Well-made and nicely tailored Kevlar jeans from one of Italy's finest
BEING a man of impeccable and unquestionable taste, when I was on the hunt for a new pair of Kevlar riding jeans, there was only one company to turn to - Dainese.
The Dainese Bonneville regular jeans are, you guessed it, Kevlar jeans with a regular, straight cut (they’re also available in a slim fit). They’re free from excess baggy material and stitching round the knees and arse and because of the cut and styling, look like they’ve come straight off the shelf of any decent clothes shop – the legs aren’t just two lank denim tubes.
Overall fit and feel is superb and even though they aren’t baggy, they easily fit over all my riding boots.
They’re comfortable all day long too, so I find myself living in them for days on end, riding in them and keeping them on when I’m not riding because they look and feel so much like regular jeans. It means I can ride to work and swan round fashionable parts of London without getting gawped at any more than usual.
Protection comes courtesy of Kevlar inserts at the knees, arse and hips. The Bonneville jeans also come supplied with knee armour that molds to the shape of your knee. It’s unobtrusive and doesn’t make the jeans balloon out at the knee but because it’s not the thickest going, I don’t have huge faith in how well it’s going to perform in a spill. Hip armour can also be added.
The denim feels weighty, coarse and high quality, which is reassuring. After five washes it’s holding its deep blue colour nicely, without signs of wear or fading. Close inspection of the stitching reveals that its precise and tight.
All the other little details are spot on too and nicely finished pockets and buttons and rivets that feel like they’re good quality.
The Dainese Bonnevilles have a couple of nice small touches as well. First, there’s the inside waistband, which is covered with a grippy coating, so whenever I tuck a T-shirt in tucked into my jeans, it’s prevented from working loose and flapping around. The second is the reflective inserts in the legs so when the bottoms are turned up, there’s some reflective detail on show. I doubt it makes me massively more visible on the road but it’s better than no reflective detailing, and looks good too.
The Dainese Bonnevilles are a well-made nicely tailored pair of Kevlar jeans. With a price-tag just short of £150, they’re similarly priced to offerings from Draggin and Alpinestars and set themselves apart witha cut that impresses more than most riding jeans I've worn, plus nice details and a quality finish.
Tested: Dainese Bonneville regular jeans
Price: £149.95
Colours: Dark blue and light blue
Contact: Dainese
