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Most cycling pants, mesh pants, and most solid color fabrics are loosely cut. This is why in most cases, when I ride in mesh and most other textile cycling pants, I use the MX-style knee/shin protector instead of the integrated knee armor. I want to find some mesh or other styles of breathable and close-fitting pants, so that no separate protective cover is needed.
I found a good choice in Dainese New Drake Air pants last year and I am satisfied with their performance in the ventilated area and the full coverage of the knee/shin protectors in these pants. The cut is close enough where I am sure that the protector will stay in place.
This year Knox released a pair of cycling pants under the name Urbane, which reminded me. Did Knox continue to use stretch materials to make a pair of close-fitting cycling pants, including a mesh panel for riding in hot weather? The description seemed to imply this, so I had to buy a pair and find out by myself.
At first glance, Urbane Pro trousers look similar to black chinos, with a slim fit. Black is the only color currently available for these pants. When I say black, I mean it. The entire exterior of the Urbane Pro pants is black, including the buttons and rivets at the waist and the leather Knox logo patch on the back. We are studying the "ninja level" stealth.
Personally, I hope to use some reflective materials here or there to improve visibility at night. Lighter color options such as silver/gray are also popular because it can provide some visibility and help reduce heat absorption. These are designed for hot weather, right?
When I received my Knox Urbane Pro MKII armored shirt earlier this summer, my first thought was that I really wanted to have some pants that matched the fit and cut of that armored shirt. Urbane clothing and Knox Zephyr jackets fit the body closely, which is not common in most mesh cycling clothing. The meshing gears are usually a little loose, I found that there are two reasons;
First, when riding speeds start to exceed 40 mph, the loose fabric typical of meshing gears tends to drift in the wind, which can be annoying. Second, the loose fabric means that the armor integrated in the garment may not be placed in the correct position in the event of a collision.
The brand identity is very subtle, only the Knox hexagonal K logo is embossed on the black leather patch on the waist. People may also argue that the hexagonal key ring sewn on the right front of the pants is also an iteration of the Knox logo, but this may be a bit far-fetched. It can be said that, except for some small prints on the waist buckle, the word Knox is not visible on the outside of the pants.
The Urbano Pro pants are reasonable in weight, weighing 3 pounds and 5.5 ounces (1516 grams) with the included armor. Compared with most mesh pants, this puts them at the literally higher end. Many mesh pants are not as durable as when I handle them.
An unusual seven pockets were found on the Urbane Pro pants with a strange configuration. There are two front pockets with a typical "jeans" look. There are two back pockets in the traditional "seat" position at the back, but there are two additional back pocket openings near the waist, bringing the total number of back pockets to four. I'm not sure what the idea here is. If all the pockets are used, the seats around the seat seem to become very crowded.
The front and back pockets are deeper than people think, and they should be able to easily accommodate larger mobile devices, wallets, etc. None of the pockets mentioned so far have any form of closure, but there is a pocket with a zipper.
The seventh pocket is located on the side of the right hip and has a seven-inch (18 cm) opening zipper closure. Knox described it as a "discreet" pocket, but the slender corded zipper pull does reveal this position a bit. This is the ideal place to store items that you want to ensure that they will not fall during the ride.
The only other zipper on the Urbane Pro pants is the main zipper on the front. This is a YKK zipper, it is strong and smooth-although the pull tab is a bit small, it can be held by gloved hands. Above the zipper is a standard button arrangement, which uses a very sturdy 0.75 inch (2 cm) button.
The outer shell of Urbane Pro pants is made of nylon, spandex and Knox arrow net. The upper part of the trousers, starting from about the middle of the thigh, uses a high-strength nylon fabric, which also contains a small amount of spandex. This fabric does not have the high gloss and thinness of typical nylon.
Instead, the material feels thick, heavy, and flexible. This material is not prone to the "swish" that is often heard when wearing other nylon pants. It's a little hard to describe, but this material looks very durable, while still providing stretch comfort and an overall feeling of flexibility. It is no easy task, it is something I have never experienced in other cycling pants.
In the middle and below the thighs is Knox’s arrow net-like material, covering most of the back and front of the legs. Above the knees and calves are more solid nylon/spandex fabrics to provide additional abrasion resistance. This is a large amount of mesh material, and the arrow net provides openings of the right size, which in theory should provide a large amount of airflow (more on that later).
Inside, the pants are lined with a thin cotton material, which is also used to make pockets that hold the armor in place. This material is thin and light, and is very breathable for cotton fabrics. I prefer something more like a lightweight polyester or nylon mesh because it can provide more airflow.
Knox's pants are very well constructed, and the stitching looks very even and tight. I also did not notice any loose threads inside or outside. The main buttons look very safe. In general, the pants give a very solid quality.
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Free shipping for orders over $40 at RevZilla, 30 days no-nonsense return policy, select all major brands at an awesome price, buy this pair of pants on RevZilla
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The Urbane Pro pants have the same AA CE rating as the Urbane Pro II armored shirt I reviewed recently. This "middle layer" between A and AAA seems to be the most suitable clothing for commuting and travel/sports travel. For pants that are almost half made of mesh, the AA rating is very impressive. For more detailed information about the AA CE rating, Bennets has a detailed article here.
Urbane comes with a set of CE Class 1 Micro-Lock knee and hip armor. Micro-Lock is a very soft bright yellow material that hardens when impacted. This is a typical feature of many motorcycle gear armors today. I really like Knox's Micro-Lock armor because it is particularly soft and flexible compared to the competition.
I would prefer to provide CE level 2 options for impact protectors, but including level 1 is quite standard in the industry. Unlike the Urbane Pro MkII armor shirt, there is no option to order pants with upgraded armor. There are replacement parts that can be used to upgrade the knees, but the hip armor is unique in the Knox lineup, and I can't see a direct replacement that may be suitable.
If you have read my review of cycling pants before, then you may be ready for me to talk about the way I prefer to use strappy knee pads, because most textile pants can’t hold the knee pads tightly to the legs to keep it happening. The position at the time of the collision. Urbane Pro pants are much better than most pants in this respect, and I think it's OK to use the knee armor that comes with these pants in the expected pocket.
However, just because these pants fit me well, the fit will vary depending on the body shape of the wearer. One thing I think Knox missed was the lack of height adjustment of the knee armor. The armor pocket has only one compartment, and it is impossible to fix the armor in different positions to suit the height of different riders.
During the past year and a half of COVID-19, I somehow managed to avoid the weight gain known as "COVID 15". In fact, my waist has lost about 10 pounds and 2 inches. Therefore, I ordered Urbane Pro pants in size L with a waist circumference of 34 inches.
When the pants arrived, I was happy that their size was very close to the real size, and the waist circumference was actually about 34.5 inches. This provides a little extra space, but since they have some flexibility in the material, I think it will be better at 34. Since the waist size is slightly larger, I use five belt loops to fasten the pants to the waist with a belt.
As for the inseams, they are listed as 33 inches, which is accurate. Because they are a bit long for my 30-inch inseam, Carmen was able to roll them up a few inches for me. In the process, she ran into some troubles because Arrow Net broke her sewing machine needle (after several paper jams). She finished this by hand, but I do like the fact that Arrow Net shows how strong it is.
Could this be a coincidence, or is this thing so strong? Ok.
Well-fitting clothes usually bring comfortable clothing, and Urbane Pro trousers are no exception. Due to the armor and heavy materials, this pair of trousers is a bit heavier compared to ordinary jeans, but this does not have much effect on the seat. The elastic material in the solid textile area makes them comfortable when sitting, standing and walking.
Due to the thin cotton lining, the rough arrow net material can avoid direct contact with the wearer's skin. The advantage of this is that it prevents the rough mesh material from feeling itchy, but it also has disadvantages, which I will talk about.
Although not fully mesh pants, almost all of the back and about 45% of the front are made of open-woven mesh material (arrow net). This indicates that a lot of air will flow freely through Urbane Pro pants, but not as much as I expected. This is certainly not as much as I hoped.
This "lower-than-expected" airflow comes from the cotton lining in the pants. This thin lining is designed to keep the itchy mesh away from the skin and also has the effect of reducing air flow. Yes, there is some air flowing through. It's not like the pants are stuffy, but people just don't get the air normally felt in other open woven mesh clothing.
Of course, I found that the calf is better at getting airflow because it accepts direct airflow instead of the thigh area where the air "flows over" the surface. Whether this is good or bad depends on your particular motorcycle. My 2006 Sprint 1050 emits so much heat in the calf that mesh pants cannot be used on that bike. In contrast, my Ninja 1000 can only warm the same space gently.
Based on my own experience using Urbane Pro MkII armored shirts, I can say that the unlined area behind the arrow net does indeed flow a lot of air compared to the part of the shirt that contains cotton lining.
I hope to replace the cotton lining with a soft polyester or nylon mesh lining because it can provide more airflow and still soften the interface between the arrow mesh and the wearer’s skin. Maybe an optional "unlined" version can be made? Of course, I am not a fashion designer, so there may be a way to let me miss the madness of Knox.
I wish there were more Urbane Pro pants. The airflow is "okay" but not very good. I think this is a bit disappointing due to the lining. I think that if the lining is a different material or if it is completely non-existent, a separate open grid will provide more cooling airflow.
I think another color option besides black will be appreciated because it will add some visibility and may also be cooler in direct sunlight. This may be the first iteration that it is now only black, and Knox measures the overall interest in these pants. The adjustability of the knee armor height will also be a welcome addition, and it does not seem to be difficult to add.
Therefore, after troubleshooting these problems, I should say that Urbane Pro pants are a very good start. The fit is very good and the structure is strong. I think there are very few mesh cycling pants that can provide protection.
Although compared with some other mesh pants, their air circulation is not high, but in warm weather, they are still a good choice, and they are comfortable enough for long-term travel. Paired with the Urbane Pro MkII armored shirt, the Urbane Pro trousers with this shirt provide very good warm weather riding equipment. I will use it regularly in the coming weeks and months until the weather gets colder.
webBikeWorld works closely with Revzilla and Amazon to provide our testers with quality products for review. Although we have an affiliation and collect commissions from the purchased items, you do not need to pay extra for this. This is the main way we pay for websites and reviewers.
Free shipping for orders over $40 at RevZilla, 30 days no-nonsense return policy, select all major brands at an awesome price, buy this pair of pants on RevZilla
Free shipping on orders over $40, 30 days no-nonsense return policy, excellent prices selected from all major brands
Buy these pants on RevZilla
Brandon is a photographer, motorcyclist, and writer living in Bentwood, Tennessee. Since 2009, he has been reviewing motorcycle-related products for webBikeWorld.com, including cycling clothing, safety equipment and motorcycle accessories. His passion for cycling and photography is reflected in the product photos he took for the review and the motorcycle road racing photos he took during the MotoAmerica (formerly AMA) competition in Barber Motorsports Park.
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