New to spyder. Do we really need armored protective pants on top of our jeans?
Only when you crash. Until then you don't need it.
For that matter do you really need jeans? Might as well just ride in shorts. Make it easier for the pavement to do its job. ATGATT! :banghead:
You only "need" to wear the minimum required by law so not to be arrested for indecent exposure. What else you wear is up to you. For me, I wear boots and long pants. In cooler weather and/or on long rides, I wear chaps... with my pants. Or else I'll get arrested for indecent exposure!
In time, you'll know how much or how little makes you feel comfortable.
Whatever you decide, be careful.
I learned a saying on here a couple years ago, "dress for the slide, not for the ride!"
I thought one of the most interesting marketing ideas by a local motorcycle dealer helping people answer the question you posed was the following: (This was typically addressed to the crotch rocket crowd). He would take them out to the parking lot and suggest that they run as fast as they could and then dive on their belly. Of course they never did but it put something concrete in their mind about the protection they wanted in case they came off a bike. Though as stated earlier, it is a personal choice.
My wife and I do jeans on short runs virtually always with a jacket and armored pants on long rides. I had an early life experience on a gravel road in MN going down at 60 mph after an excursion over the handlebars dogging a fertilizer truck and discovered the true value of jeans for protection (little to none). However I am much more safety inclined now then when I was an invincible 16.
Also, we have just switched to armored pants as the main pants versus the over pant style with jeans underneath to allow better cooling and reduce the bulk of layers. So far we are happy on the first ride with this approach and the Gortex provides some protection from rain. In our previous gear set up when it started to rain we would have to find a place to put on the water proof liners and when it was over the outer jacket and pants would be wet so we are hoping this new system gives us the best of all worlds.
Personally I think the biggest challenge if you want to wear any protection is finding something that fits, is comfortable and non-intrusive. So if you are of average build it is not too hard, but if you have long or short legs etc. it becomes more of a challenge.
Good luck.
Can you tell me where you get complete mesh overpants? I like your idea of wearing those over some shorts. Thanks, Diane