First Gear Textile Overpants - Crash Tested

When I first started riding I knew I definitely wanted a jacket, helmet, and some gloves, but I didn't really think about pants or boots. Luckily I had an older, wiser friend recommend that I get some pants and boots as soon as possible. His rational was if you crash you are most likely going to be sliding on your ass instead of your elbows. He was nice enough to go with me to the store where I ended up getting a pair of First Gears Textile Overpants, and I'm very glad I did so.

The Rundown

The pants are made of a textile material that is very abrasion resistant so it won't tear to pieces if you happen to crash your motorcycle. It also has a decent amount of foam padding on the knees and near the hips. It's not as good as hard armor, but it is comfortable and definitely better than nothing. The pants go on really easily because they have zippers that go all the way up the side as well as some Velcro near the ankles, this makes the process of putting them on less than a 30 second ordeal. 30 seconds is not that much time to spend, especially considering that it could save you weeks of healing from some road rash.

The pants are also VERY WATERPROOF!!! I've ridden through some pretty heavy downpours and came home to find myself soaked from the waist up but everything below completely dry! When you zip up the pants on the side you have to push this little flap of material inside, and this ensures that no water can find its way through the zipper. The great thing about these pants is although they keep the rain out, they are very breathable. Even though the pants are black I've never been too hot while wearing them, even when sitting in traffic.

Now that you know about the pants, let my get to the juicy part, the crash test!

The Crash

I wasn't planning on crashing that day, but I always dress for the crash which means jacket, boots, gloves, and my First Gear overpants. I was on my way to work on my Honda F2 going about 45 mph down this 4 lane road with a small sedan in front of me. In the distance I saw a couple of pedestrians on one side of the street, and a lady with a baby carriage on the other side. This should have been my first clue, but I didn't pick up on it.

Suddenly the lady with the baby carriage decided it would be a good time to try and dart across the street. Keep in mind there are no crosswalks around, and there are cars coming directly at her, and she has to push a freaking BABY CARRIAGE in front of her. The sedan in front of me slammed on its brakes, and I in turn grabbed a hand full of front break instead of applying rear and front breaks at the same time. This caused me to lock out the front end and made me high side over the handlebars of the bike.

I think I managed to slow down to 15-20 mph by the time I was air born. When I hit the asphalt I tried to catch myself with my hands and knees and afterward ended up rolling onto my right shoulder and onto my back. I got up pretty quickly just to make sure I didn't get hit by any cars behind me, and when I looked over the lady with the baby carriage was just standing in the center meridian looking shocked that she had caused something like that. A couple people stopped and asked if I was OK and I gave them the thumbs up and moved my bike to the side of the road.

The Aftermath

I checked myself over and the only noticeable damage to my physical body were sore wrists from catching myself. Everything else held up beautifully! In fact when I looked at my first gear pants I noticed 2 holes in the knee where the outer material had ripped, but underneath that the abrasion resistant mesh wasn't damaged in the slightest. I was pleasantly surprised to find the foam armor kept my knees from being bruised at all. In fact I felt so good after the crash I rode my bike to my destination and worked for 8 hours before riding home.

These pants DEFINITELY held up in this crash even though it was a really low speed crash. Had I been wearing jeans I probably would have suffered cuts and bruises on my knees as well as some decent road rash. Because of the pants I didn't even have to go to the doctor! I imagine these pants would hold up equally well even if I were traveling at 50-70mph, but if I made it a habit to ride any faster than that I would want to get some hard armor and leather pants. For commuting though I think they offer great protection for a decent price.

Pros:

Goes on quick and easily over normal clothes.
Waterproof and breathable.
Very comfortable.

Cons:

Might not hold up in higher speed crashes.
When you walk around in them the thighs rub together and make a swishing sound.
Comes with soft armor which is more comfortable, but not as protective as hard armor.

Specifications:

100% waterproof 330 denier Hypertex
Removable, zip-out, insulated liner
Waterproof, breathable membrane
Removable Temperfoam knee and hip armor
10” (ZIPS™) jacket attachment system includes matching, sew-in zipper for your pants
Heavy-duty, full-length, 2-way, leg zippers for easy on and off
Heat-resistant material from knee to ankle
Spandex waist and adjustable side tabs
1-year limited warranty