Spidi Stretch pants in black

When we were at Spidi last summer we were excited to come across the Stretch Tex pants. And that's because, like a jean, they are light and easy to wear, but they still look more like a traditional motorcycle trouser. And, as with many Spidi ladies products, they have been designed properly to fit ladies shapes.

 

They are made from a Polyamide fabric; a fabric that has stretch woven into it for added comfort. Yet light as the fabric is, the pants are still rated AA under the EN17092 abrasion standard. 

 

The other, potentially more important, part of the protection equation, of course, is armour, and so it's good to know that these pants come fitted with Level 2 protectors in the hips and knees.

 

The bottom line is that these trousers look like a pair of traditional, waterproof, textile pants; like something you'd get from Rukka or Halvarssons or Held. But they are so much more comfortable to wear; both on and off the bike.

 

You get a couple of zipped pockets. An adjuster mechanism at the waist. And zips at the bottom of the legs to help get them over a taller, touring boot. But more impressively you get large unzippable vents on the thighs that can be folded back to allow large amounts of air to flow through to the body. And of course these vents really work because there's no membrane in the way.

 

These aren't mesh pants. They are not designed for riding off-road. They haven't been designed  to make it look as though you're competing in the Paris-Dakar. 

 

Rather, they're a very simple, lightweight, summer trousers that are going to flow a good amount of air to help you stay cool in even the warmest of conditions. They for those who prefer a more traditional, motorcycling aesthetic.

 

We, of course, are fans of riding in gear without a membrane. As we are wont to remind people, it doesn't rain all the time. And as lots of us are reluctant to leave the house if the wet stuff is prevalent or predicted, many of us barely ever ride across a bit of damp bitumen. Indeed this March and April the Met. Office recorded just two of what are known as 'Rain' days, where more than 1mm of rain fails. All of which means that having a waterproof motorcycle trouser as your go-to could be considered a bit perverse!

 

Wear a pant without a membrane, and you'll be more comfortable; and in hot weather you'll stay cooler. Of course, if it rains you'll need a set of waterproofs with you. But that's no great hardship. And indeed put on a Scott pant over your Stretch Tex pants, and you will have waterproofing that's superior to that of a Rukka laminated pant.

 

Finally, a couple of pointers. Disappointingly, there's only one leg length. The hugely tall and diminutively small, therefore, need not apply. You should also pay heed to our size chart, because Spidi has their own idiosyncratic approach to such labelling.

 

But the way we see it, if you want a lightweight, breathable pant to match with a textile jacket, even if that jacket has a membrane, then you should look at these Spidis. They're really nice. And a little bit different!