Answered Long trousers with inbuilt armour?

[Tobers]

I’m looking for some long trousers with inbuilt lightweight hip/knee/shin armour. I can’t find anything so if you have any clues let me know.

I’ve already got some Fox long trousers which are a game changer in the current bramble-overgrown trail situation but they don’t have any armoured bits. I don’t really want to fanny about with additional pull on knee protectors and suchlike, I just want to pull a pair of trousers on and be sorted.

Anyone got any ideas? Ta

 

[R120]

Well the simple thing is that the armour won’t work properly if it isn’t tight to your body, which is why you don’t tend to see the product you are looking for - Fox do make armoured bib tights, which you can wear under shorts, and I think Dainese do as well.

you might find some MX pants that have inbuilt armour but they are likely to be far too bulky comfort wise.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have never looked, but I'm not surprised that you can't find any. I believe that separates is the way to go, much more versatile for you and the utility of the trousers. I ride a lot in the woods and brambles, nettles and brush are a constant hazard. My solution is mid length Sealskinz, knee & shin guards and over the knee length baggies, plus my usual padded undershorts. I have never needed anything else below the waist, not even in the winter. I can wear these separately or in combination with or without other articles of clothing.

Even if armoured trouser were available like you suggest, and the armour fitted in the right place for my proportions, and if the armour was in the right locations (some or all of: knee, shin, hip, coccyx..) then maybe the armour would be too heavy (downhill) or too light (XC). I reckon it could be quite tricky getting the inbuilt armour on when they are inside a pair of trousers. What weight of trousers, summer or winter,? What type, windproof, breathable or waterproof? Nope not for me, too complicated and not versatile enough. Probably very expensive too.

 

[boBE]

Joe Rocket has some trousers with armour (silly people, they call them pants with armor). They are made for motorcycling and may be a bit much but some have stretchy parts and may work.

 

[Gary]

plenty MX trousers have velco'd in removable foam hip pads

Buy armoured undershorts instead, then you can wear them with any shorts or trousers. tons sof brands make them.

 

[wepn]

I have a few different brands of Armalith motorcycle jeans with pockets for impact pads like d3o.

They’re almost indestructible, a chainsaw or blowtorch would work but not much else. Single layer is impervious to a knife, multi layers will stop a bullet.

 

[Gary]

Are they actualy any use for cycling in though?

 

[wepn]

Are they actualy any use for cycling in though?

Yes but only if you don’t move your legs. Actually they’re not bad but best for downhill. It’s the uphill bit that sucks but it always does.

 

[Tobers]

Thanks all. I’m sensing a gap in the market here. I may have to set up a MTB clothing company to fill it

I have MX gear already being a biker - it’s a bit too heavy for summer MTBing unfortunately.

 

[Zimmerframe]

Forcefield do the sport pants :

ForceFieldBodyArmour

www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com

Not sure if you'd get away with wearing them as is or not. The material is supposed to be quite good even in warm temperatures. Wouldn't like to say what they'd be like when pedalling though.

Similarly, I wanted an all in 1 trouser solution at the start and wore work trousers to begin with. As others have said, you're just moving around too much really for it to work efficiently.

"Modular" might seem like a pain in the arse. But it gives you more flexibility on putting on what bits you need depending on where you're riding or how hot/cold/wet it is. Also, if you're like me, as you destroy bits of protection, you only have to change those bits and not the whole trousers.

I suspect I wear more items than most, but it still only takes me 2 minutes to put everything on.

 

[Tobers]

Forcefield do the sport pants :

ForceFieldBodyArmour

www.forcefieldbodyarmour.com

Not sure if you'd get away with wearing them as is or not. The material is supposed to be quite good even in warm temperatures. Wouldn't like to say what they'd be like when pedalling though.

Similarly, I wanted an all in 1 trouser solution at the start and wore work trousers to begin with. As others have said, you're just moving around too much really for it to work efficiently.

"Modular" might seem like a pain in the arse. But it gives you more flexibility on putting on what bits you need depending on where you're riding or how hot/cold/wet it is. Also, if you're like me, as you destroy bits of protection, you only have to change those bits and not the whole trousers.

I suspect I wear more items than most, but it still only takes me 2 minutes to put everything on.

I do have some Forcefield MX stuff actually, and it's great for offroad biking but too bulky for MTBing. That being said, I hadn't checked their range for some time. I've just had another look and reckon that it's unlikely that their stuff will be suitable unfortunately.

I think everyone is aligned here though - modular it is then.