In Search of the Perfect Pair of Pants: Shopping List Part Deux

Back in October 2010 I blogged about the quest I’m on for the perfect pair of pants that carry me from bike saddle (with comfort!) to board meetings (with style!).  I didn’t actually heat up the debit card yet, as I kept finding more possibilities and need help narrowing them down.

As a recap of the faults I find with most of the pants out there, for me the pants fail if:

• They look like I could go bouldering in them.
• They make a swishy sound when I walk.
• The detailing screams “sportswear!” (Ann Taylor and Liz Claiborne do not make me wear their names on my butt).
• The legs flare too much at the bottom.

Here’s Part Deux of the list—hoping for feedback on ones you’ve worn and liked.

Clever Cycles Stealth Trousers: Unisex. Great review and description by Lovely Bike blogger. Not crazy about the elasticized waistband in back, although I get their reasoning that this keeps you from getting cut by the waistband. Flat seams and apparently some clever tailoring so they don’t bind or cut. Just not sure how much “poof” I’d end up with in a pair that covers my behind and then nips in at my waist. Charcoal only, sizes 2-16. $157.

Terry Kavu Vamos Pant: Pant legs roll up and snap to stay out of the way of the chain. Nothing in description to tell me whether there’s a gusset or at least flat seams. Trouser style, only available in navy, $70.

Isis 5-Star Pant: Looks like comfy fabric; described as “easy care” which may be a good sign (or may mean they look like old-lady polyester when you get up close). Only available in black; sizes run 2-14, $75.

Isis Grand Tour Pant: Another possibility. Black only, $69.

Isis Cassandra Pant: A little sporty but not in an obvious way. Color is “tar” (dark gray), $110.

Athleta Passage Pant: Content is polyester/wool/spandex; described by several reviewers on their site as itchy, which would be a problem for me personally because I really react to anything other than merino. Style a bit on the casual side but cute. Available in sizes 0-16 with petite/regular/tall inseam length options, espresso is only color, $90.

Athleta Skinny Dipper Pant: Fabric described as soft corduroy might be okay. Several color options with artsy names like asphalt and tapenade; you’ll want to look at the swatches. $90.

Athleta Slimline Packable Pant: Anything “packable” typically is a soft, crushable fabric, which bodes well for biking comfort. Slim-cut legs wouldn’t catch; one review mentions them as comfortable for an eight-mile round trip bike commute. They do have ankle zips which puts this a bit on the sporty side, but tucking them into boots would hide this; another review said “think leggings with seams” (referring to a pin tuck on the fronts/backs of the legs). The otherwise usually wonderful product display on the Athleta site doesn’t tell me what my butt would look like though…. Three colors (heather, “falcon” and black), $79. 

Athleta Fusion Pant:  Fairly yoga but with rear pockets. Available in black, grey (“asphalt”) and brown (“falcon”). $79, sizes XXS-XL (an indicator of the yoga market assumptions).

WinterSilks Crepe de Chine Flat Front Pant:  Personally I’m not a fan of side seam pockets. Why I’d want a pair of pants that flares out right where I do, I couldn’t tell you. But if you like those, these might be your deal. I don’t think of silk as an incredibly durable fabric and having to hand wash is a thumbs down but it’s certainly comfortable and beautiful. Available in Seabreeze (kind of a turquoise) and Taupe (a fairly dark brown interpretation of taupe based on the screen swatch). Comes in Misses or Petites, S-XL, $44.95.

Not pants, but a fun option: Cable tights from Isis available in four colors with some matching tops available on the site. Throw on a skirt and boots and you’re good to go. $69

Your turn


Have feedback on any of these? Other brands/styles to recommend? Or have you given up and you're now compromising either style or comfort in order to bike in work clothes?

Related reading

• In Search of the Perfect Pair of Pants: A Shopping List
• Women's Clothing for Biking that Doesn't Look Like It's for Biking: What to Wear, What to Wear
• Pants Management 101
• I'm Part Dutch, You Know. What Do YOU Wear to Bike?

Pants Management 101

This is the stuff they didn’t teach us in Home Ec back at Bowdish Junior High School in the Spokane Valley (go Rockets!): How to manage your pant leg so it doesn’t get caught in the bike chain.

While I’ve ranted before about the search for the perfect women’s pants for bike riding (stylish and comfortable) and have even compiled a shopping list (although I have yet to execute), there are simpler answers.

1. Buy pants with narrow enough legs that they don’t flap and get caught. Easier said than done, what with the changing winds of fashion and all that. Summer is fine—hello, capris—but my usual fall/winter pants have a little bit more going on in the fabric department.
2. Fight the flap. Sure, you can buy those uber-geeky reflective ankle straps with the Velcro fastenings, but have you ever checked out what Velcro can do to a nice fabric if it goes astray? Ugh.

I have two basic weapons in this battle, both of them straight from my desk: rubber bands and binder clips.

I slide rubber bands on over my shoes for the ride, then store them on my cyclometer when I park the bike. (Only problem is that over time the rubber dries out and they eventually break; this is perhaps not the ideal storage spot.)

Binder clips are a fallback because they can pop off under strain, but they don’t give in to weather the way the rubber bands do. I carry one clipped onto my pannier so it’s always there in case the rubber band breaks.

For wetter weather I have a great pair of North Face pants I picked up at Mountain Gear, my favorite local outdoor gear shop even though they don't carry bike stuff. They (the pants, not Mountain Gear) are water/wind resistant and work for most of Spokane’s weather, although I do note that “resistant” and “proof” are very different levels of protection in a really blustery downpour…. The feature that helps fight the flap is a Velcro tab at the ankle (not as risky to fabric finish as the geeky ankle strap, since there’s the extra pant leg there as protection).

I usually go ahead and rubber-band my office wear to make it easier to put the overpants on; otherwise I'll spend five minutes hopping around on one leg trying to stuff the first pants leg down into the overpants leg and I end up with a lumpy, uncomfortable wad halfway down my calf.

You’ll see people who have only reined in the fabric on the right leg, where all the greasy messy mechanical stuff resides. I like to keep both legs under restraint; I’ve had at least one startled moment when a wider pant leg managed to slide over the entire pedal crank and stop its rotation completely in mid-pedal. This makes for a nasty surprise in an intersection and I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I also found out the hard way that the pants I'm wearing in these photos wrinkle really easily. I left the rubber bands on through a one-hour meeting because I was just going to zip out the door and back to my office; that was enough time to leave me with pretty funny creases. I don't buy linen any more but I thought this polyester/rayon blend (which is really smooth and doesn't chafe) wouldn't wrinkle. Wrong.

Turns out this is not rocket science—but I found another excuse to shop. What’s your secret to clothing management for riding?

Related posts:

• In Search of the Perfect Pair of Pants: A Shopping List
• Women's Clothing for Biking that Doesn't Look Like It's for Biking: What to Wear, What to Wear
• I'm Part Dutch, You Know. What Do YOU Wear to Bike?

In Search of the Perfect Pair of Pants:A Shopping List

My debit card and I are venturing forth in a bit of pre-birthday shopping to search for the perfect pair of pants. Perfect, that is, for biking and working: Cycle Chic in the very best sense of that now-trademarked term.

The pants on this list came my way through online searches, discussions in forums, Twitter, Momentum magazine, and comments on a previous blog post about finding women’s clothing for biking that doesn’t look like clothing for biking.

I’m seeking workplace wear that is office-appropriate. Your office may be cool with stretchy yoga pants every day but that doesn’t work for everyone.

My personal style is more tailored (and I prefer to feel more fully dressed in the office J). As Eldest Daughter said the day I wore some suspiciously yoga-y leggings with a big sweater, “Mom! Pants for your work need to have seams!”

See how cool these pants would make me? Although I'd have a helmet,
and I ride a bike with full-sized tires. And there are my panniers.
Water bottles. Headlight. I do at least bike in street shoes.

Everyone’s criteria will be different. For me the pants fail if:

• They look like I could go bouldering in them. I don’t need all those pockets and zippers and places to hang carabiners; I’m not bivouacking or climbing at Red Rocks. I’m walking into a five-story academic building with a latte stand on the first floor (thank God) and later I’m going to a Chamber of Commerce meeting.
• They make a swishy sound when I walk. If it’s so wet I need truly waterproof gear, I’m putting an outer layer over my work pants anyway.
• The detailing screams “sportswear!” In this category: Big patch pockets, really contrasty stitching, and other design elements that don’t pass the boardroom test.
• The legs flare too much at the bottom so I’m worried that they’ll get caught and rip if I don’t do something to rein them in; that’s an extra step I’d like to avoid if I can.

Notes to manufacturers:

• Consider that women who wear larger sizes also want to look good and feel comfortable while biking without squeezing into Spandex. You’ll have their undying love and access to their credit limits. Too many of the pants I looked at top out at size 12 or XL.
• I wish the sportswear folks who have a head start on performance fabrics and bike-suitable tailoring could get over the need to hang your reflective logos and feature descriptions on the outside of the clothes. Ann Taylor and Liz Claiborne do not do this.
• I also wish you could disabuse yourself of the notion that large front pockets are somehow flattering for women’s bodies. Um, no. Not good on anyone. Really. Trust me.
• The more you show us your product with photos front/back and the ability to zoom, the more we can imagine the pants on our own butts. This is a requirement when buying online since I don’t have a three-way mirror and my best friend to save me from a tragic mistake.
• If you tell me I can bike in the pants you get Bonus Awesome Points if you have actually designed them with a waistband cut slightly higher in the back, lower in the front, and with a gusset that eliminates seams running straight up the tender girl parts.

In a class by itself for copywriting:

• Nau’s Shroud of Purrin Pant. You just have to go read this description. If they weren’t $250 (and if they didn’t have the zipper pocket down low on one leg—not office-y enough) I’d get them; for pants that are waterproof/windproof they look really flattering.

Real possibilities:

• Outlier Women’s Daily Riding Pant. Shown in photo above. Very exciting—they have added more colors since I last looked and finally have images that actually show the colors. Unfortunately these only run sizes 0-12; kinda funny since they carry an ultrafine merino wool tank top in sizes up to XXL. Pants available in black, gray, slate blue, marine blue, burgundy. $180.
• Ibex Global Wool Pant. Dings for the contrast stitching. Big patch pockets outlined with contrasting stitching Are. Not. Flattering. On. Any. Woman. Only available in charcoal gray. $180. Gulp. May as well bite the Outlier Tailored bullet, get more color choices and not have to look at the contrasting stitching.
• Icebreaker Rio Pant. Hard to see much detail on this site but they're cute and made of wool (which I want for fall/winter). Only available in black. $100.
• Columbia Mumbai Mover. Good user reviews; legs look suspiciously flared at the ankle and may snag on my pedals and chain. Might be worth it though at this price. Available in black or gray, bigger size range than most manufacturers, offers three inseam lengths. $60.
• Sugoi H.O.V. Commuter Pant: Definite possibilities! At first blush these do not look like activewear at all. Right pant leg flips up and snaps out of the way of the chain and has a reflective strip that shows when you do this. Not only that but they have a seamless crotch gusset! Very nice to contemplate as I’m powering homeward up the hill. (Downtown Spokane lies in a bowl. If you have any north/south to your ride at all, you’re doing hills. East/west you have a flatter route since you can follow the river.) $100; available in black/brown/gray.
• I’m sort of lusting over the matching jacket—super cute. Wish they hadn’t slapped a logo on the shoulder patch though. $120; black or gray.

Too yoga/sporty for me, maybe okay for you:

• SportHill Women’s Traverse Pant Plus: For plus-sized women 1X-4X. On the sporty side but some potential for a casual day, and wind resistant which is nice for riding as the temps cool down. May be swishy-sounding when you walk, though; no way to know what some of these technical fabrics are really like. $129.95
• Columbia Anytime Pant. Major points for having a little video clip with someone talking about the pants, holding them up and pointing out the hidden zipper pocket feature. Totally yoga though. $45.
• Lolita Pant by PrAna. Only available in espresso. Totally yoga. $74.95.
• Patagonia Merino 3: Only available in black. Totally yoga. $99.95.

(I should mention that I actually do yoga, so saying pants are "totally yoga" isn't meant as a bad thing--just not a boardroom thing.)

Considered and rejected:

• Columbia Just Right Pant: Honkin’ big zipper pocket on the left thigh, cinch things that raise and lower hem length.
• Columbia Trail Twist Slim Pant: Looked great—straight legs won’t catch on pedals—until I zoomed in and caught the flashy little décor on the backs of the ankles. And I really don’t want my work pants to say “Omni-Dry” on the outside; doesn’t this suggest I’m in need of Depends? $55.

Not pants but so cute and on sale: Nau Confidant Short. Long enough to be considered a city or walking short, which might be fine for some workplaces. Made of fine merino wool which is a great fabric for active movement. Gray heather or brown heather, $55 on sale, $110 regular price.

Looking for more options!

This is one of the few blog posts I'm hoping gets plenty of links at the bottom from people hoping to sell me something--that is, if you are the designer of the perfect pair of bike riding/work pants. Better yet, if you're a woman who can match my pickiness and who has a favorite pair of pants you can tell us about, go for it. Please.

Related posts

• Women's Clothing for Biking that Doesn't Look Like It's for Biking: What to Wear, What to Wear
• I'm Part Dutch, You Know. What Do YOU Wear to Bike?

Women’s Clothing for Biking that Doesn’t Look Like It’s for Biking: What to Wear, What to Wear

I have nothing to wear. 

As in, there are very few choices if you’re a woman looking for professional clothing that’s made for cycling (no ill-placed seams in the crotch, no fabric that irritates, no flappy wide-legged trousers or long full skirts that get caught in the chain) and that looks good when you walk into a meeting in which all the men wear ties and jackets and you’re the only person taking off a helmet and gloves.

Once upon a time I used to drive to work and hang clothes there. I now bike almost year-round so I really don't want to drive (and was never very happy with having to decide a day or two in advance what I’d feel like wearing on a given day).

In my next phase I tried riding in bike clothes, rolling everything and packing it into panniers, changing when I arrive, and changing again to ride home. I still do some of this when it’s really cold; I just keep my base layer on under my office clothes because I like to be toasty warm.

Mostly, though, I’ve changed my shopping habits to get to where I am now: If I can't bike in it, I don't buy it. I do a lot more moving and contorting in dressing rooms than I used to so I’m sure I can throw a leg over my bike and take off.

But what I really want—what I’ve started dreaming about—is good-looking clothing that no one will guess is made specifically for cycling. Only I will know about the extra comfort elements and careful tailoring. Fashion-forward options with secret gussets will get us beyond the Spandex Dork image from which cycling suffers and will help encourage more women to bike, I’m just sure of it.

Bike Shop Girl just blogged about this same dilemma. I found out because I asked her via Twitter, after a semi-fruitless Google search, if she knew of anyplace to get good-looking pants. (My search, in case you’re curious: women’s tailored clothing for urban biking—terms I arrived at after realizing that “professional” and “cycling” in the same search would yield nothing but Spandex).

The one nice-looking pair of cycling-specific women’s pants for office wear I’ve found, made by Outlier in New York City, costs $180. Gulp.

Call me cheap (I prefer “thrifty” in homage to my Depression-era parents), but I’ve never paid that much for a single item of clothing. No matter how good they look, how can I justify the investment—wear them every day? Back up to where I said I’m a woman and this is a fashion dilemma. Same pair of pants every day ain’t gonna happen.

Plus I’d have to buy online. How will I know whether I look good in these pants? And did I mention they cost $180?

The only other item of women’s clothing they offer is a merino wool tank top. Nice, but hey guys, we’re women, OK? How about a wider selection for us?

Oh, wait, I forgot. This is cycling—one of the few clothing product lines in which men will have more colors and options than women. (Also, hello again, Outlier? If you’re going to offer three color choices you have to Show. The. Actual. Colors.)

My Google search led me to this article on Treehugger that lists only 5 items, mostly for men, apparently written before Outlier added the women’s pants. Pickings pretty slim again. Swrve makes knickers for women, but no trousers. (They make men’s pants, of course.)

And seriously, knickers? It’s nice to keep your knees warm when the temperature drops but I don’t want to look like a misplaced golfer once I’m in the office in my plus-fours.

BikePortland had an article in the search results and I got all excited. It’s Portland, right? Should be plenty of stylish options there, right?

They link to the Sheila Moon site (“infuses cycling apparel with a twist of fashion”), which offers knickers in several fabrics. There’s that golfer thing again and it doesn’t change my mind just because they say knickerbockers are big with the velocouture crowd, whoever they are. I can also get stretchy yoga pants. Not so good with the suit/tie-couture crowd.

The BikePortland piece also points to Ibex, which has a slightly more promising line—at least there are the “global wool pants” that look more like trousers. Icebreaker has some pants that might work too.

But c’mon, who’s designing these sites? No back view of the pants! What is the one thing I want to know about every pair of pants I own? That’s right—do they make my butt look big?

I do like the way that mousing over the product at Ibex shows me a close-up and lets me scan—I just want to be able to rotate to the back side and do the same thing.

The product photography on these sites mostly fails. Particularly with dark fabrics, it’s almost impossible to see crisp detail. If I can’t zoom—as I can’t on the Icebreaker site—I can’t tell much about the item. You’re already asking me to trust you and ship off my money when I can’t even try the thing on. Is it too much to ask that I be able to really see pockets, zippers and stitching?

The real test almost every product I’ve found fails is the “does it look like workout clothing?” test. Visible logos, visible seams, sizing that runs S/M/L instead of true women’s clothing sizes, descriptions that include “comfortable for yoga”—these aren’t going to pass for boardroom wear.

For now I’m making do with regular clothes. My ride to work is 2.5 miles, mostly downhill. During the day I may do another 3-5 miles to various meetings. The ride home is uphill but I’m heading home so I don’t have to sprint. I’ll cover some of my clothing management tactics in a future post.

What are your clever accommodations if you’re a bike rider who needs to look polished at work?

A few related posts:

• In Search of the Perfect Pair of Pants: A Shopping List
• I'm part Dutch, you know: What do YOU wear to bike?
• Hassle factor: Bike days vs. car days
• Bicycling Rites of Passage, Spokane Style

I'm part Dutch, you know: What do YOU wear to bike?

So I'm biking in the heart of downtown Spokane on my way to (yet another) meeting, wearing the outfit you see pictured here. Yes, the whole thing including the black patent leather criss-cross strap stiletto pumps with the 2-1/2" heels.

A truck rolls up in the lane to my right. The window goes down. An older man leans out, looks at me and says, "I don't think I've ever seen a bike rider wearing pearls."