Khaki Hack

So, I've been brainstorming ways to make my work clothes more biking friendly. I really like by Rail Riders Backcountry Khakis. They fit great, breath great and are pretty tough. I normally roll / fold them to knicker length when I ride. However, sometimes roll isn't good and comes loose, which is a pain. Then, the other day, I stumbled on to the Prana Stretch Zion which have a pretty nice built in snap for rolling them up just high enough to help keep them out of the chain.

This gave me an idea for modifying my khakis to something similar. Using the inseam I was able to attach snaps ($4 total for snaps and setter @ hobby store) pretty well.


Location of both snaps.


Lower snap detail


Upper snap detail


Snapped - inside out


Snapped - right side out


Unsnapped... Using the inseam means the snaps are unnoticeable from the outside

So, how do they work? Pretty well, except that... I believe I placed the upper snap too high. You see, I have very well developed calves. The upper snap is placed between my knee and the swell of my calf muscle. With the pedaling motion, my calves had a tendency to friction-grab the hem. This led to discomfort and the snaps coming undone occasionally.

I believe I need to locate the upper snap just below my calf muscle rather than above.