs, but it's still no easy task putting them on or taking them off over boots. This is fine for going to work, where I can kick my boots off in my office, remove/put on the pants, and put my boots back on. But today I have a dentist appointment at lunch and was thinking about how I'd handle that.

I don't know how I feel about wearing my riding pants around the dentist's office. But I also don't want to be kicking my boots off in the waiting room...or worse falling on my face while I try to remove the pants over my boots.

Any tips?

[ariwhiteboy]

Go to the restroom and remove your riding pants...Lucky for me my Joe Rocket pants have a full length zipper up both legs so I can just take them off next tot bike and stuff them in a bag. 

[Moustache]

You know, I rode my bike to the mess yesterday, with riding pants on.  I have the same boot issue.  I left the pants on, I took comfort in that, although there were only two bikes parked outside there was about 20 or 30 motorcycle jackets inside and I was wearing the pants.  

[bajakirch]

I ended up simply wearing them into the dentist's chair. It actually opened up a line of conversation with the hygienist. She immediately asked if I rode, then talked about how her dad taught her to ride, she did the MSF course and got her license. She really wanted to get a bike, but her BF didn't want her to ride.

If I were single and 15 years younger...

[Baileyman]

I made sure to get pants that zipped all the way up the leg.  I couldn't believe how hard it was to find a pair that did.  Most of the shops around here had some great pants, but none that were waterproof, with a removable liner, in my size, with zippers all the way up.  I tried on about a bazillion pairs before I found ones that worked for me.

[cmyers]

The pair of Fieldsheer that I just picked up second hand zip from the hip to the bottom making it easy to step in and out, same goes for the thermal/rain liner.

Mine have large mesh panels that flow a lot of air, I took a ride today, temps in upper 60's, with just the pants and shorts underneath - my legs were actually cold, I dont know if I will make it a habit to ride with shorts under the pants. Of course this summer when its 100 I might seriously consider it.

When not commuting, what do yall wear under the overpants?

[draco_1967]

I bought a pair of these a few months back, and holy cow are they amazing! I've had the opportunity of riding them in all kinds of weather--70* sunny, rainy, 16*, snowing, etc.--and they do their job. And I can get in and out of them pretty easily. It is a little more challenging with the liners in because they only have zippers up to upper calf/just below the knee.
I wear jeans or shorts under them, depending on the temp. I'll have to wait another month before temps get above 80* to see how they feel then...

[Soupskin]

I wear mine almost everywhere. Grocery shopping, doctors visits, all of it...

I take them off at work and if I going to be doing a lot of walking outside in the summer.

[bajakirch]

When not commuting, what do yall wear under the overpants?

Commuting or not (I have a casual work environment, so jeans -- and even shorts in the summer -- are acceptable), I slip the riding pants on over whatever pants I'm going to wear that day. The riding pants slip on easily over whatever other pants I'm wearing. I suspect it would be more challenging if I had the thermal liner installed, but I haven't had to resort to that. Yesterday I rode in with temps in the mid-20s and my legs weren't cold at all, so I doubt I'll ever have to resort to putting in the liners; my hands will turn to ice well before my legs get cold.

[Burgi]

So your pants don't zip open enough to remove without taking your boots off? Mine zip way up so it isn't a big problem taking them on and off. Worst part is the attention it gets me. When a woman rolls up on a motorcycle, jumps off and starts to take her pants off people tend to stare. I think leaving them on gets me less attention. 

[Bumblebee]

When not commuting, what do yall wear under the overpants?

The same thing I would wear if I wasn't riding. When riding, especially on longer rides, it's better to wear something that you can get caught out in the weather wearing when you're silly and leave your waterproof stuff behind. Mesh overpants offer no thermal protection at all in a massive downpour with a sudden sustained 20F drop in temperature. You'll be in trouble if you have to ride 80 miles at 50mph in light rain wearing only shorts under mesh gear.

[bajakirch]

So your pants don't zip open enough to remove without taking your boots off? Mine zip way up so it isn't a big problem taking them on and off. Worst part is the attention it gets me. When a woman rolls up on a motorcycle, jumps off and starts to take her pants off people tend to stare. I think leaving them on gets me less attention. 

No, mine zip up to the knee. It's possible to put them on or take them off with boots on, but it ain't purty.

And even though I'm not a woman, unbuckling and dropping my pants in the dentist's waiting room didn't seem like an appropriate activity.