They are made of a light cotton fabric bonded to a nylon inner facing. These are from the sportier side of things, presumably designed for rock climbing. Their only flaw is that they are so nice, I don’t want to mess them up, so I save them for dressier occasions. In winter I wear them with a layer of woolies underneath. The fabric is light and appropriate for most any season except hottest summer.
We had to tack down the satin fabric to get it to seat properly, but I believe they have fixed this error in later runs. They feature a buttoned gusset at the cuff with a peek of red satin material inside. These are sharp and dressy, cut like traditional mens’ trousers and made of fine wool gabardine. I found them on eBay, which is a good place to look for things like this. These are the knickerbockers that got me on Wikipedia (hi, Mom!). I wish they had belt loops and a cargo pocket, but other than that they are just perfect. Perfect for the cold rainy days of deepest winter, but a bit warm for the shoulder seasons.
The aforementioned Sport-Schenk German vintage wool skiing knickers (above). Some of my favorite knickers from the past few years: In women’s fashion, similar garments are even more popular, and are called by a variety of other names, such as capri pants, gauchos, culottes (see above), clamdiggers, or - yes - pedal-pushers. (Apparently, even the Dutch were still struggling with the limitations of derailleur bikes back in the 16th century.) The French culottes are simply another version of knickerbocker, though that name later came to refer to womens’ pants of similar design. According to Wikipedia, the word “knickerbocker” was the name of a Dutch settler, whose name later became associated with the breeches worn by the Dutch at that time. You see, knickerbockers, and garments like them, have plenty of names already. Of course, there’s no need: you can just call them “knickers” or “knickerbockers.” I’ve seen knickerbockers for men that are sold as “3/4 pants,” “messenger shorts,” or “long shorts.” Worse, I’ve seen them called “shpants” and “manpris”, as if these mysterious garments are so beyond comprehension that we have to make up cumbersome, unpleasant neologisms. There seems to be a need to make up new names for things, even if an old name (or many old names) already exist. I’ve noticed a trend among the newer array of knickers. But knickers are, and always have been, great for walking and hiking, and just getting around. Some of this is doubtless connected to urban cycling, and messenger style. Various takes on the knickerbocker are being produced by casual clothing and sportswear companies, and there are many independent designers making stylish knickers specifically intended to look good and wear well on a bike. Recently, knickers have seen a resurgence in popularity. They are comfortable and wonderfully warm in the winter, even when damp. I gradually began uncovering some vintage gems on eBay one of my favorites early on was a pair of German cross-country skiing knickers, made of tight felted wool with friction buckles at the cuff, and pockets that zipped up. When I first started wearing them, knickers for men were hard to find, and not that appealing when I could find them.
In other words, they’re stylish, comfortable, and functional - my favorite kind of clothing. They are versatile and comfortable: they work as well in summer as they do in winter (with the judicious application of a pair of woolies underneath), and they allow freedom of movement that long pants do not. Knickers have a jaunty style that I enjoy. But in the interim, I have discovered that I really like wearing knickers, at least as much as I like wearing pants - on and off the bike. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about European city bikes and realized that this same situation could well have been solved by the use of a chainguard or chaincase. I found a pair of pants somewhere that zipped off to convert to knicker-length, and found that I liked cycling in those better than any others. I had gotten tired of rolling up my pant legs to avoid chain grease, and the little straps and clips I used were either too loose or too tight. I started wearing knickerbockers, or knickers, about eight years ago.
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