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Commuter/office-friendly pants and boots..

celtsguy81

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Sorry if this has been covered here before. I did search the forums but my specific questions weren't asked exactly. The post is long, but if you're short on time read the last paragraph.

Two items I am wondering about are boots and riding pants. I work in an office and basically use my bike to commute a lot. Anyone else do that? Do you have a suggestion for a good riding pant that can be worn over jeans (office is biz casual.. I wear jeans daily.. but I don't want to have to change pants when I get to work)? How about boots that look like sneakers or office-friendly shoes? Do people usually just keep shoes at their desk?

I also am not so familiar with what brands are considered quality (beyond Icon, Scoprion, and AlpineStars).

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!
 
I wear Joe Rocket Phoenix pants in the summer and Tour Master Venture pants in the winter. Both fit nicely over pants without being too bulky. The Phoenix pants are fine as over pants until the temp gets over 100 deg, then I switch to just the wearing the Phoenix pants with just shorts underneath. For boots I just switch at work.
 
I wear Alpinestars T-AST mesh pants made for Cyclegear. They fit REALLY slim though so if you have a 40 inch waist the XXXL might not fit. They are very comfortable so far and if it gets cold or wet, I pull my Frog Toggs on over top and they are still awesome. For boots I found a nice pair of solid dress boots I liked and bought two pairs - brown and black - and wear those.

Last winter I wore a FirstGear Thermo one piece and the cheapest waterproof motorcycle boots I could find and changed at work. I'm not sure what I will be wearing next winter. I am thinking about investing in good Rev'It gear and I like my boots.
 
I work in an office and basically use my bike to commute a lot. Anyone else do that?

Yes, I do that most days. I wear a 1-piece suit a lot of the time. It goes on very quickly and lets me wear my work clothes underneath. For boots, there are those which look fairly like work boots, or even sort of shoes. I generally wear my race boots, though, and change footwear at the office. I wear boots more often than not at work, and sometimes I'll wear my work boots with my riding suit.

FWIW, I find Revzilla's website to be easy to search, and they offer great selection and outstanding service.
 
I wear TourMaster over pants and TCX xCube waterproof boots that I can wear in the office but while very comfortable they get a little hot in the office. I usually throw a pair of shoes in my backpack or leave a pair at work. Like others have said revzilla has a large selection of gear to choose from.
 
I wear scrubs at work so any riding pant is a over pant but living on the gulf coast everything I wear is mesh only in the dead of winter will I even wear a jacket liner. I commute daily and work nights 7p-7a and keep some shoes in my locker were I change. I like Klim and Olympia lots of bang for my hard earned dollars.
 
Probably should have asked this before, too: Is there a riding shoe out there that comes in wide sizes? I have wide feet and it is a massive pain (pun intended... meh) when I look for basketball shoes, too.
 
Probably should have asked this before, too: Is there a riding shoe out there that comes in wide sizes? I have wide feet and it is a massive pain (pun intended... meh) when I look for basketball shoes, too.

I have the same problem with having duck feet. I was going to post a link to the boots I bought last winter - everyone rated them poorly because of fitment - "Way too wide" - my duck feet are quite happy with the fitment - However, I find they are discontinued and no longer available. :-{(

looks like these folks have some...

http://www.bikeworx.com/power-trip-pt100-purpose-built-boot-detail.htm?productid=18030118
 
Probably should have asked this before, too: Is there a riding shoe out there that comes in wide sizes? I have wide feet and it is a massive pain (pun intended... meh) when I look for basketball shoes, too.
I have the same problem. I'm amazed that with the prices of riding boots they NEVER list the width.

I have the same problem with having duck feet. I was going to post a link to the boots I bought last winter - everyone rated them poorly because of fitment - "Way too wide" - my duck feet are quite happy with the fitment - However, I find they are discontinued and no longer available. :-{(

looks like these folks have some...

Power Trip PT100 PURPOSE BUILT BOOT from Bikeworx
Thanks for the link Dan. I'll check them out
 
I searched long and hard to find the type of overpants I wanted, (mostly for rain and cold/cool/warm-ish conditions) that HAD to meet my #1 criteria: Full length zippers on the outside of each leg.

Aerostitch AD-01 pants

A lot of pants advertize as having "full length" zips, but in reality they stop short of the belt line or even up to the hips.

I found the awesomness of having a true zipper on each leg that seperated the pants 100% stem to stern, years ago with a pair of GoreTex rain pants I got at a hiking store. I still have them about 23 years later, and they are as totally waterproof now as they were the day I bought them. (mui happy with them obviously)

Since I commute 365 by motorcycle and it rains here continually like a bad Groundhog Day, being able to remove/put on wet outer pants without having to hop around on one foot or take boots off and so on, is a godsend for me.

They aren't exactly top shelf abrasion resistant gear like leathers or more specific kevlar or brute thick textile pants, but they are better than plain jeans, and do have the ability to have knee and hip armour in them.

I usually wear my Alpinestar MX4 boots commuting, and aside from the plastic (removable) toe sliders, they are pretty blendy-inny as far as just slightly quirky looking black leather boots when worn with jeans. If I don't want to wear them on any given day, I just put them under my desk and put on my kept at work running shoes. The models I have are the plain ones, not the water resistant models with the same name and style, but I sealed the seams and apply Sno Seal to them religiously, and they have never leaked a drop in 7 years.

For warm to hot days, I will usually wear my Joe Rocket Alter Ego (early gen model) pants that have large vents and removable mesh panels on them. They have thigh high side zippers, but they suck to try and remove or put on while wearing boots.

Unfortunately the Alpinestars boots are pretty narrow fitting, from what I would determine.
 
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I wear the Aerostich Transit pants. Waterproof leather with long zippers allow me to put them on and take them off with boots on and no rain suit needed. They breathe well enough and are treated to reflect some of the sun's rays, so they wear cooler than most leathers. I wear boots at work anyway, so I haven't bought motorcycle boots. I wear Danner boots for now. I will probably purchase some Stylmartin motorcycle boots in the future.
 
Do people usually just keep shoes at their desk?
Yes!
I commute every day rain or shine to work (high school teacher) from April to June and from August to November.
Keep a pair of shoes under your desk.
Get yourself a pair of Aerostitch Darien pants...I wear them over my dress pants and with their full length zippers (one on each leg) they are easy on/off.
Very good protection and they are completely waterproof...no need to pack rain gear and pull over on the side of the road to change.

A bit pricey, but you get what you pay for. Mine were about 8 years old when I sent them back to Aerostitch to be <refurbished>...New zippers, goretex where it was worn, a couple of snaps.....I think it cost me about $125 and they came back like new.

Darien Pants :: Aerostich/RiderWearHouse Motorcycle Jackets, Suits, Clothing, & Gear
 
I ended up going with the Scorpion SGS gloves. They look like something you would see on a race track... and I'm just a commuter. So, yeah, a little overkill but for the cost and what they offer in protection I don't care.

I also got the REV'IT Airwave pants. Hoping they work out well.

Next is shoes/boots... if I can ever afford them!
 
Comfort and protection overrules looks in my world. Also don’t think of it as “just a commuter”. More fatalities happen on the road than on the track. Granted tracks have higher speeds and pushing bike/rider to the limit but they also have smooth transitions to run-off areas and crash barriers. The streets have pot holes, curbs, ditches, cagers, and cell phones.
 
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