Richa Viper Trousers - Review Hot

Richa have developed well in the UK, offering a mid level price point and a decent specification. Leigh grabs a set of their leathers and specifically the Viper trousers to see how they stack up against others for the same price

Initial Thoughts

You know when you have figured out what size clothing you are to buy bike gear in and you place an order for what you think is the right size but it will not fit? That was my initial experience with Richa trousers and since then other reviewers have found similar results, this is not particularly a problem if you try the stuff on before you buy it as I found that going up a size from your usual will give you a fantastic set of leathers but when you order online it is definitely worth noting to save any frustration or returns costs. Opening the box for the Viper trousers by Richa resulted in me being very impressed with the quality of the leather which was already quite supple and had a few additional features I had not seen before such as the panel across the crotch being a cordura/textile material, just a little bit of styling which sets these apart.

Construction

Across the knee you get a textile stretch material rather than the typical leather which I find is incredibly elastic and comfortable in use, in actuality the Richa Viper Pants are incredibly comfortable full stop and once you get the correct size sit nicely across your waist and thighs. On the front you get a couple of different stitched leather panels and rubber Richa logo's with small sections of energy absorbing foam which make them look a little bit better than plain fronted trousers you see elsewhere. The textile stretch detailing is mirrored across the backside, again instead of leather.

Even up on the waistline you see an attention to detail in the shape of a wide elastic section on each side of your body to incorporate a degree of flexibility and the 360 degree connecting zip underneath to fasten the trousers to other Richa jackets. Movement is given to you by stretch kevlar panels in the usual place down the inside leg and is extended right the way down the leg to the ankle along with a small pane across the back of the knee, in use I found this gave a nice range of free movement that I found lacked on other brands.

There are little details you perhaps don't notice on first glance, on the back of the calf the leather has vertical slits with an elastic fabric webbed between, ideal for those of you with larger calves which can be restricted if this was a single length of leather, you also get an energy absorbing foam pad on the coccyx, an area often overlooked. The Viper trousers took very little breaking in time to be comfortable which was not the same for the Spear jacket also tested at the same time, in my experience though trouser comfort is more important initially to jacket anyway so the instant 'get on and ride' feel of these was welcome.

Something that I found a little disappointing on a sports trouser though was the lack of sliders, the velcro patches are in place to accept them and I have since seen retailers advertising them with a set - in my case they came bare and I had to add my own, not a problem when you have a few sets laying around but worth looking in to if you want a set with sliders included - perhaps Richa have started adding them though! All in all the Viper trousers have been a nice set of leathers, soft, comfortable and well made throughout - a definite look in for someone's cash if you are in the market, just watch out for sizing.

Stretch/textile inserts for optimal fitting

Mesh lining

Adjustable

CE knee protectors

Adjustable waist

Velcro for slider