Joe Rocket Phoenix 2.0 Mesh Overpants

The Phoenix 2.0 pants are primarily for hot weather use. Most of the pant is made of a “free air” mesh material which allows the wind to blow right through. Solid textile material is used in some critical areas such as the hips, seat and knees. Removable foam armor is supplied in the hips and removable CE “turtle shell” armor is supplied in the knees. The knee armor can be positioned in one of two different pockets in the knees to give some adjustability as to its position in the leg (higher or lower)—neat feature! The pants are ideal for those who want to wear some protection over their street clothes. The pants have long side zippers like chaps, so you can easily put them on and take them off right at the bike (without having to find some place to change clothes). Take the “View Larger Pictures” link above to see some good close-up pictures of this feature and the pant’s other key features. Overall, I like the style and design of the pants. Now for the bad: The waist band design is a bit weak. The waist band itself is kind of thin and not so substantial. They’ve included a strip of stretch/rubber material inside of the waist band to help the pants grip clothes underneath (like in slacks). It works well, but with the thin waist band material it kind of bunches up. Also the two plastic hoops on the side waist adjusters tend to turn horizontal when under tension. They still function, but it doesn’t look great. Overall, I’d say guys with no gut will not even notice these issues, but those with a gut will probably over-tax the waist band (and not like the pants).