Summary:
#1 If your riding style is enduro and adventure, look to buy adventure pants that are more practical for this type of riding and offer more features such as waterproofing.
#2 Stick with the major brands to get the highest level of quality possible.
#3 Comfort is really important! If they are not comfortable or don’t fit properly then your riding and enjoyment will suffer. Buy gear that is comfortable and fits perfectly.
#4 Summer dirt bike pants are made with lighter materials without sacrificing safety and comfort, increasing breath-ability.
#5 Make sure your preferred dirt bike shop offers an exchange program so you can swap the pants if you don’t like them.
Comfort is a really big factor when riding a dirt bike. The way you sit, the shape of the seat, the way you sweat and the quality of your dirt bike pants all play a big part in your overall comfort.
If your comfort factor is low, you will enjoy dirt bike riding a whole lot less. The wrong gear will also cause chaffing and abrasions on your skin which is no fun at all.
The right dirt bike pants are a real pleasure to wear so don’t compromise with it, make sure you get yourself the right pants, jersey and socks that are right for your riding type, comfort and body shape.
In this article I will be looking at the features of dirt bike riding pants, how to wash them and look after them and I’ll also be talking about some things that you shouldn’t do to your pants so you don’t permanently damage them.
Dirt Bike Riding Pants Features >>
The chances are, when you just start out riding a dirt bike for the first time you would have been wearing jeans.
You would of also quickly realized just how uncomfortable jeans can get when riding. Jeans don’t fit around the seat properly and have no ventilation. They offer no real protection in a crash and tear easily.
Once you get into a proper pair of dirt bike riding pants you’ll never look back!
It’s not just the look, it’s the feel of them that makes them awesome. Dirt bike riding pants are designed to fit the shape of the ‘attack position’ which is the most common position on a dirt bike.
The knee is bent, the piece from your bum to your waist is cut high so you your pants don’t slip down your bum and the knee area is large enough to fit knee braces.
Dirt bike riding pants also have the stretch panels in the back and around the knee for the perfect fit. They have air ventilation to keep you cool and dry. The inner knee area has extra layers of tough materials like leather to protect your knees and stop tearing and wear to the knees.
Dirt bike pants also have a tougher section that is made of leather in the inner leg part to reduce wear between the pants and the bike.
Good pants will also have a leather reinforced area on the right inner leg to protect your leg from the heat of the exhaust.
Quality pants will also have large heavy duty zips, which will resist mud and dust. They also have a tough fly over that closes over the zip to keep mud out, with a plastic ratchet or heavy duty button for easy fastening.
Some pants will also offer additional fastening with easy adjusting Velcro tabs on the hips. This way you’ll get a snug fit every time even if you have gained and lost weight.
There are stretch panels in various areas of the pants, especially in the bum area that keep your pants in position and don’t pull down under strain. Dirt bike pants also have a yoke made from plastic that protects the tailbone. Most pants also come with removable hip pads for extra comfort.
Dirt bike pants are constructed incredibly well and are full of essential pieces that have been added to improve performance and comfort. A good pair of pants is an essential item and your riding will improve immensely by getting a pair.
There are also different models of dirt bike pants depending on the type of riding you will be doing. There most popular are motocross pants that are the most common and then adventure pants which fit over the top of boots (OTB) and offer the best in comfort and function for every day riding and enduro racing.
Things to Consider When Buying Pants >>
#1 Riding style.
If you are more of an adventure rider and spend a lot of time off the bike as well as on, get yourself a pair of adventure pants as they will be way more comfortable and functional for you to move around in.
They offer waterproofing, more pockets and greater comfort for hiking, climbing or just chilling with your friends around a campfire after a long trail ride. The cuff of the pants cover over the boot (OTB) and will keep your boots dry if you are crossing a waterway.
For all other styles of riding, a normal pair of motocross pants will do just fine.
#2 Quality.
Obviously this is a no-brainer. But as with all gear. there are still some shitty brands out there that are of sub-standard quality.
Make sure the pants are super tough with triple stitching and heavy duty zippers, buttons, Velcro etc. Your pants need to take a thrashing and not fall apart. A well-built pair of pants should last you a very long time.
A brand of motocross pants like FOX Racing for example are built as tough and are consistently one of the highest rated brands of dirt bike pants as reviewed by riders online.
I play this tune a lot in my blog and it is no different for dirt bike pants. Dirt bike pants have to be comfortable and fit well! If they aren’t, get another pair otherwise your riding and enjoyment will suffer.
#3 Colors and Designs.
The colors and designs these days are pretty crazy awesome and there is plenty to choose from. This simply comes down to personal preference.
I like brighter gear for forest and trail riding as it’s better for visibility for other bike riders to see (or rescue team to come find you if you get in trouble).
O’Neal Racing for example are another leading brand of dirt bike pants and have wild and bright designs that look awesome.
#4 Hot climates.
When you are riding in the summer, the last thing you want is to sweat your ass off. This leads to chaffing and loads of discomfort.
Instead, look at buying a pair of summer dirt bike pants! They are built with even lighter materials and are made with ventilation pieces everywhere without sacrificing quality and protection.
The Klim XC Lite summer pants for example are built from super light materials and will help your legs breathe through even the most hottest summer days.
As with all dirt bike gear, it pays to make sure you can exchange the gear if they are not the right fit, so I would recommend using a store that offer an exchange program.
Conclusion
Let me know your favorite type of dirt bike pants in the below comments.
Happy riding!
Next articles to read:
- How to Whip a Dirt Bike. A Beginners Guide to Getting Sideways. - September 23, 2019
- The Best Dirt Bike Tool Kit for Trail Riding [that Won’t Break]. - August 6, 2019
- How to Wash Dirt Bike Pants. 5 Tips for Making them Last Longer [and 5 things to never do]. - August 5, 2019
I like how you mention that there is a specifically-tailored dirt bike suit made for the sport so that when the dirt bike goes off-road, all of the accumulated mud and the clothes underneath would look clean. Another example is that when it comes to picking out the clothes for off-the-road bike riding, one should pay attention to the quality as well as how to take care of it since the inside of these dirt bike pants is made up of leather. While I haven’t the need to ride a dirt bike, I can understand why these specialty pants are… Read more »
Cheers Adrian!