Pants vs shorts on the trails

[Lino]

I wear shorts but have been looking for a pair of mountain biking pants for protection more than anything, not Chinese cheek huggers and I don't see the need to spend over 100 dollars on high end riding pants just for trail riding.
I tried some hiking pants from Amazon that were nice but a little too wide at the bottom.
For those of you that wear shorts, have you had issues with ticks, poison oak, snake bites, cactus encounters where you wish you were wearing pants.

 

[Tim69]

I used to wear shorts for all around riding, and long " Moto pants" for downhilling..
But with the speed and intensity, of Emtb.. as far as I'm concerned, long protection is the only! Sane way to go!
I wear long motocross pants all summer long, despite the intense heat here.. but at the speeds you ride on an Emtb, you hardly feel it. ( Till you stop?)
As far as price!? There not cheap, true... But good protection never is! And your worth it! Besides if you get good quality ones... They last for years! Had mine over ten years!
And don't forget, elbow/ knee guards... I wear the G-Form gell pads, most comfortable ones I ever had! And as always.. my five ten " Impact's" still the best shoe ever!
Tim

 

[HORSPWR]

I bought a brand new pair of Alpinestar MX style pants and have never used them for the reason that I just hate that rubbing/pulling feeling over the knees. I only wear shorts that are above the knee. I had a pair of Alpinestar MX shorts that came down past the knee and they annoyed the crap out of me, especially on a wet dirty ride I had, my knees were red raw when I got home.

Although I really wish I had long pants on yesterday when I went tumbling down the mountain, had a pedal strike on a rock on the right that threw me left but on the left was a 5 metre drop so when I put my foot out there was nothing there.

 

[Lino]

That sounds like a hell of a drop, good info on disadvantage of wearing pants.

 

[Tim69]

I bought a brand new pair of Alpinestar MX style pants and have never used them for the reason that I just hate that rubbing/pulling feeling over the knees. I only wear shorts that are above the knee. I had a pair of Alpinestar MX shorts that came down past the knee and they annoyed the crap out of me, especially on a wet dirty ride I had, my knees were red raw when I got home.

Although I really wish I had long pants on yesterday when I went tumbling down the mountain, had a pedal strike on a rock on the right that threw me left but on the left was a 5 metre drop so when I put my foot out there was nothing there.

Wow!!?
Hope your ok... Sounds like a nasty fall... Pedal strikes are a bitch!
As for the mx pants.. mine have an inner liner that keeps them from abrading your skin too much. In any case I wear my knee guards under them.. so no knee rub.
But whatever you wear on your knees, bee it long " shorts'.. mx pants, or even knee guards.. your always going to have the possibility of knee rub..
But I for one, won't go out without knee pads.
Tim.

 

[HORSPWR]

Wow!!?
Hope your ok... Sounds like a nasty fall... Pedal strikes are a bitch!
As for the mx pants.. mine have an inner liner that keeps them from abrading your skin too much. In any case I wear my knee guards under them.. so no knee rub.
But whatever you wear on your knees, bee it long " shorts'.. mx pants, or even knee guards.. your always going to have the possibility of knee rub..
But I for one, won't go out without knee pads.
Tim.

My left knee right now is wishing I hade knee pads on yesterday, oddly I’ve got a set of pretty much unused ones in my garage ?

 

[2wheeledwalbert]

I wear pants and shorts ??‍?

 

[33red]

I bought a brand new pair of Alpinestar MX style pants and have never used them for the reason that I just hate that rubbing/pulling feeling over the knees. I only wear shorts that are above the knee. I had a pair of Alpinestar MX shorts that came down past the knee and they annoyed the crap out of me, especially on a wet dirty ride I had, my knees were red raw when I got home.

Although I really wish I had long pants on yesterday when I went tumbling down the mountain, had a pedal strike on a rock on the right that threw me left but on the left was a 5 metre drop so when I put my foot out there was nothing there.

Ya i had 175 arms and came real close to a bad fall because of a strike. Last 7 weeks i love my 165

 

[33red]

I allways wear a pair of sweat pants that are close to my skin. I have real short bar so often i ride in the rough and all kind of stuff can cut. Over them my knee pads fit fine. I need to replace them and will look for the same, real comfy. They go a bit over my socks and before entering the trails i put on insect repellant on, including a bit at my ankles level(on my clothes).

 

[Tim69]

My left knee right now is wishing I hade knee pads on yesterday, oddly I’ve got a set of pretty much unused ones in my garage ?

I hope you are well...and back to riding soon..
And like "33red" said... If you get a lot of pedal strikes... Might consider shorter cranks.
I suffered badly from them on my kenevo.
Changed my 165's to Miranda 150's last week... And now I'm happy as a clam!
And feel much more freedom pedaling over the rough stuff.
Added bonus... It keeps your cadence up higher, that for me has always been a struggle.
Tim.

 

[33red]

I hope you are well...and back to riding soon..
And like "33red" said... If you get a lot of pedal strikes... Might consider shorter cranks.
I suffered badly from them on my kenevo.
Changed my 165's to Miranda 150's last week... And now I'm happy as a clam!
And feel much more freedom pedaling over the rough stuff.
Added bonus... It keeps your cadence up higher, that for me has always been a struggle.
Tim.

I was thinking when i buy some arms next time going with 160.
I read too short when off saddle it provides us with less platform = less balance.
Do you feel 150 is not too short? You feel OK or is there some compromise?

 

[Mikerb]

Shorts always ...even in winter. No cactus, poisoned oak, ratle snakes or crocodiles here!!
My shlrts are over the knee worn with g form knee padz and if the trail has brambles etc then g form shin pads as well. These meet my socks so complete leg co ver without going to long pants. The compression fit of g form knee and shin pads also provides some muscle support.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

Shorts every time.

 

[Tim69]

I was thinking when i buy some arms next time going with 160.
I read too short when off saddle it provides us with less platform = less balance.
Do you feel 150 is not too short? You feel OK or is there some compromise?

The short answer... No. 150 is not too short. It greatly! Reduces pedal strikes compared to my old 165's.. it increases your cadence slightly, which is good for efficiency and your knees.
I love hard fast downhill tracks.. and ride them every day.. and have noticed No decrease in stability.
The only "downside" is slightly lower top speed, since your cadence "maxe's" out at lower speed.. I'm talking maybe 37 instead of 40 kph.
For the full story check out this thread:
Shorter Crank Arms on Levo / Kenevo? - EMTB Forums
Tim.

 

[Slowroller]

Shorts with hip and knee pads always, I really end up riding in knickers once it's all on.

 

[steve_sordy]

I wear Endura MT500 3/4 trousers. They don't look or feel like trousers, just like long shorts. They fasten under the knee but on top of my knee/shin guards. If I wear proper shorts I get thigh flash when pedalling, which is not a good look!

The knee/shin guards meet my socks, so there is nothing showing. I'm a UK rider so all I have to worry about is nettles, brambles, gorse, horseflies and ticks (although I have never been bothered by ticks). In the summer season I use Jungle Forumla Max Strength insect repellent and it works.

With the absence of the insect repellent, I wear that lot all year round.

 

[33red]

The short answer... No. 150 is not too short. It greatly! Reduces pedal strikes compared to my old 165's.. it increases your cadence slightly, which is good for efficiency and your knees.
I love hard fast downhill tracks.. and ride them every day.. and have noticed No decrease in stability.
The only "downside" is slightly lower top speed, since your cadence "maxe's" out at lower speed.. I'm talking maybe 37 instead of 40 kph.
For the full story check out this thread:
Shorter Crank Arms on Levo / Kenevo? - EMTB Forums
Tim.

Thanks, it is good to know. Top speed is never on my mind

 

[Mydriaze]

Pants or short? I always ride in short, but because of Lyme’s disease, I really think more and more switching to pants.

 

[Zimmerframe]

I always ride in short, but because of Lyme’s disease, I really think more and more switching to pants.

You worried about the ticks ? I think I've had one in my life before this year then I was getting 6-8 a week . Just the right weather for them this year. I was talking to a friend who was preparing trails and got several then started using tiger balm. Didn't get any more. Never thought of using tiger balm as a tick repellent before. c'est bon, oui ?

 

[Mydriaze]

I think I've had one in my life before this year then I was getting 6-8 a week

Are you a dog?

Didn't know for tiger balm, the smell is quite strong, but i'm ot sure it's efficient.

 

[Mikerb]

Never had a tick....but then I do not have hairy legs!!

 

[Zimmerframe]

Are you a dog?

Probably closer to a dog than a man !

Never had a tick....but then I do not have hairy legs!!

Me neither, the little bastards latch on anywhere or work their way around and then latch on. They're tiny at first so quite a few you scratch off by accident and leave the heads inside - yuk .. messy..

woof woof

 

[Mikerb]

Probably closer to a dog than a man !


Me neither, the little bastards latch on anywhere or work their way around and then latch on. They're tiny at first so quite a few you scratch off by accident and leave the heads inside - yuk .. messy..

woof woof

No insect bites either

 

[juuungle]

I have a set of Specialized Demo Pro pants and they are amazing, albeit a bit more expensive than what you indicated you would spend. However, what they offer is a great cut/shape for pedaling, lightweight stretchy and breathable material that is super comfortable and won't hold you back climbing, and good durability. The cut should enable you to wear some trail-oriented knee pads with them (I wear RaceFace Indy's under mine). There are a number of modern lightweight options similar to these too, such as Fox Flexair, Endura, etc.

I would not recommend heavyweight DH pants with nylon/Cordura construction if you are looking to do any significant pedaling due to weight and lack of breathability.

Hope this helps.

 

[33red]

I think around here they sell 2-3 variety of tiger, anyone in particular? I have some, did not use it last 8 years. I got lucky, first store, first try, 9$ bought me long pants because mine are ready to go.

 

[HORSPWR]

I hope you are well...and back to riding soon..
And like "33red" said... If you get a lot of pedal strikes... Might consider shorter cranks.
I suffered badly from them on my kenevo.
Changed my 165's to Miranda 150's last week... And now I'm happy as a clam!
And feel much more freedom pedaling over the rough stuff.
Added bonus... It keeps your cadence up higher, that for me has always been a struggle.
Tim.

It wasn't a pedal strike from cranks being too long. It was a skinny gutted new track that went up a steep hill with a massive drop off on the left and a steep uphill rocky outcrop on the inside on the right with heaps of rocks hanging out of it, I'm pretty sure my pedal strike was at the top of the stroke on some rocks hanging out into the Q factor area of the pedalling stroke which I hit with my right pedal. Once it forced me left I had nowhere to go but down the embankment, it was steep, probably around 60º. So when my left foot went out looking for the ground there was nothing there and I was still on the seat so over I went bike and all. It happened in the blink of an eye.

 

[HORSPWR]

The short answer... No. 150 is not too short. It greatly! Reduces pedal strikes compared to my old 165's.. it increases your cadence slightly, which is good for efficiency and your knees.
I love hard fast downhill tracks.. and ride them every day.. and have noticed No decrease in stability.
The only "downside" is slightly lower top speed, since your cadence "maxe's" out at lower speed.. I'm talking maybe 37 instead of 40 kph.
For the full story check out this thread:
Shorter Crank Arms on Levo / Kenevo? - EMTB Forums
Tim.

Could this be fixed by going 2 teeth bigger on the front chainring?

I've been thinking about going from a 34 to a 36, my cadence tops out too early and I rarely use gears 1-4 on the back anyway. Except I'm having trouble finding a Shimano Steps 36T front chainring online.

 

[Gary]

Shimano don't make one (just 34 or 38)
but you don't need a Shimano one any 104 BCD narrow wide 36T ring will bolt on to the spider.

Oh... and Max cadence isn't usually reduced by changing to shorter crank arms. The opposite is usually true as shorter arms require less physical distance to spin each revolution.
But it's a technique thing anyway. Practice and you'll get better at spinning fast.

 

[Tim69]

Could this be fixed by going 2 teeth bigger on the front chainring?

I've been thinking about going from a 34 to a 36, my cadence tops out too early and I rarely use gears 1-4 on the back anyway. Except I'm having trouble finding a Shimano Steps 36T front chainring online.

Yes, those were my thoughts exactly, I was already feeling limited by my top speed, all the more so now, so got me a used raceface narow/wide 34 tooth 104bcd chainring for my Brose motor (to replace the standard 32 tooth) from a nice fellow here on the forum!
Going to try it. Should fix it!
Tim

 

[Ian]

The last year or so I’ve been mainly wearing pants as I am a real tick magnet and have only had one tick on my waist. The pants are great in cooler weather and keep the mud off. I’m a real convert