Pando Moto Rosie Women’s Motorcycle Jeans Review
My heart goes out to any company who attempts the challenge of designing women’s jeans. Especially any company who takes on the ultimate challenge of making women’s motorcycle jeans that are lined with Kevlar, have armor, and actually fit and look good. A Lithuanian company has taken on this very challenge, and the Pando Moto Rosie Women’s motorcycle jeans come out with more wins than fails.
The Rosie jeans are the counterpart to the men’s Karl jeans. With external pockets for removable CE-approved Knox armor at the knees and elastic ribbed stretch panels just above the knees, the Rosie is clearly inspired by the quirky styling of the UglyBros jeans from Korea. However, Pando has managed to pull off more of the ‘style’ part and less of the ‘quirk’, with more simplified lines and a quilted panel along the outer thighs.
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The Rosie jeans don’t feel clunky nor do they bind or restrict. Even in a full squat, the fabric doesn’t pinch anywhere. Though the fit was great in the waist and in the circumference of the leg, the fabric in the pelvis area is a little baggy. Still, I quickly fell for them.
It didn’t even bother me that they were a solid five inches too long for me. At 5′ 2″ with my motorcycle boots on, I’m used to having pants that too long, so I easily rectify the situation by simply rolling them up. However, when I slid the Knox armor into the external pockets for the first time, I was quite dismayed to find that the armor hit me squarely in the mid shin—nowhere near my knees.
Fortunately, the Pando Rosie jeans had enough of what I was looking for that I felt it would be worth it to have my tailor alter them. The fit was relaxed enough that she was able to take 3.5 inches out of the length of the thigh and resew a horizontal seam above the stretch panels without them being too tight. With that alteration, the length is now nearly perfect.
I know I’m no giant, but I can’t imagine a woman who would have a thigh that is nearly four inches longer than mine. It seems to me that most women would have to have these pants altered if they wanted the armor to be in the correction position.
With the adjusted fit to make the armor hit in the right place, the style of a normal pair of jeans and the all-around comfort when in the riding position, they have quickly become my favorite pants for both around town and longer rides. Though they aren’t perfect, Pando Moto has created jeans with positive attributes outweigh the negatives.
You can remove the armor from the external knee pockets when you get to where you’re going, though you certainly don’t need to. The back pockets are quite small, which makes them look a bit odd and renders them fairly useless for holding anything, even when not riding.
Though the armor feels substantial when riding, it does not feel or look bulky when off the bike. Quilting on the sides of the hips and down the thigh adds an extra layer of padding in a key slide area, and looks unique and cool.
They aren’t stiff or heavy like some riding pants, yet they don’t feel flimsy. There is quality in the details—strong seams, a button with an interesting design on it, smooth YKK zipper and deep front pockets. However, there are no internal pockets to accommodate hip armor.
All in all, the Pando Moto Rosie women’s motorcycle jeans are a great choice for the female street rider who is looking for protective pants that are comfortable and have a healthy dose of everyday style.
Pando Moto Rosie Women’s Motorcycle Jeans Fast Facts:
- Euro sizes: 25W/30L; 29-32W/30L: 26-26W/32L
- Colors: Indigo; Black; Desert
- Pando Moto Desert Women’s Motorcycle Jeans Price: €199 (Indigo); €209 (Black); €219 (Desert) MSRP
Pando Moto Rosie Women’s Motorcycle Jeans Review | Photo Gallery
