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Hemp City Knickers, Olive, Only $112.00
Hemp requires little water and no pesticides, making it far gentler on the earth than cotton. Industrial hemp comes from a different variety of cannabis from the cannabis sativa of hippie fame, and does NOT contain THC, which will please some of you and disappoint others, we are sure. Industrial hemp is famously rugged--think clipper ship rigging and sails. By itself it may be a bit too rugged for wearing, but blended with Tencel (technical name is lyocell), it is a delight.
Tencel is a synthetic made of wood--NOT petroleum--and while a solvent is used in its manufacture, the solvent is recaptured and recycled almost endlessly. (Furthermore, the incentive to recycle the solvent is largely economic for manufacturers, so you don't have to count on them being good souls; they'll do it anyway!) It is far less damaging to the environment than any petroleum-based synthetic, and feels cottony while having wool-like perspiration-handling characteristics.
The Wool City Knickers
Although the 100% wool gabardine fabric feels light, it is comfortable in temperatures ranging from the mid-twenties (over a baselayer) to nearly 100°F. The wool transpires sweat better than synthetic so-called "wicking" materials, rarely (so far, for us, never) shows sweat-spotting, and does not hold body odors--you can wear these for several days of riding before you need to clean them.
And how do you clean them? Well, wool gabardine existed long before solvent cleaning technology, and we wash ours in cold water using Kookaburra Woolwash, which we recommend. Dry flat, then shake out any wrinkles. You can also dry-clean them. They will shrink slightly when dry-cleaned or washed for the first time, and are sized slightly large to allow for this.
They are easy to carry around, and do not wrinkle even when rolled into a messenger bag or a Priority Mail envelope. Naturally, store them away from moths on those rare days when you won't want to be wearing them.
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Our City Knickers feature an articulated knee, an elastic waistband cut higher in the back, sturdy pockets with a special slot in the right front pocket for cell phone, pocketknife, wrench, keys, or what have you, and adjustment tabs on either side of the waist. Because you'll be riding so much more you might lose weight! No pad, so they always look good, even with bike tights or Andiamos underneath--but we don't bother with that for rides of under 20 miles.
There's also a drawstring on each leg to snug the hem for cooler weather, or if you simply like the way it looks. And you can take the drawstring out if you don't want it at all; the hem looks right either way!
The back of the waistband has elastic, to allow for a comfortable riding position. Sizes 36 and up have slightly larger legs and cuffs. Sizing is by US conventions. If you are between sizes, order the next size down, as these run slightly large.
If you are over 6' 2"/188cm tall, these may be too short. Generally speaking, they work for those of you whose inseams are 34"/86.5cm or less.
They blend in comfortably almost anywhere, except for those more formal occasions when you'll need our Classic Wool Knickers. We recommend hand-washing, but we have thrown them in the washing machine in cold water and tumble-dried them with no immediate ill effects. They also dry-clean nicely, and of course Kookaburra's Woolwash is the best!
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Photos by Gina Morey.