Trouser cuts...for a cyclist's legs

[liv2bike]

Looking for some advice. Please know that I am not trying to be smug or brag. When it comes to trousers, I cannot find a cut that suits my legs. As an avid cyclist, my hams and quads are, well...big. I cannot be the only one out there with this problem. I like a tapered or narrow leg trouser but my upper legs prohibit me from wearing this type of cut most of the time. I want trousers that will not camouflage my shoes. When I do come across some trousers that fit, they typically hide my footwear. Suggestions anyone? I have tried lots of different brands but really haven't come across anything. Maybe I am not looking hard enough. Thanks in advance Gents.

[al415]

It's all relative I suppose, but my upper legs are large in relation to my waist etc. also. I've found this jcrew chinos to work quite well; in my actual size: Men's pants - broken-in chinos - Broken-in chino in urban slim fit - J.Crew

[chasea]

^^^That.

There are a few good "tailored" fits; in this case, meaning slim. You have to be careful, as cyclists' butts seem to take up a lot of pant room and the pants can pull your balls up into your throat. I've had good luck with Levis twill pants in 510s and 511s. Guys on this board will swear they;re too tight, but after a day of wear, they've molded to your body and stretched where they need to; staying slim where the need to be as well. Also, Dockers (I swear to god....) has a line with a more modern cut. You can find them at most Urban Outfitters.

Try the rest of the cheap, modern cut usual suspects as well; Uniqlo, Zara, et al.

And if you're adventurous, look into Bonobos and report back to us with findings.

[deano]

I have three prs of j crew Essex pants, all bought on sale for $20. Winner winner. Also Calvin Klein seems to get the job done. If you buy a suit, ask the tailor for a flood hem. It'll show off your fancy socks.

[rydesteel]

chasea's post made me chuckle, sold clothes in my 20's and had a favorite customer tell me he wanted a pair of trousers that didn't fit like a cheap hotel...I asked of course what he meant by that. " No Ballroom in a cheap motel"

[EDS]

I have three prs of j crew Essex pants, all bought on sale for $20. Winner winner. Also Calvin Klein seems to get the job done. If you buy a suit, ask the tailor for a flood hem. It'll show off your fancy socks.

"flood hem" sounds like an incredibly bad idea to me. Are you saying to purposely turn your new suit pants into highwaters?

[liv2bike]

You have to be careful, as cyclists' butts seem to take up a lot of pant room and the pants can pull your balls up into your throat.

And if you're adventurous, look into Bonobos and report back to us with findings.

Hilarious and well said. Some of my "slim fit" trousers do exactly that! I feel like I am wearing those skinny jeans my nephews wear sometimes.

I did peruse Bonobos but just can't pull the trigger. With trousers...especially with trousers...I have to touch, feel and try them on. Don't think I could buy them blind for the mint they are asking.

[billrick]

Flood hem? You'll be in good company . . . Pee Wee Herman and Thom Browne.

[deano]

Yeah, maybe flood hem is an exaggeration, but I don't like a lot of break, if any, in the trousers.

[omnigrid]

OUTLIER Keirin Cut Dungarees

maybe this?

[summilux]

+1 on Calvin Klein jeans. Also Kenneth Cole and Lacoste have worked for me.

[malcolm22]

OUTLIER Keirin Cut Dungarees

maybe this?

this.

[BShow]

I've had good luck in Banana Repubic. Their pants tend to fit me well and as a brand, I find them to be pretty long lasting. If you get lucky, there can be some really good deals on their sale racks.

[brndll]

I think you are way off on Banana Republic... definitely for the skinny leg crowd. I am rouleur and not of the Jens Voigt mold... more the Ballerini and Museeuw mold and I have all but decided to never bother looking in there again. Shirts, fit is fine. Pants, no way.

As for true trousers.. I like Hugo Boss.They seem to cut for the bigger legged of our species. Pricey but I always shop the discount places for them like Nordstrom Rack.

[maunahaole]

I don't get the Outlier ad copy. It says cut to fit bigger legs. That model is skinny as a rail and does not seem to have much excess space. Maybe compared to the normal skinny jeans that hipsters wear, but seriously....

[chasea]

I don't get the Outlier ad copy. It says cut to fit bigger legs. That model is skinny as a rail and does not seem to have much excess space. Maybe compared to the normal skinny jeans that hipsters wear, but seriously....

-So tired of this argument. You wear lycra for a good chunk of your life. Even if you've never actually worn a pair of well-cut pants that fit correctly, you have to admit that bitching about tight clothing is a bit hypocritical.

-Clothing is trending slimmer across the board (by the way, slimmer than 1990's, but on par with 1950s/60s). Its not just for hipsters anymore. Its. Just. The. Way. It. Is.

Why?

1. We're in a recession and fabric costs money. (why pleats were historically a sign of wealth).
2. It just fuggin' looks better. Baggy pants make you look frumpy (lady word for "fat").
3. Someone help me out here and link to the two threads last month about fashion no longer changing because we've settled on what's good and what isn't.

-Fuuuuuuuuuuurthermore, there's a reason 501s are what they are. They fit everybody. You don't need more. You think you do. You. Do. Not.

-What is kind of fit are these people who complain about pants being too slim looking for? (Most well-written sentence in the English language? Prolly)
a) MC Hammer?
b) AC Slater?
and 4) Color Me Badd?

-Also, ease up on the "hipster" shit. I don't know you from Adam, but I'm willing to bet you were cool once. (And that, my friends, is how you do a backhanded compliement.)

-You live on a rock in the middle of the ocean. When was the last time you even saw pants?

[maunahaole]

I have to wear long pants at work and when I go to the mainland. I have a bit of a dutch problem going on. I'm tall and thick with a big ass and big thighs. I'll even admit to being fat, because I am, but the pants fit the same either way. 501's really don't fit me - the waist ends up being about 4" too big once I get everything else in. This has been the case for me even when I have been in good shape. You need to be thin to wear 501s.

[chasea]

I have to wear long pants at work and when I go to the mainland. I have a bit of a dutch problem going on. I'm tall and thick with a big ass and big thighs. I'll even admit to being fat, because I am, but the pants fit the same either way. 501's really don't fit me - the waist ends up being about 4" too big once I get everything else in. This has been the case for me even when I have been in good shape. You need to be thin to wear 501s.

Thanks for taking that in stride. We'll chalk it up as a failed attempt at humor caused by work stress.

I'm fat and wear 510s and 511s (super skinny, and skinny) on the reg. 34 (ahem- I said it) x 34.

I guess my main concern with almost half of the people on this board complaining that they don't fit most pants is that, well, it just can't be. And I'm wondering if its at all possible that people just aren't used to wearing a modern cut pant. Can that many people here not physically be able to slide their legs into their pants? Or are they just not used to the way well cut pants feel?

All of this is combined with average sizes growing. A medium today isn't what it was 10 years ago. Hell, it isn't what it was 5 years ago. You don't even need to step foot in a clothing store to realize that. Its the same way at your local fast food joint. Food and clothing are trending larger in sizing, but slimmer in cut; if that makes any sense. And this occurs more at the lower end. Need proof? Try on a pair of pants that fit at Wal-Mart. Take those exact waist and length measurements to the highest-end mens store you can find. The exact same sizes there will be too small.

I'm dating a fit model. That means, at 28, that she's too old for most photo/ runway work in couture. So she (her body) is used to set standard clothing sizes for items that will go to retail. Its a weird job. Most places she shops, she knows that a size 6 will fit her because it is more than likely made from someone built like her, if not her. 6, by the way, seems big for 5'7'' and 115 (guessing) pounds. Is womens' clothing trending different than mens? I'm going to try and find all this shit out.

I know this has been of no actual use; and has not provided you with an answer. But I think its interesting conversation.

[maunahaole]

I know exactly what you mean. Sizing varies dramatically between brands even with the same size listed on the label - it can even vary within the same label or lot, depending on where in the stack the fabric was cut.

I also have a problem with "modern cut pant" - that just means that it is a style that someone wants to sell you right now. Aide from that it doesnt mean shit. Next year, the cut will be different and folks will be struggling with that fit for some reason. Am I cynical about this...probably so. But I'm out at the low part of the bell curve on the fit charts for most stuff and am stuck most of the time getting stuff that I can pry on to me as opposed to even starting to think about style - not that it matters to me, as I find the fashion industry to be silly. In any event everyday office dress in Honolulu, is different than it is on the mainland. The bigger upshot is that mens clothes are now being sold the same way that womens clothes have been for years.

[PJN]

You need to be thin to wear 501s.

Man, I thought you needed to be a fatty to wear 501s these days. I wore 32x32's from puberty up to a few years ago when they changed the fit. Now I'm SWIMMING in 32x32s and and the proportions are all fucked from what they were. The thighs are HUGE and the waists are too big. The shrink to fits are jacked beyond wearable too.

After Levis ruined the 501's I moved on to 511s (I think the 510s are too small). Definitely a little more "hip" but still pretty close to being "just jeans."