Segura ladies Prisca riding dungarees in blue

The Prisca ladies dungarees were presented to us by the Segura importer towards the back end of 2023. Other retailers had turned their noses up at them, but we quite liked them, so decided to range them. We didn't do this merely to be different. We have taken them on because, for some lady riders, we think they are going to be perfect. 

 

The starting point, of course, is a pair of dungarees that look very similar to the kind of dungarees that you might find in lots of shops on the high street. You get a front bib with a large pocket. Two shoulder straps. Button fasteners on both sides. Two side pockets. And two rear, jean-style pockets. It's a cool-looking bit of kit. 

 

Of course, the difference is that these are properly protective dungarees that meet the A standard under EN 17092. From our point of view, what is also important is that they are a single layer protective pant. So you have protection everywhere from the strength of the overall material rather than just patches of Kevlar or similar lining material. They can't be classified higher than that because that would require, under the legislation, hip armour to be fitted. And it's just not possible to fit hip pockets into a pair of dungarees, because the armour would have to sit exactly where the side-fastening buttons do. 

 

Of course, you can buy underwear with fitted, CE approved, hip protectors. We don't actually sell any, but a quick search on Google revealed that many companies do offer such a product. Knox, for example, does a unisex, protective, under short they call the Action Pro Short.

 

The Lady Priscas do, however, come with soft level 1 knee armour.

 

And so whilst we are not going to claim that these dungarees are the most protective, denim pants we offer, they are still proper, motorbike pants. This having said, they are probably more about weekend and leisure riding than international touring and daily commuting.

 

But there is one huge advantage to these dungarees. And that is that, for obvious reasons, they overcome the problem that exists with many ladies' jeans. Namely, that many ladies' riding jeans sit too low. And whilst this might look great when you're strutting your stuff around town, a low-rise jean simply doesn't work on the bike. On the bike, you need a jean with a higher rise. Now we do a couple of pairs of such jeans, and they work well. But the Rokker high-rise jeans are too expensive for some people. Our PMJ 'Sara' jeans are more affordable, but they don't work on everybody.

 

But there's another problem with high-waisted jeans. If somebody is 'curvy', with hips that are wider than their waist, a high-waisted jean can gape on the bike. That's less of a problem, perhaps, than a jean that sits too low, and leaves the lower part of the back exposed, but it's still not ideal.

 

Well, a dungaree circumvents the problem. A dungaree is the ultimate expression of 'high-waisted', but because the fit is, by design, less fitted, there is no gaping. Nothing is left exposed to the elements. In some ways they potentially make for the perfect biking pant.

 

We also have to say that the Lady Priscas are extremely forgiving. If you're 'stick-insect' thin you can get away with these dungarees, because hip hugging is not what dungarees are all about. But for those who are a trifle wider in the beam, so to speak, a dungaree is very accommodating. Honestly, these dungarees are going to work on a lot of people.

 

They look really cool, they are protective, and they are lovely to wear. We don't know why somebody didn't come up with the idea before. Indeed, the Lady Prisca has us wondering whether this is the way forward for ladies' riding jeans. We need to see what customers think, but if they work as well as we believe they might do, then we'll be on to Rokker and PMJ in a heart beat!

 

So, come and see us if you can. Try a pair on. We think they're fun. But they're much more than just fun. It's  possible that they might even turn out to be the solution we've been looking for. And at just £199.99, we reckon they offer pretty decent value too.