Black goes with everything.
Finding a good pair of jeans that fit can be a real hassle, especially if they’re women’s jeans. Now, I say that as an American who deals mainly with our strange American size charts that rarely seem to match up between manufacturers. Why can’t we just use measurements, like most men’s jeans do? I know those aren’t always as accurate as they could be, but they seem at least a little less nebulous.
Getting a good pair of motorcycle jeans—ones that protect you in addition to being your new favorite pair of comfy jeans—is a similar problem, only with more variables. When you shop for normal jeans, you don’t much care whether they’re going to protect you well in a slide, or if they have comfortable, effective armor in the knees and hips. Not so, of course, with moto jeans.
Enter Rokker’s Rokkertech Mid Straight Black women’s motorcycle jeans, which are both fairly impressive and understated. Firstly, they fit exactly how their name would lead you to believe. They’re a black, mid-rise, straight-leg pair of five-pocket motorcycle jeans cut for women. Secondly, they’re sold by waist size and inseam length—which, honestly, is how all jeans should be sold. Waist sizes range from 24 to 38 inches, with inseam lengths from 30 to 34 inches.
As with the Rokker Black Jacket Lady Short I previously reviewed, Rokker’s M.O. seems to be attention to the finer details about its moto clothing. These look and feel just like normal jeans, which is what a lot of riders want. However, there are also zero rivets to scratch your paint. The little things mean so much, don’t they?
Included D3O Ghost knee and hip armor is extremely unobtrusive when placed in the appropriate pockets, and is CE level 1. The overall package carries a class AA protection rating, which is second only to AAA-rated gear. (One-piece track leathers are often AAA-rated, for example.)
What form of materials science wizardry does Rokker use to help ensure abrasion resistance? How about some ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers worked into your black washed stretch denim? For those unfamiliar, UHMWPE (say that five times fast) is frequently used in things like ballistic fibers and tapes. It’s also used in medical applications, including joint replacements and biocomposites. In other words, this stuff is strong.
Gallery: Rokker Rokkertech Mid Straight Black Women’s Jeans
Fit and finish is very nice and inviting. As you can see in the photos, the ability to choose an inseam length makes a huge difference to short riders like roughly 5-foot-3-inch-tall me. I know plenty of tall riders can relate, too, wishing for a few extra inches of fabric that we short folks would gladly give up. Good on Rokker for offering those inseam options. I’d say these jeans fit true to size, overall.
Breathability and comfort on the bike are quite nice, in both hot and cool weather. Plenty of air flows through. Also, since they’re a straight-leg cut, you could easily wear some technical tights underneath for added cool or warm weather comfort as you prefer.
While the Rokkertech Mid Straight Black jeans aren’t mesh moto pants, they should theoretically offer better protection in the event of a crash. As is often the case, I haven’t crashed in these jeans, so I can’t tell you anything about that particular experience.
The Rokkertech Mid Straight Black women’s jeans from Rokker are simple, understated, well-fitting, and comfortable both on and off the bike. Different riders like different things in their moto jeans, but if this is what you’re looking for, then you may want to give them a try.
Photos of Janaki by Joe Lucente; studio Rokker Jeans photos by Rokker
Keyword: Gear Review: Rokker Rokkertech Mid Straight Black Women's Jeans