Jackets

Review: Olympia Pants

Olympia Pro Pants

So far, I am loving these pants. They fit me perfectly and are better than the FirstGear Overpants I had before. Even though I'm a shortie with a 28" inseam, these aren't too long. I'm wearing a size 6 in this picture. I've found them to be as comfortable as my FG's, if not more comfy. I thought with the textile being thicker and more dense that it would be really uncomfortable riding, but I haven't found that to be the case. My favorite features of these pants are:

  • Big pockets in front.
  • Reflective piping along the sides of the lower leg.
  • Hip to toe zippers (easy on and off. woo woo!).
  • Velcro adjustments at the ankle.
  • Removable quilted liner.
  • Velcro flaps over the zippers.
  • I really wish they would've added more reflective piping up the leg, instead of stopping at the knee. I also wish they had cargo pockets in the front like the men's pants do! Why do men get the cool features? Also, I do think that back pockets are useless when riding, and 2 big cargo pockets in the front would've been far more functional. Do you ever reach into the back pocket while riding?

    You can see below that there's an 8" connecting zipper so you can wear these with many other brands of pants (including R'evit). It also comes with the 'top teeth' of the zipper so you can have it sewn into any jacket that doesn't have a matching zipper.


    The hip and knee armor is fully changeable. You only get CE rated knee armor, but not hips. I've swapped out my knee armor for Dainese women's knee armor, since I'm using T-Pro in my leathers, I decided to use the Dainese armor in these instead. They're much more comfortable. The velcro armor pocket at the knees are adjustable up and down 2-3 inches in each direction as well. You can put in CE armor at the hips as well, although the pockets are a funny shape so you'd have to find armor that will fit the pockets.

    When you're trying these on, be sure to sit on your bike (if you can) or another bike, or just assume a seated position. Keep in mind that these pants (like all gear) are designed to be most comfortable and fitted properly in riding position. So you want the armor to be in the right place and not move from over your knee. Your kneecap should be securely up against/in the deep 'pocket' of the armor while in riding position. You don't want the armor to shift should you crash, so that's why it needs to be snugly covering your knees. And, that's why gear is supposed to fit snug. You also want them to be a tad bit long so when you sit you have some room for the pants to rise up a bit at the thighs/waist. I'm not normally a fan of a high waisted pant, but in this case, they really work to keep the pants from riding too low in the back.

    If you aren't used to so much velcro, the on and off will take some getting used to. It's definitely stronger velcro, which is good because we don't want it ripping apart if you're sliding. After a week or so of wearing them you'll get used to taking them on and off, and it should only take a few minutes to get fully dressed once you're used to the routine.

    If you're tall and have trouble finding pants that fit you, these will fit. I've had women who are close to 5'10" try these on without any problems. They have added a couple inches at the bottom of their pants to make sure taller folks are covered.

    Overall, I'd highly recommend these pants (which I already do!) to anyone looking for a pair of waterproof women's textile overpants, especially for commuters.

    New Gear. Mmmmmmmm.

    So aside from the Olympia Pro Pants, I picked up the jacket I've been lusting after, the R'evit Pearl I posted about recently. I had to go all out and get it in Pearl Grey for better visibility. I've been wearing an almost all black outfit for a few years now, so I thought it would be a good idea to wear something lighter at eye level.

    So far I'm enjoying both the pants and the jacket. Not just because they look really cute as an outfit, but because they actually work like they're supposed to and are comfortable at the same time.

    I owe this post (and the review pages on my website) some photos of me wearing them, which I promise to add this week.

    Textile Jacket for Summer

    If you're looking for a textile jacket for summer, here are a couple of recommendations from your fellow female riders:

    Joe Rocket Ladies Nova:
    $57 on closeout from NewEnough.com:
    http://newenough.com/closeouts/textile_jackets_and_pants/joe_rocket/ladies_nova_textile_motorcycle_jacket.html

    Joe Rocket Cleo 2.0:
    The Cleo looks particularly good since it comes in white. I imagine that must be helpful if you live in a hot and humid climate.
    http://www.cycleforums.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=269650
    http://bikerbetty.blogspot.com/2007/05/joe-rocket-and-icon-i-love-you-for-over.html

    Open House! Sat. April 21st!


    If you're in San Francisco, come on by to Scuderia West located at Duboce between Valencia and Mission. Today was the lady's open house where we had some crazy markdowns on Dainese leather jackets (less than $300!!!) and some great Cortech textile jackets for less than $150!!!

    Crazy. A new jacket that's selling like hotcakes is the R'evit Angel, part of the Engineered Skin line. oooo. It's tailored perfectly to a woman's body. If you have hips and a waist, or if you're petite (size 2-4), this is the jacket for you! Totally waterproof, with a zip out liner.

    And the sizing runs big. So if you're a 42 Dainese, you'll be a 38 R'evit Angel. It also comes in a cute version with red accents (where the light gray is on the shoulder of this pic). I am secretly coveting this jacket. *drool*