2019-07-01_RiDE

TheadditionofsomeElastanein

thecottondenimweavemeansthe

DragginRebelshavea degreeof

stretch to them, which made them

very comfortable on the bike and it

was easy to move around. It also

keeps the armour close to the

body so there’s less tendency for

it to move around. They felt quite

tight for a 34in waist — perhaps

Australians, where these are

made, come up small. The leg

ength was a little short for us

though, meaning it tended to want

o pull the knee armour down. The

dragtestrevealedthatDraggin’s

liningworkedwell,coveringthe

fullinteriordowntotheknee.

While there were holes in theouter

denim, none were through the

lining, so no skin would havebeen

exposed to the road. Full marks.

SCORES

Comfort .........................................7/10

Fit ....................................................7/10

Confidence ...................................9/10

Quality ...........................................9/10

Protection ..................................10/10

TOTAL ...................................42/50

DragginRebels £229.99

http://www.motoport-mc.co.uk

Construction Double layer, single/double stitching Outer layer Cotton/Elastane Innerlaye

Roomoto MR7+ full (not shin) Mesh Lining? Yes Knee armour Level 1 Adjustable?Yes

Hip armour Level 1 CE labelling N/A

1

Thiswasourfavouritesetfor

ridingandcoincidentally,thefirst

we tried. They felt very reassuring

on the bike, with excellent,

well-fitting knee armour and very

visible Kevlar reinforcement panels

in the seat – it’s on the knees as

well. They felt like they would

stand up to a slide well, though

only on the butt and knees with

their protection. The knee armour

sits in zipped pockets so can be

removed at your destination. In the

drag test, they stood up very well;

there were a couple of small holes

intheouterdenimbutabovethe

Kevlarreinforcement.However,a

larger one appeared in thebutt

seam and this wore throughthe

reinforcement close to a seam.

A small hole, probably between

cheeks, but a hole nonetheless.

SCORES

Comfort .........................................7/10

Fit ...................................................9/10

Confidence ...................................9/10

Quality ...........................................9/10

Protection .....................................7/10

TOTAL ....................................41/50

AlpinestarsCopperOut£179.99

http://www.alpinestars.com

Construction Double layer, single/triple stitching Outer layer Cotton/Elastane Inner layer Polyester/Kevlarseat,
hip, knee Mesh Lining? No Knee armour Level 1 Adjustable? No Hip armour Optional CE labellingN/A

2

ThesejeansfromBritish

companyHoodareheavyweight,

withAACEcertification,thanksto

a full para-aramid liner (not shin,

as the boots protect there). They

are tight around the waist, a fact

not helped by the hip armour but

they felt strong and reassuring.

However, the lack of Elastane or

similar in the outer weave means

that moving around on the bike

was tricky and they felt hefty. But

this in itself helped with the feeling

of confidence. In the drag tests,

the outer held up pretty well, with

majordamagenotappearinguntil

thefourthtest.Ruckingupmeans

someheftyholesbut thesewere

all above the protective linerand

so, no skin would have been

exposed. A great job from a

good-looking pair of jeans.

SCORES

Comfort .........................................7/10

Fit ....................................................7/10

Confidence ...................................9/10

Quality ............................................7/10

Protection ..................................10/10

TOTAL ...................................40/50

HoodInfinityK7-AA£159.99

http://www.hoodjeans.co.uk

Construction Double layer, single/double stitching Outer layer Cotton denim Innerlaye

Para-aramid full (not shin) Mesh Lining? Yes Knee armour Level 1 Adjustable?Yes

Hip armour Yes CE labelling AA

3

JULY 2019 | 69

KEY

Outer layer damage

protected by lining

Outer layer damage

through to skin

Good fit, comfortable

and complete rider

protection in tests

Very comfy with great

fit and reasonable

protection

Heavy and a little tight

but complete rider

protection in tests