It’s that time of year again – I am scanning the websites of my favorite clothing manufacturers, looking for anything that I would really want to wear in their new spring collections. Over almost three years of dedicated bike commuting, I have had a few tastes of functional clothes that reflect my non-girly persona, and they have left me craving more.
This year’s pants round up (so far):
Giro Mobility Pants – $100
The first thing I noticed is that they look like normal pants. Really, like pants I’d hope to find even if I weren’t obsessed with bicycles. They’re not too tight, but they’re slim fit. They have belt loops. And pockets*. The price point is better than many bike pants I’ve seen. *Update: scratch the pockets. I tried these on in-store, and the front pockets are for decoration only. 😦
What’s bike-specific? Not much – and I think that’s OK. There’s reflective trim when you roll up the ankle. Let’s hope the fabric is pretty sweat-wicking (if not, what’s the point?) I am now messaging bike shops in the Twin Cities metro to find out if any of them carry the Mobility Pants.
Arc’teryx A2B Commuter Pants – $139
If Giro took the approach of making as few changes as possible to the Gap chinos model, then Arc’teryx went the opposite route. Water-repellant and quick drying with articulated knees and lots of reflective stuff (cuffs and pocket flaps), these look very functional. The technical details befit Arc’teryx’s reputation for high-performance. Luckily, the price-point is lower than I would expect from this company.
A lot of my friends express frustration at having products dumbed down or flowered up when a women’s size is finally released. Arc’teryx gets points for making these just like the men’s model, just sized differently. Unfortunately, there’s still a double standard in the workplace. There are men who work in my building who could get away with wearing these to the office, but it wouldn’t fly for me. I need something a little more polished.
RYB Denim Coming soon!
I should have mentioned this start-up company last year. They ran a successful Indiegogo campaign and will hopefully be shipping jeans to funders soon – and then, to the world. A good friend ordered a pair from the Indiegogo campaign. I will beg her to tell me all the details when they’re here!
Read my previous bike pants round up post here, and check out additional posts about REI’s bike jeans and Iladora’s bike pants, which are now available from their new website.
Girls Biking to Work 
I have a pair of the REI jeans. Had to order them online because they weren’t at any store by me…and I live in Chicago
Luckily I guessed the right size. I have a range, and I chose the higher end. They fit well, and I have to work myself up to go pants shopping because I often have a near impossible time fitting into stuff (thank you, thighs). Yet, the REI ones fit.
Bought them right when it got cold and have been working from home so I haven’t even used them yet…haha. But they felt comfy!
My partner (man) has a pair and really likes them. Hope I will too!
Bike pants with room for thighs… hooray! Thanks for sharing your insight!
I’m loving my REI biking jeans. Hope to get another pair in a smaller size soon. 😉
I tried the giro mobility pant and have really liked it so far. I can get away with wearing it as office/dressier wear, yet its quite comfortable on my commute (which includes a 1000ft of climbing. Hello big thighs!). My only real gripe with it is that it is just a bit too short for my legs, but that is a problem I have with most pants. If you look at the pictures of it on the model, you can see she had the same problem.
I hate pants with articulated knees for that very reason. The articulation point usually ends up somewhere on my lower thigh instead of anywhere near my knees.
Thanks so much for your insight!