"UglyBros Twiggy-K Ladies Motorcycle Jeans Reviewed
Protective women’s riding jeans with Mad Max style"
By
Julia LaPalme February 12,2018
uglyBROS USA has re-released its Twiggy women’s riding jean with Kevlar liner.
Ah, motorcycle riding pants. Likely one of the most challenging items of protective apparel to grace the body of any person riding on two wheels. You’re either going full-blown MotoGP leather, practical textile overpant, or motorcycle jeans. Most riding jeans look like your regular everyday Levi’s, many successfully hiding the fact that they contain armor or built-in Kevlar. But few items on the market embrace the style and functionality of motorcycle protection so distinctively as a pair of UglyBros.
Part motorcycle jean, part Mad Max-style runway statement, UglyBros’ riding jeans have set themselves apart as the most uniquely designed riding pants on the market. Unapologetically embracing the functionality of protective apparel, with a futuristic, grungy take-no-prisoners attitude, UglyBros has been making waves and turning heads since it started selling its protective riding jeans in the US. As the company has sold more pants over the past few years, it has opted to start adding Kevlar to some of its more popular styles, and the Twiggy-K is the first among the women’s options to get the protection upgrade.
One of uglyBROS’ defining design element is an external pocket for knee armor, making it easy to remove when you don’t want to walk around in armored jeans.
With a skinny jean fit, the Twiggy-K have a comfortable, snug feel throughout the pant leg. With accordion ribbing above the knee and at the low back of the pants, the Twiggy-Ks are made to stretch and conform to women’s curves, and accommodate the type of movement motorcyclists need. When ordering a pair, I had to go up a size from my normal jeans, perhaps in part to accommodate Kevlar and armor. When first stepping into these riding jeans, they were a snug fit. But it didn’t take long for the Twiggy-Ks to break in and feel more like my softest most comfortable pair of Levi’s.
The most distinct design feature of all UglyBros jeans is the external knee armor pocket. Allowing the rider to remove the CE-rated knee armor in a matter of seconds, this feature makes it easy to transform the jeans from protective riding wear to something more comfortable to walk around in, without looking like you’re ready for battle. The only downside to the external pocket design is that the knee armor tends to get pushed up and out of the pocket by about an inch. I haven’t experienced the armor making its way out any further than that, but it’s a slight concern as I’ve taken the time at stoplights to tuck the knee armor back into the knee pockets.
The new Twiggy-K women’s riding jeans have Kevlar lining the seat and front thigh areas, as you can see on this pair turned inside out.
The hip armor was another small gripe. Tucking into mesh interior pockets, the CE-rated armor is bulbous and didn’t contour well with my hips. Considering that area of my body is already under (self) scrutiny, I don’t need to be adding any unnecessary bulges. I ended up swapping the hip armor out for other pieces from another pair of riding jeans. Also, despite the accordion ribbing at the low back of the pants which helps the Twiggy-Ks fit my hips and seat area, there is still a little waist gap. It’s not enough to worry about being indecent, but I still prefer to wear a belt to keep the jeans cinched up closer to my waist.
As the “K” in Twiggy-K implies, these new women’s riding jeans are Kevlar lined, which creates an extra layer inside the pant legs. The Kevlar fabric is soft against my skin and (for better or worse) provides an extra thermal protection on chillier rides. On warmer days, I’m less excited about that extra layer, but the pants are still plenty comfortable. I might feel differently in a high-humidity climate.
Since the Twiggy-Ks are a skinny jean cut, the pant legs are too narrow to put the cuffs over boots; so naturally I wear these jeans with the cuffs inside my boots. But, similar to other skinny riding jeans I’ve had, I ended up cutting the cuffs to remove the hem. Real estate is at a premium inside my boot, and my ankles just don’t want to share space with that many layers of denim rolled over at the end of my pant leg. A trusty pair of scissors took care of that problem, and now I have the added bonus of hobo-chic denim fray at the end of my pant legs that nobody can see. Win-win, right?
While I’ve made a few alterations to the Twiggy-K jeans to make them work for me, these are my new go-to riding jeans. They are so comfortable, and I know they are providing the protection I want when riding. Pulling those knee pads out when I get to my destination is so easy, and it’s a really nice change to have a pair of riding pants that embrace style along with safety.
