I have a similar pair by Olympia... they don't flow as much air as I would like but okay. The Olympia use codura instead. If you assumed those xelement are just standard 600 denier polyester with a flashier name you can see the info below from motorcycle.com. so probably a bit better than their 500 denier sample so better than jeans. If the stitching is poor then none of the info below means much. Tear and Abrasion Strength by the numbers Pounds of force until fabric tears Abrasion cycles on pavement until fabric fails CottonJeans 4.5 pounds to tear 50 cycles to failure 70 Denier Standard Nylon 4.5 pounds to tear 165 cycles to failure 500 Denier Polyester 8 pounds to tear 180 cycles to failure 200 Denier Standard Nylon 7.5 pounds to tear 275 cycles to failure 500 Denier Cordura 22 pounds to tear 710 cycles to failure 620 Denier Cordura 35 pounds to tear 1200 cycles to failure NEW Competition Grade Leather 80-110 pounds to tear 1200-1700 cycles to failure 1000 Denier Cordura 110 pounds to tear 1780 cycles to failure Air Mesh Kevlar 1260 pounds to tear 970 cycles to failure Stretch Kevlar Blend 420lbs pounds to tear 1800 cycles There is also this test from a while back: Drag Test "For the Drag Test, samples were stitched to a bag that held a 75-pound sandbag inside a milk crate, then dragged behind a pickup truck..." New, 100% Cotton Denim Jeans ----------------------- 3' 10" Senior Balistic Nylon ----------------------------------- 3' 10" Leather, Lightweight, Nude Finish, 2.25 oz/sq. ft. --- 4' 3" Leather, Fashion Weight, 1.75 oz/sq ft. ------------- 4' 4" Two-year-old 100% Cotton Denim Jeans ------------ 4' 5" Cordura Nylon Type 440 ----------------------------- 18' 3" Kevlar 29 Aramid Fiber, Style 713 ------------------ 22' 1" Leather, Competition Weight, 3 oz/sq. ft. -------- 86' 0"