Riding jeans review: Bull-it Covert Evo tried and tested

There’s a comprehensive range of Bull it motorcycle jeans, right at the top of which are the Covert Evo Covec. These straight cut jeans claim to offer high levels of protection and are intended for year-round use. MCN’s chief road tester Michael Neeves has been putting them through their paces to see how they perform in the real world.

Looks

Firstly, these Bull it motorcycle jeans look great – so much so I always have a regular trickle of MCN readers and comments online asking what they are and whether or not they’re ‘normal’ jeans. They’ve retained their deep blue colour after all this time and countless washes, which has gone a long way to make them still look like new. There’s a bit of fading here and there, especially where my knees rub on fuel tanks and from the seats of hundreds of test bikes, but they look all the better for the patina.

Fit

Jeans are always a hit-and-miss fit at the best of times, but these are spot-on and reach the end of my lanky legs (32 Regular Long). The denim, belt loops, zip and button are still in A1 condition and the seams all intact, despite constant use. I’ve worn them on three, week-long, big-mile riding holidays, countless new bike launches and general riding.

Comfort

These Bull it motorcycle jeans are the perfect balance between being weighty, warm and reassuring on the bike and light enough to wear off it. They’re lined with a moisture-wicking mesh material, but I always wear thermals or summer undersuits beneath the riding kit anyway, for extra warmth in the winter and to prevent sticky legs in the heat. Regardless of the temperature, they’re always comfortable and they’ve proved to be showerproof, too. Pockets are nice and deep, too, so there’s no risk of keys, change and phones falling out, either.

Protection

After a lifetime of wearing leathers, it still sometimes seems strange to wear riding jeans. I’ve never crashed in them, but they promise to offer top draw protection. They’re EN17092 approved, the Covec denim has a top-level AAA CE abrasion rating and the removable hip and knee armour is CE 1621 Level 2 rated. The knee pads stay in exactly the right place for me on the bike – sometimes they can ride up onto your thigh if you’ve got long legs.

Verdict

Bull-it has now come out with the updated Covert Evo jeans with a few improvements, including new knee armour pockets to keep the padding more secure and denim that loses its stretch less over time. I’ve also tried these and they’re equally excellent, but the differences are subtle. Nearly £200 quid for a pair of riding jeans isn’t exactly spare change, but judging by how mine have fared over the past few years, they’ll last a lifetime. You can still pick up these original Bull it motorcycle Jeans online for less than 100 quid, though which makes them superb value.

Other riding jeans to consider:

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