Protective Tailoring
$150.00 - $260.00 USD
Looks good. Works good. Costs good. You can only choose 2.
This has seemingly been the motorcycle gear motto since I started riding. As someone who is admittedly very particular when it comes to aesthetics, I have chosen something I visually agree with over something safer or less expensive on many occasions. For me, something as small as a zipper detail, a stitch pattern or even a logo could prevent me from buying it. So when I got an e-mail from the guys at Ruste about their protective tailoring services I was completely on board.
The short of it is, you send them a pair of pants or a jacket you're fond of and they reconstruct it with an expansive kevlar lining and pockets for D30 armor. I had been on the hunt for a pair of riding jeans this season and was having a hell of a time finding something I liked the design of that also fit like my Levis. So, I sent Ruste a new pair of Levis in the size and cut I've been buying for the past 5 years and they sent me back a pair of kevlar lined and D30 armored Levis riding jeans. Including the price of the Levis, door to door DHL service (organized by Ruste), D30 knee and hip armor and tailoring runs about $300.00 USD total. All in all you get a pair of custom tailored riding jeans (or jacket) that fit and look exactly the way you wanted them to for roughly the same price as other riding jeans on the market.
Ruste deconstructed the already existing stitchwork in these Levis so that none of the alterations are visible from the outside. They even unstitched and reattaching the leather hip tag with the exact same color thread. It's nearly impossible to figure out what was and wasn't touched in the original garment. No visible stitch lines in the hips or knees from the added armor pockets. From the outside they just...look like Levis.
Kevlar goes all the way to the ankle and the armor pockets are a simple 2 flap design so you don't have to mess with velcro or zippers when you want to pull the padding.
A note to Levis wearers who like a slimmer cut, I'd recommend getting a pair with 2% elastane (stretch) for more comfort. The material percentages are on the inner tag (above). The kevlar lining also has some stretch to match so you won't have any pulling of the materials. And if you're curious about their abrasion resistance properties ...this should answer that question.
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