http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nC-hPt4lqhM

 

I too wear the kevlar jeans and they are pretty comfortable

 

As VHPD suggested, I would recommend Draggin' Jeans from Fast Company:

http://www.dragginjeans.com/

They're located in the town I live in. Good rep.

 

You need to figure out your comfort zone and what puts you in it. Always smart to tilt the odds towards you with your safety gear. Almost got clipped like that a long time ago. I had been off the bike for a few years and I wasn't paranoid enough. I wished there was more real information that was attainable about real clothing, real injuries, and real circumstances to give a practical application of safety gear. I know somethings work well but others seem more hype and opinion than fact. Even on good days there is too many opinions about what works and doesn't work.

 

Olympia pants
Sliders jeans with Kevlar and knee armor

 

Yes, I often wear them under regular jeans. They have both knee and hip armor, and no one can tell you're wearing them. They make two varieties, one mesh and one stretchy stuff; I wear the non-mesh variety. My only complaint is that they're not made with a fly, so taking a leak gets to be more of a pain than it ought to be.

In addition, I also often wear BMW City Pants. These look like jeans (though they also come in a tan color), and are the best riding pants I've ever had. They have a number of zippered pockets, a velcro cargo pocket, and excellent BMW armor in the knees/calves and hips. They also have zippers and velcro around the ankle so they don't ride up or flap around. Unlike most knee armor, this actually wraps around the knee and extends down the shin. They're pricey, though, at close to $300.

The BMW pants are more obviously "biker stuff" than the Bohn stuff, so I tend to wear it on longer rides and on trips. I wear the Bohn closer to home, when I might be going into stores and restaurants and don't want to look I'm wearing, well, armored pants.

I tried Draggin' jeans and didn't care for them. I didn't like sitting on velcro on hot days, for one thing. And while they might offer some protection against road rash, they wouldn't have helped the OP at all with his knee issue considering their "armor" offers about the same protection as a Kotex pad.

 

I second the opionion on draggin' jeans. There is NO excuse for having the consumer install their own armo with sticky velcro strips. that's nonsense.

 

I got the draggin jeans with the armor (utility pants). I have worn the jeans 2 times but haven't put the armor in yet. I think the reason they velcro the armor in is so you can customize it for your body. I am thinking about having some pockets sewed inside them to hold the armor because I don't care for the velcro either. I like the jeans but they are quite a bit hotter than regular jeans.

 

With helmets there are consumer standards like DOT, Snell, etc. so you can tell if it is going to work or not but with gear there are none.

A manufacturer can make a motorcycle jacket or pants out of any material they want and make the seams as strong or weak as they want. According to a recent study in Australia 25% of motorcycle gear (jackets and pants) failed in a crash - mostly seam failures. I would say stick with brand names (Dainese, Alpine Stars, Olympia, Rev'It, etc.) and check the material and construction. Cordura is way, way more abrasion resistant than say polyester even though they may feel the same in your hand. Most bargain priced gear uses polyester because it is much cheaper. Cheap leather jackets use thinner leather and don't double or triple stitch the seams with heavy nylon of kevlar thread. A jacket without armor is not going to protect you from impact injuries with the road.

 

fat tony makes a really good point. My first armored jacket, a power trip, is a piece of crap. (though it did get me through a slide on slimy, wet pavement without major injury...) but the zippers are crap and often break or get stuck, and the zipper for the liner just ripped right out of the jacket.

At least there is CE approved armor standards.

Also, I have found rev'it protective gear to be much better than most of the other brands. British Motorcycle gear has not let me down either.

I have found Icon to be a wonderful marketing company, but they market absolute crap, (in my experience.)

when the fly rips out and the buttons pop out, I don't trust the garment to protect me otherwise.