Alpinestars Miles Denim Jean Review

Protecting your legs on a motorcycle takes many forms—from enduro knee braces to full roadracing leathers—and for street riding, reinforced jeans have become a popular option. Especially for urban environments, where speeds are often low and the number of interactions with regular people is high. Am I the only one who has walked into a convenience store in full ADV gear and felt like the cashier was reaching for the pepper spray? It's good to be safe, but looking like riot police isn't always ideal.

The debate over the best possible material to wear on your body has raged for years (for a deeper dive, check out this comparison of leather and textile gear). Whether you pay $100 or $500 for your riding jeans, the basic concepts should be similar. Typically it's sturdy denim as the foundation, which is then reinforced—either by strengthening the fabric by weaving a more resilient material into it, or stitching swaths of abrasion-resistant textile on the inside. Add armor and you've got a recipe for pantaloons that looks fairly normal but offer a lot more protection than plain dungarees.

These Alpinestars Miles pants follow that basic formula. Large pieces of "aramidic fiber" cover the inside of the jeans at the seat, knees, and hips to add protection if the denim wears through in a crash. "Aramid" refers to a class of synthetic fibers (think Kevlar, Nomex, etc.) often used to insulate from heat, electricity, or to bolster strength.

The Miles uses CE-certified knee armor, and there are spots ready to accept hip armor if you choose to upgrade. The knee pads are removable if you like. But hopefully you won't want to, in part because they fit well and also because the compartment that holds the armor in place offers some adjustment, depending on the length of your legs. For me, this is a great feature, having tried on dozens of pairs of riding jeans only to have the knee armor ride 6 inches too high.

On the topic of fit, the Miles are slim but not skinny. They work well on my 6-foot-2 frame, though they fit more snug on my legs than on my hips. I usually wear a belt to tighten up the waistline, and from there the legs fall nicely to the top of my boots or shoes. I've tried jeans in the past that are so "stylish" they won't fit over the Sidi Cobra Air touring boots I usually wear—happily, the Miles legs slide over no problem. Overall, I give these high marks for comfort. These little nuances of fit are why it's easy to find 150 or 200 options on the websites of motorcycle warehouse stores.

The last nifty feature the Miles pants offer is an extra ring of denim around the ankle, which can be pulled out to better cover your ankles. When it’s unfurled it also exposes a band of reflective material, making you and your machine more visible. I never felt the need for more length in the legs, but the reflective band is nice to deploy at night. The zipper, button, and rivets are detailed with Alpinestars logos, in case you’re especially loyal to the brand. Aside from that, all you’ll see is basic jeans. And that’s pretty much the point.

On the basic scale of pricing I mentioned earlier, the Miles falls slightly above the middle. It'll be $330 for a set, including knee armor, which is on the high end of Alpinestars' line. I have recommended these pants to friends already, but I wouldn't do it blindly. When you jump into the market for riding jeans make sure you consider fit and features that suit you best. If these Miles pants don't fit you, try a different model until you get what you want. A couple-few hundred bucks is no small change for a pair of pants, but it's worth it if they keep asphalt out of your skin and pepper spray out of your eyes.