For correct pant sizing you need to provide the following measurements:
Height/Weight
Inseam
Actual Waist ( Waist size marked on a pant can be correct or up to 6 inches different than the actual waist measurement, so it is very important to measure the waist.)
Belly measurement if it is 2" larger than the waist.
Crotch to start of knee armor. (For proper knee armor location.) It is almost impossible to find a production pant where the knee armor fits perfectly on the knee cap when in a riding position. Knee/shin is one of the highest initial impact areas of the body in a tumble. If the armor floats up and down in the pocket, it will not stay in place upon impact. If the armor can be adjusted with Velcro, the Velcro can detach in a tumble
Follow these instructions to measure for the correct placement of knee/shin armor and inseam:
1. The best way to start is by wearing a denim pant, sitting with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle, shin vertical to the ground, leg horizontal to the ground. (We will explain later how to measure if your feet are further back on the pegs, or more forward) Thin dress pants or cotton/polyester pants will not work properly for measuring.
2. Place a ruler up against the shin bone with another ruler touching on top of the leg. The knee/shin armor starts 1.5" back from the intersection of the rulers.
3. Here you can see the vertical plane of the shin and the horizontal plane of the leg with 1.5" back from the top of the knee towards the waist marked with the finger.
5. Put tape around the top of the knee 1.5" back, with the tape extending down to the inseam of the pant.
6. Straighten the knee. From the top tape line go down the leg 5 inches and put another tape line. You have just marked where the knee armor will go.
The photo above shows a good inseam length. The cuff of the pant should be close to or touching the top foot arch of the boot.
7. Place a cloth tape at the crotch where all the seams of the pant intersect. Measure down the inseam to where the tape wrapped around the leg intersects the inseam. This measurement is called: "Crotch to the starting point of the knee/shin armor."
8. This photos shows our standard Knee/Shin Tri-Armor in the proper location on the knee.
9. Measure from the crotch of the pant, where all the seams intersect, down to the end of the cuff. Add more if the jeans are too short for riding. Deduct any amount if the pant is too long.
Note: It is important to measure for inseam length sitting with the legs straight as shown. Denim pants will wrinkle up and many riders add inches longer than the denim pant. Our pant doesn't wrinkle, measuring with the leg straight helps to take out the wrinkles to get a more accurate inseam length.
10. When your foot peg position is farther back and the knees are bent more than a 90 degree angle, mark the pant the same way as shown above. Then move the feet further back to your foot peg position. You will notice how the Crotch to Start of the Armor mark, 1.5" above the top of the knee will start to move forward. The knee/shin armor needs to be a little lower on the leg when riding bikes that have the foot pegs more to the rear of the bike. Marking the jeans first as shown above allows you to know better where the pant needs to be marked for your individual foot peg position.
The photo above shows knees further back in an average sport bike foot peg position. You can see the tape line at an inch and a half back from the top of the knee where the armor has moved down the leg.
With most sport bike boot position lowering the knee armor 1" to 1.5" is an approximate average.
11. For riders that use both sport bikes and sit up straight style bikes with different foot peg positions, position the feet in the middle between the two different peg positions. Mark the jean with this middle position and the armor location should work ok for both bikes.
12. For riders that want to wear motocross boots with the cuff over the boot, please provide circumference of the boot at the ankle. Also provide the distance from the ankle to the top of the boot along with circumference at the top of the boot. NOTE: It is important that the inseam of the pant leg ends at the top of the arch of the boot.
If you call in to place the order please provide the measurements:
Height/Weight/Waist/Crotch to Start of Armor and belly if it is 2" larger than waist. If you place the order on line, please provide all these measurements.
Note: For tall, short, heavy, thin or riders with a belly also provide the circumference of:
Hips/Thigh and Calf.
