Many motorcyclists don’t prioritize protecting using pants almost as a lot as they need to. It’s not unusual to see riders kitted out in high-end helmets and leather-based jackets, however common informal denims. Or worse… shorts.
We get it—using pants aren’t at all times as snug, or as reasonably priced, as a pair of Levis. However the irony is that your legs are sometimes the very first thing to hit the asphalt when issues go sideways. That’s why a great pair of abrasion- and impact-resistant bike pants is simply as important as the remainder of your gear.
The Australian gear firm Saint is all about this. Their schtick is single-layer protecting using denims that rating so excessive on consolation and elegance, that they might simply deal with date night time responsibility. However that mixture of operate and kind comes at a worth.
Saint’s flagship Unbreakable denims use denim woven with an ultra-strong high-tech fiber known as Dyneema, which isn’t low-cost to supply or work with. I’ve examined a number of iterations of their Unbreakable denims and gushed over each single pair—however at $350 [AU$499 in Australia] a pop, I’ve hassle recommending them to my buddies. The model understands this, in order that they’ve hit again with the brand new, and extra reasonably priced Saint Engineered bike denims.
As a substitute of utilizing Dyneema, the Saint Engineered cloth makes use of a mixture of cotton and nylon, with a bit of elastomultiester and elastane added for stretch. Based on Saint’s e-commerce supervisor, Michael Baxter, this denim has a sixth of the Unbreakable cloth’s abrasion resistance, however remains to be at the very least 20% extra abrasion resistant than common denim.
In additional tangible phrases, the Engineered denims, which ship with armor, rating a CE class AA score. And at $199 [AU$299 Down Under] they’re additionally considerably extra reasonably priced.
The Engineered denims are available in slim and straight choices, in both black or black, and there’s a ladies’s match too. I normally choose slimmer denims, however when Saint supplied to ship a pair of Engineered denims over to overview, I selected the straight match for the sake of science.
As with all my earlier Saint denims, these run true to my common jean dimension. The straight match is a boxy reduce with zero taper within the leg, so it has a relaxed really feel to it. It’s cosy across the waist, with the correct quantity of rise within the seat to make it cozy on and off the bike.
The general model is stylish and subdued; a standard five-pocket affair with an embossed leather-based Saint tab in the back of the waist, and the model’s wing emblem stitched onto the again pocket in a reflective thread. The one extra particulars are the knee armor pocket seams that sit above and under the knees, however they’re barely seen towards the black end.
The denim itself has a implausible hand to it, with a gentle, brushed really feel. And in the event you’re a denim head, I can testify that each pair of Saints that I’ve owned has light fantastically over time—so I’m anticipating the identical right here. (Textual content on the within of the denims even encourages you to put on them so long as doable with out washing them.)
Despite the fact that this specific match is a bit more relaxed than I’m used to, it does make the Engineered denims all-day-comfortable on the bike. And the truth that the denim has a measure of stretch to it helps too.
My one gripe is that Saint cuts their denims very lengthy, with a set inseam size for every dimension. I sometimes put on a dimension 38/32—however the dimension 38 Engineered has a 35” inseam, so chunky turned-up cuffs are obligatory. On the plus aspect, Saint has added reflective strips on the within, which reveal themselves when you fold them over.
The Engineered denims additionally come pre-fitted with CE Degree 2 hip and knee protectors. They’re ultra-thin, which makes them barely noticeable whereas using—but it surely additionally implies that the hip protectors are likely to fold over once you’re placing the denims on or off. The final time I reviewed a pair of Saint using denims, the knee armor wasn’t fairly sitting in the best spot—however these are a marked enchancment, with velcro that will help you fine-tune the match.
Add all of these issues up, and the Saint Engineered denims rating prime marks on consolation and elegance. And at a extra palatable worth level, I can now suggest them with a straight face.
Saint Engineered denims | Photographs by Devin Paisley
