As a person who uses their bicycle as their main means of transport, I like to see companies catering towards the modern/city cyclist, and the Levi’s Commuter are a pretty decent example of what clothing designers have to offer as of late. Here, I’ll tell you about the features and my likes and dislikes with this particular pair of knickers.
I’ll start off with the fit of the jeans. Levi’s chose to go with the 511 skinny fit on this project, which is already kind of a strike against them. The 511 is like the “I want my jeans to be tight, but I don’t want my friends/parents/classmates/strangers to think I’m a homo” kind of skinny jean. I usually like to go with Levi’s 510 fit, which is super skinny through the thighs right down to the ankle. So you could call the 510 the “I might have gotten these from my sister, but I didn’t, so f**k you if you don’t like how tight my pants are” type of jeans. Fits aside, I may have been a bit overzealous saying the 511 was a already a strike. My rant about them could have possibly just been repressed feelings from high school, the music I listened to back then, and all those mean jerks who made fun of me at the time, I’m just such a sensitive lad. However, I can say that it does suck cycling in super skinny jeans and the 511 offers enough room to be comfortable while riding, but are still skinny enough to meet my rigorous pant requirements. You just have to get out and see for yourself how well the fit works for both function and fashion.
The saddle of a bike constantly rubbing against your balls, taint and ass causes all sorts of friction, not just on your sensitive nether regions, but also on your favorite pair of denim. Sadly, Gold Bond does not work the same wonders on jeans as it does my scrotum. I believe with this fact in mind, Levi’s decided to go through and double stitch/reinforce the crotch on the Commuters. This, to me, was a brilliant idea. I don’t know how many times I’ve blown the crotch out of a favorite pair of jeans or jorts (jean shorts, for those who didn’t know) from being worn thin due to wear on my bike saddle. Such a great way to make a pair of jeans last longer and keep a bit of money in my pocket instead of having to rush out and try to find another pair of pants after a blow out.
The next two features I’m going to talk about are, what I believe to be, the “bells and whistles” of the Commuters. And I only say that because despite them being cool, I feel as though they are only there to make you say “oh wow, that‘s pretty neat” and give you the warm fuzzies. First, a little holster for your U-Lock on the back left of the waist. This is really nice, if your lock happens to fit that is. I was stoked to not have to carry a bag with me while I rode just for my lock, but upon my first attempt, my $20 Wal-Mart Kryptonite special failed to fit and I was thoroughly depressed. It was too big, which usually isn’t something I am sad to hear, but alas, it was the case with this specific feature of the Commuter. Alright, so I actually wasn’t depressed by this, maybe a bit bummed out? You get the idea. Second, Levi’s used some strips of 3M Scotchlite reflective material to sew the inseam of the jean. Meaning, you can roll these jeans, so you they don’t get caught in your chain, caked in grease, etc. and have some extra visibility to motorists and such while you’re out and about during the evening. Like I said before, cool idea, however it’s trumped by the fact that you should have front and back lights on and flashing while you ride at night anyways. Although, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to have a little extra visibility to others when you unexpectedly roll over the median of a major downtown street in pursuit of the Golden Arches around 3 AM for those glorious McGriddles. You can never be too safe right?
I decided to save my favorite thing about these pants for last. I’ll tell you right now that it was a major selling point for me when it comes to the Commuter. These jeans are treated with what is called Nano-Sphere, which is a pretty crazy fucking idea when you apply it to something like clothes. I won’t go into specifics about it, but if you go to www.nano-sphere.ch you can get the low down on what this technology is all about. What it is simply, it’s a special treatment which effectively makes denim water, dirt, and odor repellent. This is an awesome idea! Cycling is unpredictable. There is always the chance the clouds will roll in and shit all over you, or that you’re going to take that unexpected digger and scrub out, or that you will be running errands in 90 degree weather, sweating your dick off. I’m awful about taking care of laundry when I need to, and it’s nice to have a pair of pants that aren’t covered in dirt and grease after a hard day of riding, or smell like I found them on the corner by the homeless shelter and still have the ability to look good at the same time.
I’ll start off with the fit of the jeans. Levi’s chose to go with the 511 skinny fit on this project, which is already kind of a strike against them. The 511 is like the “I want my jeans to be tight, but I don’t want my friends/parents/classmates/strangers to think I’m a homo” kind of skinny jean. I usually like to go with Levi’s 510 fit, which is super skinny through the thighs right down to the ankle. So you could call the 510 the “I might have gotten these from my sister, but I didn’t, so f**k you if you don’t like how tight my pants are” type of jeans. Fits aside, I may have been a bit overzealous saying the 511 was a already a strike. My rant about them could have possibly just been repressed feelings from high school, the music I listened to back then, and all those mean jerks who made fun of me at the time, I’m just such a sensitive lad. However, I can say that it does suck cycling in super skinny jeans and the 511 offers enough room to be comfortable while riding, but are still skinny enough to meet my rigorous pant requirements. You just have to get out and see for yourself how well the fit works for both function and fashion.
The saddle of a bike constantly rubbing against your balls, taint and ass causes all sorts of friction, not just on your sensitive nether regions, but also on your favorite pair of denim. Sadly, Gold Bond does not work the same wonders on jeans as it does my scrotum. I believe with this fact in mind, Levi’s decided to go through and double stitch/reinforce the crotch on the Commuters. This, to me, was a brilliant idea. I don’t know how many times I’ve blown the crotch out of a favorite pair of jeans or jorts (jean shorts, for those who didn’t know) from being worn thin due to wear on my bike saddle. Such a great way to make a pair of jeans last longer and keep a bit of money in my pocket instead of having to rush out and try to find another pair of pants after a blow out.
The next two features I’m going to talk about are, what I believe to be, the “bells and whistles” of the Commuters. And I only say that because despite them being cool, I feel as though they are only there to make you say “oh wow, that‘s pretty neat” and give you the warm fuzzies. First, a little holster for your U-Lock on the back left of the waist. This is really nice, if your lock happens to fit that is. I was stoked to not have to carry a bag with me while I rode just for my lock, but upon my first attempt, my $20 Wal-Mart Kryptonite special failed to fit and I was thoroughly depressed. It was too big, which usually isn’t something I am sad to hear, but alas, it was the case with this specific feature of the Commuter. Alright, so I actually wasn’t depressed by this, maybe a bit bummed out? You get the idea. Second, Levi’s used some strips of 3M Scotchlite reflective material to sew the inseam of the jean. Meaning, you can roll these jeans, so you they don’t get caught in your chain, caked in grease, etc. and have some extra visibility to motorists and such while you’re out and about during the evening. Like I said before, cool idea, however it’s trumped by the fact that you should have front and back lights on and flashing while you ride at night anyways. Although, I suppose it couldn’t hurt to have a little extra visibility to others when you unexpectedly roll over the median of a major downtown street in pursuit of the Golden Arches around 3 AM for those glorious McGriddles. You can never be too safe right?
I decided to save my favorite thing about these pants for last. I’ll tell you right now that it was a major selling point for me when it comes to the Commuter. These jeans are treated with what is called Nano-Sphere, which is a pretty crazy fucking idea when you apply it to something like clothes. I won’t go into specifics about it, but if you go to www.nano-sphere.ch you can get the low down on what this technology is all about. What it is simply, it’s a special treatment which effectively makes denim water, dirt, and odor repellent. This is an awesome idea! Cycling is unpredictable. There is always the chance the clouds will roll in and shit all over you, or that you’re going to take that unexpected digger and scrub out, or that you will be running errands in 90 degree weather, sweating your dick off. I’m awful about taking care of laundry when I need to, and it’s nice to have a pair of pants that aren’t covered in dirt and grease after a hard day of riding, or smell like I found them on the corner by the homeless shelter and still have the ability to look good at the same time.
When it comes down to it, I have to say that I’m pretty impressed with Levi’s Commuter. A decent jean from a recognized name that has catered towards a very big part of city living. Even with its few little tidbits that I don’t like or that didn’t really impress me, it’s still a solid piece of clothing that offers both form and function that in the end, I’m happy I invested in.
 |
| Bells... |
 |
| and whistles! |
