Riding and walking trousers

I haven’t ever worn mtb trousers. I’ve never even looked at any. My riding is in weather that doesn’t need them. But I’m potentially going to be riding and hiking in a few colder places over the next couple of years. Will any riding trousers work OK for walking are they not suitable? Any recommendations?

Main difference I have seen between riding and walking trousers is that riding ones tend to be much more tapered and narrow at the ankle to stop them catching stuff.

Some walking trousers are the same but most seem to have a wide ankle so they fit over the tops of boots

I’ve got three pairs of riding trousers

One is a pair of walking trousers. The trousers goes over the shoe. Ideal as water runs down and outside the shoe.

The other two are MTB trousers and have a tapered ankle. The water runs down and into the shoe.

One pair are fox burner which are insulated. With a pair of waterproof socks I’ve been totally happy down freezing in horrible mud. They are too hot above 5 degrees.

So for me walking trousers are better than riding trousers. Honestly any of them would be fine for walking and riding.

I had some walking trousers that mostly worked quite well for riding in terms of cut but suffered a bit with the ‘being seated’ and ‘saddle-interface-panel layout’ compared to mtb ones. Depending on the relative balance of riding and hiking in your requirements they’d probably be fine as a compromise. Might want to try them on to check the waist is high enough at the back.

I’d happily walk in my riding trousers bar the point above about most of them having narrow cuffs and that not necessarily playing well with boots.

I ride in trousers all the time –

Troy Lee Designs Skyline MTB Cycling Trousers for most of my MTB riding and touring.

Lightweight, with laser-cut air holes around the back of the leg. Own two pairs and have recommended them to friends.

(Also own TLD Resist but they look so plasticky I can’t bring myself to use them. Make me an offer!).

Also Keela Roadrunners for bopping about town etc. Have a mass of pockets, velcro cuffs, and zippered mesh on the thighs if the sun comes out.

I’d be happy to walk in my Rapha riding trousers, although like all riding trousers they have some space at the knee for pads, so if you don’t mind some flappage, they’ll be fine. I’ve a pair of 7mesh that wouldn’t be comfy at all for walking in, they’re tailored for riding.

I wouldn’t want to ride in walking trousers, unless they could cinch up at the ankles.

I was 100% shorts for years and years until I discovered the joy of riding trousers. My favourites are my Fox Indicator but they’re discontinued. I’m sure there’s a modern equivalent now that everyone makes them. They’re thin, stretchy and absolutely weightless. Not waterproof but they dry very quickly.

It’s not just about temperature. It’s nice to have clean, dry, slightly protected legs. It’s nice to whip them off when you’re covered in mud and not have to deal with hairy, matted, mud splattered legs and filthy knee pads. They also massively prolong the functional period of waterproof socks because you don’t have water running down your skin straight into them.

I’m a convert.

Also Keela Roadrunners for bopping about town etc. Have a mass of pockets, velcro cuffs, and zippered mesh on the thighs if the sun comes out

i have some of these and although well made I find them too hot 99% of the time, and although the ankle has velcro, once wet they still flop around all over the place!

During my cycling hiatus I did a lot of hiking, and after trying several trousers I now practically live in craghoppers kiwi pro hiking trousers. And though I do own a few MTB trousers now for either wetter or warmer weather, I’m very happy in the kiwi’s on the bike.

they’ve got a good stretch to them, good pockets, shed water well (light showers or damp grass), tough enough for bashing through the undergrowth

I like them so much, here’s a Link

As above – will happily hike in riding gear (Fox, endura etc) but wouldnt choose walking gear to ride in –

They tend to have a different cut with a single seam down your arse, unlike cycling gear which usually has an arch shaped ‘saddle’ or crotch – they also tend to be much flappier and wider at the ankle to fit over your boots, and thus will catch on your cranks, and finally typically much softer or less durable material on the back so you’ll grind your soggy, gritty backside through the material in 20 miles.

Madison riding trousers look fairly plain and casual and can usually be found in a sale somewhere. I keep meaning to try them but haven’t yet.

i have some TNF walking trousers that are excellent outdoor trousers but for riding the cut is wrong especially the ankle. I weirdly have some superlight work trousers with stretch knees and bum panel that are excellent on a bike.

I use riding trousers for hiking all the time, don’t have any proper hiking trousers.

I’ve pondered this before and think I’d go with Alpkit Floe trousers.

Alpkit Floe

I’ve got some of these. Very tapered. I prefer this for hiking or hill running in conditions where I’m not wearing boots. I’ve probably done as much on foot in them as on bike. Bit of a pain to get knee pads on because the ankles are far too tight to get over them so you have to get undressed. Not very warm or waterproof so only for warmer/drier conditions… They’ve not seen much use this year!

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions.

The Alpkit shorts I have are the longest lasting riding shorts i’ve owned so could be a good option.

I’ve got some Madison Zenith trousers. The ankles are fairly wide and don’t taper so they fit over boot quite easily.

I’ve also got some TLD Resist for when it’s properly wet. They do taper but I can just about get them over my boots. There’s no way I’d want to walk in them, they’re far to noisy but they’re great for riding.

I have some riding trousers (Leatt somethingorother) they get used for walking far more than riding because they’re just too warm on the bike unless its 0° or lower. I’m definitely a shorts guy for riding. They’re not great for walking beacuse the cut means my boots keep filling up with dirt, pine needles and grit.

But, on a hanging,wet and cold uplift day they help keep the mud off my legs and the water out of my shoes.

Revolution race nordwand /pro have stretch knee and arse and gathered ankle. Good for walking and riding in cold up to about 20c. No use in the wet though – water goes straight through them. (Unless there is a different fabric option).

As a few folk have said already, riding pants/trousers are fine for walking unless you have big, bulky, traditional walking boots, in which case the cycling-friendly, tapered ankles will probably not play nicely with your bulky, foam-lined Germanic boot cuffs. With trail shoes or lightweight mids, they’re fine ime. The Rapha Trail Pants are very nice if you can pick them up half-price in a sale or via Sport Pursuit.

A lot of walking trousers are cut like dad pants with high waists and loose, flappy legs. I’d try before buying and look at stretchier, soft shell-type variants if you do go that way.

Or just man up and wear shorts for both 😉

Luckily I wear trail shoes so the taper issue shouldn’t be a problem.

My favourites are my Fox Indicator but they’re discontinued.

Indicator line was replaced by Flexair, which in my experience has a better (slimmer) fit (I’ve had both).  Fox also do the Ranger which is a lower price point, similar lightweight material but without so many features (ie no vent hole, more basic waist fastening) and Defend which is a heavier weight and more robust (I wear these for uplifts as a bit hot for pedalling days, but more robust for crashes).

Of course, the correct answer is Ron Hill Tracksters….

Maybe these would be the ideal solution?

Centaur 3-in-1 Zip-Off Trousers

Don’t have these, but do have some other Odyssey stuff and it’s pretty good.

Well my first thought was…

But I only have two legs. However they’re not a bad idea, if a tad spendy.

I have multiple sets of Rab Torque pants, which I live in for work (outdoor instructor type stuff) for around 9 months of the year – use them for walking and riding, and find them pretty robust. The legs are very tapered, so never had a problem with them catching chainrings. They’re much closer fitting than my Rapha Trail pants though, so no chance of getting pads underneath if you wear them.