Alpinestars Riley Riding Women's Jeans

I wanted to get another pair of riding jeans and when I saw these in the line up of releases I decided this was a pair to wait for since not many other jeans seem to offer much protection.

Firstly, these are black. The color description days "raw indigo" and if you watch the video on the A* site they come across as blue. The pair I received are most definitely black and are even labeled "black" on the tag.

I ordered these in a size 30, I have an A* race suit in a 44 and the sizing for that matched up with the 30 for the Riley's per the size chart. For comparison, I also own the Drayko Drift jeans and I wear those in a size 6 and the Dainese Air Drake in a 44. I am 5'6" and ~135 lbs. These seems to fit a little looser than the Drift jeans but I do feel I got the appropriate size.

I find the cut to be pretty flattering on my body type, which I would consider to be on the athletic side. The material is super stiff and when reading the washing instructions they made as huge point to state the the color may change over time. They also fit very well on my sport bike and stay in place. They never feel like the are riding down too low without a belt (I hate having to wear belts).

The legs seem slightly long to me but not enough to require any alteration... which would be hard anyways due to the zippers on the ankles. The zippers are there I guess to get a little more ankle room on the pant to go over a boot but beware... I am unable to easily roll the leg up high enough on my calf nor am I able to get the ankle opening over my Sidi Vertigo Lei boots. I don't feel that I have large calfs, my Sidi are pretty much on the smallest setting. These pants seem like they were more geared towards ankle boots. The zippers on the pants are uncomfortable being crammed into my boot. Not too bad while riding but walking around for any length of time would suck.

These jeans feel like they would do a good job for protection. Obviously not as protective as leather but I feel they would stand up as well as my textile pants and probably better than my Drifts. The supplied knee armor is decent though I will probably upgrade at some point. The hip armor is very thin but it's more than I have in my other pants and it's not very obvious when it's attached either. Their construction over all seems very durable.

I cut my finger on the little zipper in the front pocket when I stuck my finger inside.. not sure I'll be using that for anything.

I do have a decent amount of cons listed but I rate it higher because I think they will protect me on commutes and more easy going rides and because I feel they look better than my other riding jeans.

I was so super excited to receive these in the mail and I am so super disappointed to be boxing them back up without even a second thought. I could not get them off my body fast enough. 2 major problems: 1) the knee pads are so stiff, there is no way I could wear these without having a layer underneath, which defeats the whole purpose. Someone might say "well you have to break them in" or "you can remove the knee pads" answers to that are; I've broken in leather easier than what these would take and removing the protection defeats the purpose. 2) the gap between my lower back and the waist band was a full 5 inches. 5 INCHES! I measured! That's just ridiculous Astars - you are better than this. At 5'9" and 145lbs, I'm not a tiny lil thing, but I don't even want to see the body type that they built these on. I don't think it even exists. This is not something a belt can fix. ugh. I'm just mad. Hey, on a brighter note, if you need maternity riding pants, these are probably the ones for you! But be prepared to have your knees rubbed raw. :(

This is my first pair of "jeans" style riding pants. I tried to find a pair that had decent protection along with a feminine style. I think these pants fit the bill. I believe if I lost about 20 pounds I would probably love these pants (in a smaller size). So I am 5'8", 154 lbs, waist 30", hips 39" and my inseam is 32 inches. I purchased the size 32. Fits nicely. the length is good, legs are semi snug (not like skinny jeans, but pretty snug). the only area that is off is the back of the waist has a gap of about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. But I wear a long tee shirt (and my Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket), so it doesn't show. I cannot tell I have the hip protectors on, they are comfy. The knee pads seem good to me, I don't find them uncomfortable. The pants have a bit of stretch (again, not like skinny jeans, but still comfortable). Keep in mind the length of these pants. If your inseam is less than 32, I'm not sure how you would resolve that due to the zippers at the ankle. I haven't taken them for a ride yet, but I have been wearing them for a couple of hours around the house and I'm comfortable. Hope this helps with your decision!

I first bought these pants in a size 24, and while they fit great in the legs, I couldn't button them on the waist. I returned them for a 26 and now they fit pretty well. The legs are baggier than I'm used to (before these I always just rode in regular skinny-fitting jeans) and when I'm leaned over on the bike there is a large gap between my back and the pants. They fit fine on my hips, almost tight, but I guess I'll have to get a belt for that gap around the waist while I'm on the back. Overall good pants, I like the look and the protection with the knee and hip pads, but the fit is something I still need to get used to.

I tried on a couple different sizes since I really liked the style of the pants. The 30 was too small at the hip and the 32 was too large at the hip with the leg length extremely too long. I'm 5'5" 135 lbs. I would describe myself has having larger thighs and a butt, so I felt like at the end these jeans weren't working with my body type.

Marked as a women's 34, a women size 10. This does not match. A 34 should be the same as a 12. My wife was very upset that once she got it buttoned by sucking in her stomach, if did not come up to her waist.