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lingueenee t1_j9fmccx wrote

Saying this as a long time cyclist. Cotton (denim) is probably the poorest choice for cycling gear. There are very few, if any, makers of casual cycling kit that use 100% cotton fabrics and a chief reason is what you've noticed: cotton fibre is not in the same league as polyester or nylon in strength and durability.

Yes, you can cycle constantly in jeans; if you do you'll experience exactly what's happening: soon the seat of your pants will wear and tear to nothing.

Accordingly one should favour nylon/polyester pants (with some elastane for flexibility). Or if you really must have denim consider purpose designed jeans from Duer et al. They're cotton/poly/elastane blends engineered for greater motion and durability, look like regular jeans, with your use case in mind.

Lastly, you can resort to thrift shops and buy cheap used denim for the purpose. That way when you wear out the arse of a pair of jeans it's no big loss.

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Dwarfmetalhead OP t1_j9fvdbw wrote

I know the best option would be to have dedicated cycling gear and to change at the office but I would like to avoid to take this time

Duer et al seems nice but it looks like they doesn't ship to France :/

Thank you !

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lingueenee t1_j9golm3 wrote

Dedicated cycling gear is not what I'm referring to. There's no shortage of casual pants that are durable, far superior for your purposes, without the cycling esthetic, eg., Prana. What's important is the composition of the fabric, i.e., ideally no or little cotton. Perhaps Decathlon would have what I'm talking about. Good luck.

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Dwarfmetalhead OP t1_j9gs1gy wrote

Oh okay.

I don't think Decathlon has this yet. But I know they are working on a commuter pants.

Do you have suggestion for the fabric ? I would like to avoid fabric like polyester in profit of more natural fabric (linen,wool,etc)

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lingueenee t1_j9gx3o4 wrote

I did mention cotton/poly/spandex blends as more durable--and comfortable--alternatives to 100% cotton. Wool? It has a long history in cycling, particularly in jerseys--I use merino regularly there--where it's not subjected to constant abrasion (legs/ass on saddle) that'll kill it. Wool has great properties but again durability isn't one of them. You'll notice that it's often blended with nylon, partially for that reason. Other factors such as cost, reaction to moisture, dyes, sweat, abrasion, etc must also be considered too, so it's not all about durability.

To reiterate, there's nothing wrong with riding in 100% natural cotton, wool, linen, or what-have-you. Just that, commuting regularly in such clothing will prematurely wear it out. I have ten year old Levis that if worn to commute by bike (40 km round trip) wouldn't have lasted a year.

Some natural clothing products may last marginally longer than others but they will succumb earlier than their synthetic counterparts, as nylon and poly have been deliberately engineered in the lab to be more durable.

The key here is not so much the brand, i.e., Levis or Wrangler, but in knowing the nature of the textiles used. And the nature of natural fibres is that they rank well below synthetics in durability.

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Foreign-Cookie-2871 t1_j9qds9f wrote

I have the heattech "jeans" from uniqlo. They are a blend of cotton and synthetic and pretty elastic, while keeping the jeans look. I don't expect them to last decades but they are decently cheap - and will last some years even with daily use.

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Dwarfmetalhead OP t1_j9r1k17 wrote

I don't think they still exist. I cant find any on the french website atleast :/

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