When you are a man, sometimes you wear stretchy pants...

Posted by: TonyJ

The AM5.0 are actually a hard panel in the butt (wear zone), they are stretch in the other areas, but not as much stretch as the non-waterproof Enduro pant because of the membrane. The Enduro has a waterproof panel in the butt and has much more stretch overall.

The "hard-shell rustling" has never bothered me, but that could be because it just doesn't bother me.

The AM5.0s seem pretty promising.  What size to you wear, and any chance you could throw a tape measure on the inseam to confirm actual length?

Bringing back this thread because I've got information, man! New shit has come to light!

I was hoping to get some rides in and get some pictures before posting a full report, but my hand has been forced by certain developments.  Foehn is having a sale and Brise pants are currently CA$99.97.  I thought I should get certain facts out there so those that are interested can score a deal while it's still available.

First off, I was worried that the Brise would be too aggressively tapered and wouldn't play well with knee pads.  I was wrong.  They fit over my large Chromag Rifts with zero stretching in a standing position and even fit over fairly bulky size-L first-gen RF Flank Knees (the slip-on ones) with mild stretching.  Actually significantly less stretching than whatever super-bulky monster pads than the model is wearing with the Tobin bike-focused pants in this picture.

Even though the cuffs have zippered openings, I can't hike them up enough to be able to slide on the knee pads while wearing the pants.  It's definitely a case of put on the pads then pull the pants up over them.

They are exactly a 32" inseam, as advertised.

It's not obvious even from Foehn's close-up pics of the pants, but they use 2" elastic for both the cuffs and waist.  The cuffs fit snugly over the uppers of my Shimano XM9 boots, but I think they will probably work their way loose over time while pedalling.   I'm tempted to rivet in a lace hook to make sure they stay in place, especially since the elastic should be better suited to that kind of abuse than poking holes in the Shoeller.

With a lace hook, I think that the 32" inseam will actually be enough for me.  If they were at least a 33" inseam, there would probably be enough material that they wouldn't stretch as much while pedalling and tend to work themselves off the boot.  Keep in mind that I normally would wear a 34" jean with shoes.

Before I scored the cheap lightly-used Brises (cheap enough that I was willing to gamble they wouldn't work with knee pads) I got a deal on some IXS Carve AWs.  The IXS's are only a 28" inseam, so they're kind of goofy water-proof man-pris on me, but I'm working on a cunning plan to avoid saucilly flashing my ankles at he elements.  The IXS's do have a few interesting features that I need to document for postarity wih pictures in case there are any clothing designers reading this that actually create pants for average mountain bikers.

So watch this space for updates with pictures and reports of the actual real-world waterproofness of both types of pants.

you can get NF DP3's on sale for super cheap right now.  Local company and they give back to builders.

Bolted on over to their site after I read your post, basically no normal sizes available anymore.

Some XL and XXL’s at nice prices though.

Edit: 7mesh Glidepath pants are on sale at the Mountain Equipment Company in all sizes, took a gamble on some of those.

7Mesh makes great stuff....  would be in my top choices.

Posted by: LoamtoHome

you can get NF DP3's on sale for super cheap right now.  Local company and they give back to builders.

I just bought a pair of NF DP3's and they are may favourite pants now.  Their waist band is may more comfy than any of the other riding pants I own.  They are somewhere between my RaceFace Agent and 7Mesh Glidepath pants in terms of weight of material. Can't say how they compare breathability wise due to limited time using them, but so far I'd say they are a great investment.

NF had a 30% off flash sale a couple weeks ago, so jumped on some DP4's. same awesome fit, just with revised pockets & (finally) a longer inseam option. love em.

My only gripe with the DP3 is that the phone pocket is on the right thigh. Being left handed this is less than ideal - but I totally get why they did it and understand that if you are only going to install 1 phone pocket it should appeal to the larger demographic of right handed people.   Wish I had of caught that sale!  I'm anxiously waiting for them to restock their 6 day pants. Those are totally up my alley.

The DP3s definitely aren't for me.  If it's warm/dry enough that DP3s would be adequate, I'm wearing shants, not pants. 

I basically started this thread ruling out other options and narrowing down to the NF Berzerker looking like the best option.

The main thing that's kept me away from Berzekers is that I haven't seen them in a long inseam.  I'm actually hoping that the reason for NF's big sale is an impending revised version of the Berzerker (ideally with a longer inseam)

I also have to confess that I'm half-way hoping that someone with one of the local clothing producers (NF / 7Mesh / RF / Sugoi /...?) sees my rantings and incorporates some of the ideas to build "my perfect pants."

Posted by: Ride.DMC

My only gripe with the DP3 is that the phone pocket is on the right thigh. Being left handed this is less than ideal - but I totally get why they did it and understand that if you are only going to install 1 phone pocket it should appeal to the larger demographic of right handed people.   Wish I had of caught that sale!  I'm anxiously waiting for them to restock their 6 day pants. Those are totally up my alley.

there's a 30% black friday sale. 

though the dp4 has only one zippered pocket on the right, the left pocket is quite deep, so that's where my phone lives. 

they've also got a new "heavyweight" pant that's an evolution of the berzerker, but no long inseam option, alas. that said, they've been known to accommodate custom requests.

Does anyone have first-hand info on the "Forbemk" amazon pants - aka Commencal pants? Looking for a backup pair and curious about quality and sizing.

^i've got a pair. actually really like them. lighter fabric than the NF's, with a couple perforated panels, so prefer them to the NF's in warmer weather. nice fit (at least for my 6/0, slim build - in 32's), super comfy, with a longer inseam than the regular NF (similar to the new dp4 longs). build quality seems good, no issues yet. though i haven't crash tested them, not going to have the same abrasion resistance as the nf (though the knees are reinforced). pretty happy with them - esp for the price.

Yeah, I just recieved a pair of the Forbemk pants and really like them. They are really light, with tougher material for the knees...plenty of room for my sam hill kneepads too. The one issue I have is how tight the ankles are, and when taking them off getting them over my calves takes a little bit of oomph. I am 6'4" with a 34-35" inseam and the XL's have great length (the main reason I bought them). I have not crashed in them yet, but so far I am happy with the purchase...but did just order some Endure MT500 Spray's for more winter riding off of the last hunt...so we'll see how they compare to more expensive offerings.

Posted by: Taz123

Does anyone have first-hand info on the "Forbemk" amazon pants - aka Commencal pants? Looking for a backup pair and curious about quality and sizing.

We got a couple too, they are decent. Very stretchy and comfortable. I thought I'd have an issue with the lack of belt loops but it hasn't manifested in any problems while riding. I would agree with the previously mentioned tight ankles and overall the cut is a little longer than I'd like for my size. For the price compared to most I'd buy again.