Ladies, if you would be so kind as to avert your eyes for one moment, I have a rather a delicate issue to broach, with my male readers. Gentlemen, what can be done about this? Wearing out lycra shorts is one thing. Wearing out my good jeans is another entirely! On a busy week, I guess I could spend 8-10 hours in the Brooks saddle, the ol’ Bishop’s bridge wearing away there. All of my jeans are looking like this, blowing out precisely where I most wish they’d stay true (especially given my penchant for billowing boxers).
I have recently taken advantage of some GFC sales Rapha are having, to order two pairs of cycle specific trousers, in the hope they last longer. In the mean time, any advice would be appreciated. The alternative, might be taking my longer rides on a road bike, with hard wearing tires, and normal—and by that I mean lycra—attire.
(p.s. I found my 4th pair today, but am not sure how they might even be shown without getting net-nanny involved).
19 Comments
I use iron on patches, they get a lot more wears out of jeans with the crotch worn out by bicycling …
will gladly pay to have you fit some to mine!
Steven I will give you my leftover patches, (though they are not as sartorially exciting as the lycra and leather suggestions others have made on here).
I honestly thought you were joking about patches, but apparently not?? Okay, gladly accepted!
Is lycra the new sackcloth?
Sadly Dr Behooving I fear the world of humans has no place for you. A life of struggle is your destiny. You are at once a prophet (towards a world of human powered human transport) and a man of fashion, which is an impossible combination. The world demands it’s prophets wear sackcloth in the wilderness not “regular” clothes in the city. The solution to your dilemma will be found only after much struggle, and by “struggle” in this case I mean expense. Guy Hills and Kirsty McDougall have your elegant sackcloth waiting, at a price.
Well done spotting the Rapha sales, £50.00 doesn’t feel too extravagant for jeans, better than £100.00.
On the other hand, perhaps you have it in you to make lycra the new sackcloth.
Re: Is lycra the new sackcloth?
you may have just blown my cover. Perhaps clothing is merely a cloak, part of a scheme to change the world from within, rather than crying in the wilderness like John the Baptist, or living like Socrates.
On the assumption that not many people read these comments in any case, I shall refrain from deleting your comment:)
Thanks for the reminder about dashing tweeds. It has been a while since I checked out their site. http://www.dashingtweeds.co.uk/dt/about/
Re: Is lycra the new sackcloth?
A man of the world eh? Perhaps more priest than prophet then.
and speaking of Dashing Tweeds, … a kilt perhaps?
http://www.dashingtweeds.co.uk/dt/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/web-sklit-blog.jpg
Or perhaps we can solve both your helmet and trouser problems:
http://www.chupacabramagazine.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/priest.jpg
Re: Is lycra the new sackcloth?
Paul, you really are a sartorial genius! All I would need is the right priest’s bike: http://www.achielle.be/EN/ashington.php
leather crotch patches for sure.
lycra
it ain’t that sexy but it is functional. glad I’m not patching those holes. and who took those photos? your iPhone?!!
Re: lycra
no I had these professionally photographed
I really wish they had one of those going up Aberfeldy Close when I lived in Charlestown!
Never in all my years of purveying the finest of bike blogs have I seen photos quite like this before. Cycle chic indeed, good Dr(!)
I’m with the ladies; get yourself some iron on patches and double up the thickness of your crotch (doesn’t that just sound like one of those awful, ever-present spam emails?) The trick is to do it when the jeans are new, before the holes begin to appear.
I’m just wondering what kind of crotch patch expert might have devoted years to purveying fine bike blogs?
Wool blend trousers
I’ve had my share of crotchular blow-outs in pants too.
A few years ago I happened across a couple of pairs of wool blend trousers that fit me, in a local retail-surplus-dumping type clothes shop (Dimmeys, for the Victorians reading). IIRC they’re 65% polyester 35% wool. Perry Ellis brand, whose trou I have found to fit my skinny-waist-big-thigh cyclist body in the past.
I’ve worn these trousers to work almost every day since, including my 6km each way bike commute. They’re proving to be quite indestructible, especially in the crotch. No visible signs of wear.
They’re also very weather-tolerant, which is useful for a 4-seasons cycle commuter. They don’t absorb water like cotton pants (ie jeans) do, so even if I catch a bit of rain I can wear them until they dry. They’re not cold on frosty mornings like pure synthetics can be. And they’re not scratchy and uncomfortable like pure wool is (I’ve been known to indulge in a little hipster-ish tweed outside working hours).
If these wool-blend trousers ever die, I’ll be replacing them with more of the same.
Re: Wool blend trousers
Tim, where can we see pictures? Not necessarily explicit ones, mind you. And aren’t such trousers too hot on warm days?
Re: Wool blend trousers
Ironically, you’ve caught me wearing a different pair of pants for the first time in months. I’ll endeavour to wear my regular pants tomorrow, and aim a camera lens at my nethers for a confirmation shot.
They’re not hot in summer – they’re quite a lightweight cloth. Didn’t you get that “cool wool” propaganda a few years back?
Another benefit is that they present well with minimal effort. If I ride in them when freshly ironed, they rumple slightly in transit but still look neat on arrival. If I ride with them un-ironed, they actually smooth out in transit and look neat on arrival. So why make work for myself?!
I still need to iron them to firm up the crease… every few mon… hmmm… well, I’m sure I remember ironing creases into them them at least once in the last 3 years…
Re: Wool blend trousers
well as long as you’ve washed them in that time, the photos should be okay:)
Re: Wool blend trousers
Please excuse the crapness of my phone’s camera.
Generic black/grey pinstripe wool-blend trousers, in fashionable “I just stood up” creaseway (yes, I need to iron some intentional creases into them again):
http://www.timpaton.net/gallery/d/1743-2/IMG_20110825_150948.jpg
The area of said pants that has sat on a bike seat for 12km almost every second day for the last ~3 years (insert obscenity disclaimer here):
http://www.timpaton.net/gallery/d/1746-2/IMG_20110825_150923.jpg
I reckon I’ve just about had my $8/pair worth out of them, and they show no real sign of crotchal thinning.