Good rain trousers for touring

[plook]

Can anyone recommend a good pair of rain trousers for touring? They must be the type to pull over shorts and with shoes (zipped ankles). I have a pair of Gorewear paclite, perfect weight but the ankles are too narrow to get over shoes and taking shoes off is the last thing I want to do on Scottish rides with four seasons in a day. I just need them to be waterproof, not water resistant to a degree.

[irc]

Assuming you tour with mudguards Rainlegs are worth a try. They keep most of the rain off. No condensatuion issues.

https://www.rainlegs.com/en/home.html

[Tiberius]

+1 for Rainlegs.

I'm a recent convert. They are not the best at doing any particular job, but taking EVERYTHING into account, they tick more boxes than anything else that I've tried. The lack of condensation is a massive real world bonus.

[simonineaston]

It's a zero sum game! The rain shower has nearly always passed by the time I get the over-trousers on. And if I don't bother with the trousers, then it will carry on raining... I hate them!!

[toontra]

Also a Rainlegs user. Light, easily packable, quick to fit and keeps the important parts dry - waist & thighs.

I've tried many cycle rain trousers and they all have problems. They are usually bulky, a pain to put on in a hurry and the totally waterproof ones build up sweat - even the ones claimed to be "breathable". I'd only use these in torrential rain on short local rides.

In any case getting the lower legs wet isn't really an issue. They don't affect the body's core temperature and are quick to dry off.

[a.twiddler]

I hear about Rainlegs from time to time and when I regularly rode an upright bike I was tempted, but never pulled the trigger. Has anyone had experience of these on a recumbent/? Bearing in mind that a recumbent has its own set of issues when it comes to keeping the worst of the rain off.

[pedalsheep]

I've found waterproof shorts aimed at MTB riders to be very effective. Same principle as Rainlegs, dry crotch and upper legs without overheating. I didn't get on with Rainlegs, they tended to get hooked up on the nose of my saddle so I sold them on this forum some years ago.
I will wear full waterproof overtrousers if it is really cold and wet.

[PH]

Rainlegs don't meet the OP's requirement of being waterproof, I didn't get on with them, found them uncomfortable, but they're cheap enough to be worth a try for anyone thinking they might work.
Try Showers Pass for full waterproofs that might be comfortable while touring. Decent ones are bulky, I'd have to be expecting a very wet tour before I considered packing any. I do have some waterproof MTB shorts that I'll sometimes take, though usually if it's warm and wet I'm not bothered and if it's cold and wet I'll be hoping to find somewhere to shelter.
Non touring - I have some cheap Peter Storm overtrousers which are fine for half an hour, or longer if I'm taking it easy, they just about go over shoes, though need something to gather the material in. For all day riding, I have some Showers Pass trousers that are not waterproof, but following the same principal as Rainlegs have waterproof panels where needed, then a mix of water resistant and not. These are the driest trousers I've tried, also comfortable enough if it's dry and cold, but don't meet the OP's requirements and would take up half a pannier.

[plook]

Rainlegs don't meet the OP's requirement of being waterproof, I didn't get on with them, found them uncomfortable, but they're cheap enough to be worth a try for anyone thinking they might work.
Try Showers Pass for full waterproofs that might be comfortable while touring. Decent ones are bulky, I'd have to be expecting a very wet tour before I considered packing any. I do have some waterproof MTB shorts that I'll sometimes take, though usually if it's warm and wet I'm not bothered and if it's cold and wet I'll be hoping to find somewhere to shelter.
Non touring - I have some cheap Peter Storm overtrousers which are fine for half an hour, or longer if I'm taking it easy, they just about go over shoes, though need something to gather the material in. For all day riding, I have some Showers Pass trousers that are not waterproof, but following the same principal as Rainlegs have waterproof panels where needed, then a mix of water resistant and not. These are the driest trousers I've tried, also comfortable enough if it's dry and cold, but don't meet the OP's requirements and would take up half a pannier.

Thank you all for these replies. I forgot to tick the notification option so didn't realise until now lots of suggestions came in. The rainlegs look interesting. I have some heavy Showers Pass for winter but they are way to heavy for summer. I suspect it might be the MTB Endura that are water resistant to a degree that i'll go with. My Gorewear, apart from having too narrow ankles to get over shoes end up feeling like bin liners in a sauna on a climb. Perhaps i have to adjust my thinking to resting up when it's raining and wearing shower resistant when it's showering. Not an easy thing to get right.

[Nearholmer]

suspect it might be the MTB Endura that are water resistant to a degree that i'll go with

I was about to recommend those, the MT590 trousers (I think you want the “spray” version, not the fully waterproof). They’re no bad solution if you want something that works as “ordinary trousers”, but are fine for cycling in the wet, even heavy rain. In fact, I’ve been wearing mine all day today, having put them on this morning because I was linesman at a footy match in a combined gale and downpour. Just wear them as trousers, rather than over-trousers.

They are a bit warm for warm weather though. My approach to rain in warm weather is simply to get wet, then dry out. I wear shorts that dry out very quickly, either an Endura pair or a Rapha pair (bought in a sale!) over padded-bum Lycra shorts.

[plook]

suspect it might be the MTB Endura that are water resistant to a degree that i'll go with

I was about to recommend those, the MT590 trousers. They’re no bad solution if you want something that works as “ordinary trousers”, but are fine for cycling in the wet, even heavy rain. In fact, I’ve been wearing mine all day today, having put them on this morning because I was linesman at a footy match in a combined gale and downpour. Just wear them as trousers, rather than over-trousers.

They are a bit warm for warm weather though. My approach to rain in warm weather is simply to get wet, then dry out. I wear shorts that dry out very quickly, either an Endura pair or a Rapha pair (bought in a sale!) over padded-bum Lycra shorts.

MT500, i think they will be perfect. Thank you

[Nearholmer]

MT500 “spray”, I think, not “waterproof”.

[simonineaston]

I've known about rainlegs for ages but not taken the plunge. I think I'll give 'em a go.

[plook]

I popped into A Different Gear (great bike shop in Sheffield) yesterday to look for trousers. I saw a pair of 7Mesh ‘Thunder Pants’ for cycling in the rain. £300. I wonder if they will ever sell them.

[james01]

I cut down (de-legged ?) an old pair of full-length overtrousers . Quick and easy to get on & off, plenty of ventilation, and keeps my shorts dry.