One leg at a time: Five fresh takes on riding pants
Full coverage for all kinds of conditions
Pants aren’t just for downhill anymore. The long legs provide coverage for long rides, local trails and protection from the wettest weather. Here are five of our favourite pants from this year.
Reinforced ankles and a zippered cuff are great touches
Double clasp and zipper closure, plus waist adjustments
Rab's vents are great. The pockets less so.
Rab – Cinder Crank pant
U.K. mountaineering brand Rab knows a thing or two about being comfortable far from the creature comforts of the city. Splitting focus between mountain bike, bikepacking and gravel adventures, Cinder Crank pants are designed for long rides when the miles stretch out into days. Details like thigh vents large enough to access cargo pockets on liner shorts (separate), zippered ankle cuffs and reinforced ankles for crank rub all work to overcome some awkwardly shaped pockets.
Men’s Cinder Crank Pants are $210 and come in five sizes from XS-XL and in three leg lengths (Short, Medium, Long). Rab’s more waterproof pants are available in women’s sizing, but not the Cinder Crank. Read more about the Cinder line.
Reinforced knees have you covered in crashes
Branded gripper silicon inside and a burly buckle outside hold the Feints in place
There's no zipper to catch, but velcro does add some security
Narrow ankles and just enough stretch to get the Feints on and off, but they are tight.
Three well placed pockets hold essentials on rides, including a park pass stash pocket on the thigh.
Chromag – Feint pant
Chromag’s know for their small parts and hardcore hardtails but the Whistler brand has a full line of apparel as well. The Feint pants, like Chomag, are meant to split time between pedalling comfort and park protection. Reinforced knees add toughness while stretchy material and a close cut keep them from moving around on the bike. Three pockets, including a phone pocket and a hidden pass pocket are all well placed and easy to use.
Chromag offers the Feint pant in six men’s sizes from 28-38, five women’s sizes from XS to XL for $195 and four youth sizes from 6 – 12 for $135. See our full review of the Chromag Feint pants.
Blue jeans and three good pockets.
Ankles are slim, but not skin tight, and stretch enough that they're easy to remove at the end of the day
Darts at the knees keep these jeans shaped for riding, even with pads under
A hook for hanging your pants
Zipper, button and a drawstrong. These pants are staying on.
Ripton & Co.
Ripton & Co. – Bike pant
Colorado-based Ripton & Co.’s motto may be “life is jort” but, when the descents are steep and speeds are fast, you’ll want the extra length of the bike pants. Made to seamlessly translate the Canadian Tuxedo look to the trails, the bike pant is made from an extremely comfortable stretch denim. Articulated knees make this denim cool to pedal in, even while wearing pads. Ripton notes the pants are UCI legal, too, Â if you want to bring the Denim Destroyer speed to your local trails. Three zippered pockets hold whatever you need. Ripton offers the bike pants in traditional blue and a black jean option.
Ripton let’s loose in six men’s sizes (XS-XXL) and five women’s sizes (XS-XL) Â for $166.00 through Ripton & Co.
Rapha – Trail Gore-Tex pantÂ
Rapha stormed into mountain biking with trail pants, then lightweight trail pants. Now there is a pair ready for the actual storm. Rapha’s Gore-Tex trail pants use fully taped seams for extreme weather protection, including two pockets. Like its other pants, the Trail Gore-Tex are designed to work with it’s incredibly comfortable knee pads. They’re not inexpensive but, if you’re frequently looking to avoid getting soaked, they could be worth the cost.
Six men’s sizes run from XS-XL and the same in Women’s fit. Both are $440.00 through Rapha.
Buckle closure and a hook and loop fit adjust on the YTs
The buckle is enough to hold the pants in place.
Three pockets, with the odd touch that the flap faces up. Makes access easy, though.
Stretchy ankles are close cut, but not too close.
Three pockets for essentials.
YT offers the Trail pant in grey and a more traditional black colour
YT – Trail Cordura pant
YT is branching out from bikes to apparel with its new range of riding pants and shorts. The Trail Cordura pant is a simple, lightweight pant that is comfortable for pedalling but made with tough material. A simple design features a buckle closure and hook-and-loop fit adjustments at the waist. There’s a loop to hang-dry the pants, three pockets and stretchy material on the close-cut ankles. A Gravity version of the pants includes zippered ankle cuffs and heavier duty Cordura material. YT isn’t branching out far enough to bring these pants to Canada, but if you’re in the U.S.A. or the rest of the world, they’re available directly from YT.
Six sizes from 28″ to 38″ in men’s and five sizes from XS-XL in women’s cut. Only available outside Canada (U.S. and Europe). USD $99.00 for the Trail and USD 109.00 for the Gravity pants.
What would we choose?
These pants all serve different riders. For long distance coverage and summery riding, Rab’s Cinder Crank’s are light, breezy and comfortable. Chromag is the best all-round option, hits all the details the best and gets bonus points as a Canadian company. Ripton & Co. obviously rakes in the style points while Rapha earns its price tag by making muddy riding conditions look good. YT has its own appeal as a simple, light design with a similarly stripped down price point.
