Bolid’ster, the French maker of armored riding jeans incorporating the Armalith 2.0 abrasion-resistant fabric, has recently released the Ride’ster V, their latest vintage-look offering in a line-up that now spans 11 models. Armalith is ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, making up 43 percent of the pants. It is woven with cotton (50 percent) for comfort and feel. Lycra is the last seven percent, giving the trousers a bit of stretch for comfort, which helps ameliorate the effects of a satisfying biker lunch. The Bolid’ster Ride’ster V jeans are breathable, light, absorbent, and stretchy—perfect for motorcycle riding.
As with all Bolid’ster offerings, Armalith is woven into the fabric. The entire pant is protective and durable rather than having abrasion-resistant patches sewn in the typical crash-prone areas. Bolid’ster is not the only brand that does this, but they may have been the first with this construction. The seat and crotch are lined with meta-aramid mesh for comfort and as a heat shield in case of prolonged sliding over the tarmac. Abrasion burns are for real. Meta-aramids are used by brands such as Kevlar and Nomex.
Bolid’ster offers jeans in three categories with different ratings for protection: Urban (33 feet), Cruiser (46 feet), and Furious (100+ feet). The Ride’ster V jeans are in the Furious category, allowing for the highest level of protection offered by the manufacturer.
They are rated CE-13595-2, as tested on a Cambridge tester (basically a calibrated sanding machine). Also, CE AA for 71 mph according to the motorcycle standard EN 17092 Darmstadt (another machine similar to the Cambridge).
In this fifth iteration of the model, two different areas for abrasion risk are identified, so two different Armalith fabrics are utilized. This makes the Bolid’ster Ride’ster V jeans lighter, stretchier, and more protective.
Hip and knee impact protection is optional. It buttons onto a framework of buttonholes standard on the jeans. I discussed this in my review of the Ride’ster 2 jeans last year. The impact protectors stay in place, and their mounting scheme is patented for holding the impact protectors in a precise fashion—much better than oversized pockets that allow unwanted up-down and side-to-side movement. The protectors are priced at about $30 a pair.
Oddly, the V has drawstring gathers at the bottom of the legs. I fold up my jeans, which are a bit longer than needed. I wonder what I would do with them were I not folding the cuff. Perhaps I would tie them tight around the boot tops or the ankles for inside-the-boot wear. They can be removed, which I did simply by pulling them out.
I asked Bolid’ster founder and engineer Pierre-Henry Servajean about it. His reply: “Regarding the string, you can remove it. It is a legacy of the time when we thought that the CE standard was well-designed, and there was a clause obliging us to this perfectly useless appendix. Next production will be without this.”
The US 36 sizing of the Bolid’ster Ride’ster V jeans is accurate, and the inseam measures 34 inches. No varied inseam sizing is offered. The material is treated with a primer resin by Bolid’ster, which allows the jeans to learn to conform to your shape. Bolid’ster recommends a somewhat tight initial fit and letting 30 hours of wear and a few wash cycles to personalize the fit. That worked for me.
The back of the waist is cut high above the belt line, and that provides a bit of extra comfort and protection. The fly is a button-up type. The Bolid’ster Ride’ster V jeans incorporate four pockets, plus a coin pocket—typical of most jeans. A five-by-two-inch snap-closure pocket is sewn on the right mid-thigh. It can accommodate a small folding knife or a similarly sized item. The knees of the Bolid’ster Ride’ster V motorcycle riding jeans are slightly pre-formed with small gussets to create the shape. Rivets are generously employed at pocket edges and on the fly.
I have been riding in Bolid’ster jeans for over eight years and have tested the Ride’ster, Jean’ster, Ride’ster 2, and now the Ride’ster V. The eight-year-old pair is still in service, with likely well over 100 days of wear and many washings. They have faded a bit and show some nice wear creases on areas that flex, yet they, and every other pair, remain sound and functional. Not one thread has broken or come loose, and there are no holes. I’m not surprised, as Bolid’ster offers a 10-year warranty for the jeans.
Bolid’ster employs cold manufacturing to save energy, and the company also says the process helps the jeans maintain elasticity after more than 1000 washes, so they claim. The raw finish saves energy and water. Utilizing workshops in France, Italy, and Spain, there is a logistic circuit of less than 625 miles from yarn to finished jeans, another environmentally friendly touch to manufacturing.
Bolid’ster pants have become my favorite motorcycle riding jeans—not only for the long life, quality, and promise of protection, but also for the fit and proportions for which French clothing is famous. At $390 a pair from Heroic Racing, the United States importer, the Bolid’ster Ride’ster V jeans may be near the top of the price range of any riding jeans. However, the quality makes them worthy of consideration.
