Inside the jeans is the airbag system, which zips off for washing. The airbags here extend only down to the knee, but there are pockets dangling below them with CE-approved knee armor cups in there.

It’s something that we take for granted these days: that 99.9% of the jackets, gloves, pants, and boots we buy to ride in will have some form of CE Level 1 armor. We expect it at the heel and toe, ...