The first motorcycle jeans were a revelation. You could finally ride your bike in denim without the fear of it disintegrating if it touched the Tarmac. The only downsides were that they relied on thick Kevlar layers on the inside, which could move in a crash and made them rather warm. And the fact the layers did make it look a bit like you were wearing nappies under your jeans. Which is why I really like the look of this stylish and unbreakable motorcycle denim from Saint.
I don’t know much about fashion. Which is pretty obvious if you meet me. I also don’t possess tattoos or a fine beard. But I do have a bit of an obsession with motorcycle clothing – and also with denim. So it was always a bit frustrating to either wear motorcycle jeans to work and then spend the day rather hot, moist and uncomfortable. Or still have to take another pair of normal denim trousers to change into once I got to the office.
One big reason for the Saint jeans looking much better is that they don’t have massive layers of material. Instead they use the world’s strongest fibre, called Dyneema, in the warp and weft of the trousers. So while they look like decent denim, they also have the same material in them which is used to tow oil rigs about. And to create ballistic armour. So by mixing 62% Dyneema and 33% cotton, what they’ve ended up with are a single layer jean which was capable of 3.67 seconds (around 45 metres) of protection in the European Motorcycle CE EN 13595-1 standard tests.
Even then, you end up with some abrasion on your jeans, rather than a ruddy great hole in them.
Bored of the technical talk? Here’s a demonstration of their strength.
So apparently being 133 times tougher than a normal pair of jeans, and 15 times stronger than steel means you can also use your trousers for an impromptu pull-up session to improve your garage fitness.
There’s also another benefit that’s buried slightly deeper in their product descriptions. Apparently the Dyneema denim is also chemical resistant. Which is handy, if you spend as much time spilling various fluid over yourself as I do.
They definitely come in the ‘investment’ price range, but aren’t unreasonable when you put them up against the leather alternative. Rather than the cheapest bike denim which still looks like it’s designed to be part of a maternity or incontinence range. And relies on the separate lining staying attached in the right place. But they should last pretty much forever, will be stylish and comfortable at work or in the pub, and can’t be torn, slashed or sliced. Which is useful depending on what type of pub you usually drink in.
I get the feeling the Saint jeans will look better for long than I will, anyway!
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