For warmth, a windproof outside layer is what works for me. I can ride in 20 degree temperatures with little under a good windproof layer. Keep the wind off you and go from there.
I wear Fieldsheer Mercury pants. I typically wear them as overpants. They have full length zippers and knee and hip pads. They are advertised as waterproof and mine have been. They list about $145, but I think I paid about $100 on sale. They are Carbolex rather than Cordura, but they seem quite substantial. And given that I usually wear them over jeans, I feel plenty protected. I ride year around as long as there isn't snow or ice. Here in Virginia, that usually means 30s in the winter mornings, but with the occasional teens and twenties. I ride a thumper with minimal wind protection, and these pants keep me warm and dry. In fact, they come with a removable thermal liner, but I have never needed to use it. That would be the only complaint I have about these pants - even just wearing them over shorts/undies with the meager vents open, they get pretty uncomfortable once it hits 80 degrees. I switch over to other pants once it gets into the 70s. But for the colder months, I have been very happy with them. Even better that they are pretty cheap. http://www.revzilla.com/product/fie...kw={keyword}&gclid=CKrauf6NsLoCFQyg4Aodn1MAxw
i commute on my DRZ all year round--sun, rain, snow, ice, sleet, whatever. we get down into the teens/single digits here, too. i wear tourmaster flex pants (under $200) in the winter. with the rain and thermal liners installed, they're too warm for me except on the very coldest days (so, i usually only have the rain liner installed even on 20* days...but i am very tolerant of cold--not at all tolerant of heat). i do wear separate knee/shin protection (like for dirt) under them which i'm sure do help my knees stay warmer (i'm overly ATGATT, but those things stay in place while stuff that hangs loose in pants doesn't). i just keep a pair of pants (and shoes) in my office and so i don't have to carry them back and forth in my backpack all the time. (i don't care about the fact that i wear the same pants every day, though...some people, of course, do care about that kind of stuff.) i just take them home on weekends to wash them.
+1 I dug mine out today and left my go-to Darien pants on the hook. It was 30 degrees and I have a 75 mile ride to work, mostly on the expressway. I wanted the HT Overpants with the insulated liners installed. I was riding a naked W650 and my legs stayed warm. I do not regret trading my Concours for the W, but I sure missed it this morning!
I like my AD1 pants, but I seldom commute more than 30 minutes when it is in the low 30's or high 20's. I wear them over jeans (and make sure to wear some beefy wool socks), I'd probably go for a capeline baselayer pant if I was doing something longer distance. Changing pants once you arrive is a no-no for commuting for me. FWIW, a one-piece roadcrafter is even better than the AD1 pants, as the problem of waist-area drafts is gone. A decent fleece underneath for my torso and/or arms and I don't even need my electric vest for the above mentioned durations.
Been using Olympia overpants for years with great results, I can ride in the teens all day in comfort. Tried the Tourmaster but the fit was terrible and zippers were junk, they were warm though.
To me, it depends on what I'm going to do when I get there. If I have to be in nice dress pants early in the morning, I just wear my BMW Cover pants, or my oversized Santiago pants if it isn't going to be wet outside. But, after a few years of commuting most of the year here in the Boise area, I have gravitated to just wearing Goretex MC pants. I love the Streetguard and Tourshell pants from BMW, and they are quite nice looking for work in a semi-casual environment. If I really have to dress up, I keep some extra clothes at the office. Today it was 30 degrees when I left my house at 8:00 a.m. for a 37 mile ride to my first work location. I wore my BMW Streetguard 2 pants with thin long underwear under them, a light insulating jacket made by Mountain Hardwear, and my BMW GS Dry Jacket. The only electronics I used were my heated grips. I wore my regular mid-length, all leather boots with dress socks, and my Tourmaster winter gloves. I was fine all the way there. But, I have a Concours, and the faring is pretty protective from the wind. I like this set up because I can wear it all day, at home for lunch, and at my next two stops. I ride about 150 miles every Thursday for work with three long stops. So, I am indoors and then outdoors three times. I was warm enough, but not hot, even indoors. On the ride home, it was warmer, so I put the insulating jacket in the sidecase. This is pretty much how I go until it gets to around 28 degrees. After that, I use the heated jacket and gloves and wear a balaclava and warmer socks. But, by then the snow and ice are usually present, and I have not figured out how to ride safely in that stuff. I have used many items like the brands and items you mentioned. I wear none of them now, as they never quite satisfied. They were not nice enough to keep on at work, and I didn't like all the time it took to get dressed and undressed, especially on Thursdays when I had to do it three times.
I just took the plunge and bought a 1-piece. It is LIGHTYEARS better than a jacket and pants. I've been riding year round for 3-4 years now, and wore my suit for the first time today. I will NEVER go back to a jacket and pants in the winter. It really is *that* much better.
Hi, TinDog. I ride a 2003 Connie, and commute to work 12 months/year in temps as low as 12F. I've been wearing the FirstGear HT (had to put the liners back in last night) for several years. They have served me well, both on a cruiser to Nova Scotia and on my Connie to Prudhoe Bay. Just supplemented them this year with some Olympia mesh pants and jacket.
$4.99 for the jacket liner !! http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com...65-field-jacket-liner-size-large-regular.html
Last winter I was wearing Carhartt insulated bibs with insulation from the waste down. The only problem I had were my fingertips getting cold and since I wear these at work and not khakis anymore that worked great but had no armor. Plus, the warm afternoon kills you on the way home. This winter I am wearing Olympia pants, the $300 model with large vents and zip out water liner. Lower temps will require additional clothing under the pants but they are great to get in and out of and have armor on the knees. There is cheap foam padding on the hips. IMO they are worth the money.
For me, there is no doubt; overpants are the way to go for commuting to work. Riding pants are a little better for long trips (for all of the reasons you've mentioned). However, I don't perceive a difference in warmth between the two. Motocyclegear.com has the Firstgear HT overpants on closeout for $149. They have your size in stock. Atomic Moto has a pair (size 36) for $139 and free shipping: http://www.atomic-moto.com/Firstgear-HT-Overpants-36_p_1411.html