New motorcycling jeans - better than leather?

[SVS]

www.esquad.fr/index.php?version=en

Riding in jeans, eh? Here are my first impressions of Esquad’s motorcycling jeans.

Esquad make some very high claims for these jeans. French style. The look and feel of regular jeans. Tougher abrasion resistance than leather. The thinnest ever CE-approved knee and shin armour.

Ever the early adopter of new technology, I plumbed for a pair of Esquad jeans over a pair of Hood jeans. This is what the Esquad jeans are like.

They truly do look and feel like regular jeans. So much so that it’s hard to believe the claims. However, the claims are stated boldly and clearly. I’ve worked in manufacturing and marketing in France and the UK. You simply couldn’t make such bold claims in Europe without the data to back them up.

I can't help being slightly sceptical about the armour. I thought the jeans had come without armour, because it’s unbelievably thin and flexible. Even though the armour meets the CE standard, it’s so thin that I might replace it with Hiprotec. Then again, I can get away with nobody noticing my jeans are motorcycle wear.

All in all, I’m astonished how good Esquad jeans appear on first impressions. Time will tell how they fare long-term.

You can order them on-line and my regular jeans size was the right fit:
www.esquad.fr/shop/shop_1.php?zone=zone_3&pays...

[dern]

I'd like to see ride mag put these through their tests next to the leather jeans.

[Rubin215]

Of course, if you were a real man you would get yourself up to 70mph and then throw yourself of the bike deliberately to test them out for the rest of us...

Let me know how you get on.

[SVS]

Yeah, I too would like to see a RiDE test of these new motorcycling jeans. Nowadays, there's a good choice including Esquad, Hood and BMW City Denim.

Who knows, maybe RiDE will eventually test the various motorcycling jeans on the market. Meanwhile, what I liked about Esquad was that they truly feel like a regular pair of jeans and also the involvement of French scientific bodies in testing the material:

2003 The adventure begins, but Pierre-Henry has got a lot ahead of him and has to sell his car to pay for the patent of the fabric. ARMALITH® is born.
With the help of Bordeaux UNITEC (a scientific association to promote innovation), the team manages to get the project scientifically audited by an expert from the CEA. This researcher, who has dedicated his career to technical fabrics, analysed the first amateur samples with an electronic microscope. Convinced by the product, he handed over his report to UNITEC, which will release a subsidy to help the team launch the project.

2004 ESQUAD® is born. A well-known name in the motor bike world. A name that represents something for its creators: a symbol of unity and complementarity.
The small team doesn't want to stop here and motivated by this initial support, decides to win the challenge of going over the security norm imposed by the International Federation of Motorcycling.
To achieve this goal, the team wants the best experts. It is Rémy Julienne, his son Dominique and the whole team of UNIVERSTUNT who realised the first crash test in real-world conditions.

2005 Since then, lots of tests have been undertaken, going beyond the limits of the project. But it is also a collaboration with the CNRS (national scientific research centre) and a partnership with EADS space transportation that characterise the real want of ESQUAD® to improve the technology and security of its jeans.
In July, their efforts were rewarded by the ministry of research, Esquad® wins the national innovation contest organised by ANVAR.
Simultaneously, the team works hard to develop a high tech collection in which the fashion criteria is as important as safety.

2006 ... Esquad® sponsors a development programme within the IFTH (French institute of textile and clothing) to further develop the quality and precision of the tests.

The videos are interesting too: www.esquad.fr/film.php?version=en

Edited by SVS on Thursday 12th June 15:15

[Battlecat]

I'd be very interested to hear more opinions on these types of jeans. Only a couple of weeks ago i was reading an article in one of the magazines about the effects of being too hot in leathers and losing concentration.

Doing a quick search on t'internet "Draggin Jeans" comes up a lot. Anyone any experience of these?

Ollie

[SVS]

Hi Ollie,

I've no experience of Hood, but know others who chose Hood jeans over Draggin because Hood have more complete Kevlar coverage. A helpful chap from Fast Bikes magazine kindly tested a pair too:
www.hoodjeans.co.uk/html/road_test.html

Personally, I picked Esquad over both, because of the strength of Esquad's claims and comfort.

You might also like to try BMW's City Denim jeans, Airflow 3 jacket and trousers, or Summer 2 trousers:
www.rainbow.econcept.co.uk/subcats.asp?catid=MENS%...

Hope this helps

[Ruttager]

I've got a pair of red route motorbike jeans and although I've not used them in anger I've been pretty impressed with them so far. Ver comfy - same as jeans. Zips into the back of my jacket and the rear panel stretches so you don't give yourself a wedgie when on the bike. Big knee pads and kevlar in all the places you'd expect.

But like I say, I've not used them properly and I'm not planning on falling off anytime soon


There are some good youtube videos of the dragging jeans brand:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUKzAORD35I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BNVss8bK6Y

Ruttager

[Battlecat]

Thanks guys, might have to add a pair of these to the wardrobe.

Ollie