— Fashion —
Don't Get Caught With Your Pants Down
Words: J. Conley | Images: J. Conley
Models:
“The Stigette” | Sydney Strickler | Rebecca Nathanson
Designer:
Ugly Brothers USA
Available:
Quaker City Motor Works
Pants, vintage leather jacket, t-shirts, BSA motorbike, courtesy of:
Quaker City Motor Works
Biker gear is a permanent fixture in fashion. From motorcycle jackets and boots, to leather vests and tattoos, biker culture makes itself known well outside those who ride.
But that's the problem when it comes to thinking about proper motorbike gear. Because of the influence of the style, buyers are unaccustomed to thinking about the function of the gear.
When it comes to function, the pop culture emphasis on safety is all about the head. From kids on tricycles with helmets, to the scooter-rider in shorts and a tank top—but with a helmet!—the popular conception of safety is just about the head.
The brain is important, and a helmet is key safety gear. However, your head is not the only part of your body exposed to potential harm.
On a motorbike. all that's between you and everything else is what you're wearing. From the sun, to wind chaffing, to the impact of bugs, there's a lot of damage that can be done to exposed skin. And that's assuming you keep the shiny side of the bike up.
Anyone who's tripped and fallen knows that bare skin doesn't do well with friction. Scraped palms and knees are the badges of childhood, but the skin doesn't get stronger with age. Speed matters, and the scrapes from a fall on a bicycle are an order of magnitude worse than those at walking pace.
As speed increases, so does the need for abrasion resistance. Motorcycle racing leathers will drag on the asphalt for about 80 feet before they wear through. Denim gets you about 5 feet.
Abrasion resistance is why wearing a real motorcycle jacket will protect you during a slide, but a "motorcycle style" jacket won't. Likewise for what's on your legs.
For both style and comfort, riders have no problem with bike jackets and boots because they fit well and feel comfortable both on and off the bike. Sadly, the same has not been so true of pants. Until now.
The vast majority of motorcycle pants tend to be made for racers, dirt-bike riders, or long-haul riders. They're waterproof, well padded, and ugly. All that adds up to riders avoiding proper protection for their legs, even though the hip and shin are the first things to make contact with the road if you go down.
Ugly Brothers has solved this problem with their TonUp-G jeans.
• Thermo layered
• Quilted thigh panels
• 12oz Stretched Denim
• Elastic shirring knee & waist-lower back panels
• CE approved Removable knee & hip protectors included
• YKK® Zipper
• POWERTECTOR®
In other words, they protect you in a fall. Which is great, but won't make you wear them. What will make you wear them is that they look great and fit even better, as demonstrated by our fantastic models. They're stylish enough that you can dress them up even when you're off the bike and not scream "biker."
Get a pair today from Quaker City Motor Works. You'll look great, and have the added benefit of protection from road rash.
Size reference
The jeans featured here are size 28.
Rebecca is 5'7" and wears a 28-29 pants.
Sydney is 5'6" and wears a 25 pants.