Upright Cyclist Division Pants
Most commuters are pretty well versed in what to expect when buying a cotton pants, buy 'em cheap, and burn 'em fast. It's unfortunate evil that many of us USED to deal with, we're now shelling out extra money on pants that last for years while still maintaining the good looks we bought them for in the 1st place! With that, and the ever-growing cycling culture in the US, brands are more quality-driven then ever before.
Within in this group is a company out of Colorado called 'Upright Cyclists', barely a year old, they've come out of the gates swinging with their line of urban cycling gear. The design is sleek. simple, and made to ride everyday. These folks were kind enough to send over a pair of Division Pants over to The Spindle Slaughterhouse to be tested.
Generally some companies will rely on a cotton/spandex blend to get them through the stretching and pulling that go with a daily commute, Upright went a step further with triple stitching and extra fabric on the gusseted crotch, the two points that tend to wear first, and they do stretch nicely, although it really doesn't feel like they would when you slide them on. The divisions skew from the norm of being 'low rise', they are designed with a higher back and lower front to coincide with your positioning while riding, and does not effect your comfort once you get off the bike, although I will admit it did take a little time to get used to having my pants up right below my belly-button.
Other features includes darted knees for extra bend and comfort while riding, and for safety, the division pant steers away from the normal reflective fabric along the seam of the cuff, they've actually added a reflective piping along the cuff of the pants, which surprising gives more visibility on night rides. Also, there is an added DWR (durable water repellant) finish that did very well when I got caught in a light rain, and once I reached the house the pants only took around 15 mins to dry, but in the case of a downpour, they got pretty soaked and took over an hour to start feeling a little better, but they're not advertised as being waterproof but you know we got to do it anyway!!
An interesting feature are the buttons, they are on every pocket front-to-back, which I'm a big fan of on the back since it prevents your valuables from falling out, the front was the part I was a little confused about, although they do save your pocketed items, it's another feature that I wasn't used to so it took a few runs to remember they existed when I tried to pull my phone out!
All-in-all the Division's are a solid purchase, they are a nice, comfortable relaxed fit, but not baggy so fabric isn't everywhere while hustlin' through the streets! So they would work well with those of you with thicker riding thighs, that way you don't have to go up a size waist-wise, saving your belt holes from being in spots they have no business being in!