I'm looking for a good pair of waterproof rain pants to wear over my regular
business-casual work pants. My commute is pretty short and laid back so I'm
okay with the whole sweat factor, but I was curious of all of your experiences.


*I tried doing a search & browsing the first 5 pages of this section to no avail
since it seemed like most people rode in their rain pants and then changed
into their work clothes at the end*

jeff

I use water-resistant LL Bean Gore-Tex pants over my work clothing (suit and tie). I'd strongly advise breathable, water-resistant fabrics rather than the fully waterproof ones. In particular, the plastic coated things will turn you into a mobile sauna until the coating wears through, at which point the rain protection ceases. I've been doing a 5.5 mile year round commute for seven years, and the LL Bean pants have proven very effective.

Unless it is cold, I avoid wearing rain gear unless it is actually raining. Decent fenders to protect against road splash are a must. It is also good to have a rack and/or panniers top carry the rain gear when you don't need it.

Paul

I've tried 3 different sets of rain pants. Best so far have been Red Ledge Thunderlights. Only down side is they only come in black.

I've tried Performance Bikes' house brand;they were brightly colored and had reflective bits,but aren't very breathable and are sized small(I can where them with bike shorts,but not with jeans). Also tried a set of Columbia Sportswear's,but they didn't breath at all.

Spend a little extra and get breathable pants.

Here is a list of features I like about my waterproof overtrousers:

Comfortable when sitting on a bike.
Breathable
Ankle zippers so you can put them on without removing shoes. This is a must!
Velcro ankle closure to prevent getting them caught in the chainring.
Reflective tape

Mine were cheap, so they are slightly bulky. The more expensive overtrousers are light enough to be rolled up and put in a pocket.

Don't forget a shoe strategy when it is raining. Some have a spare pair at work, or bring an extra pair when it looks like rain. I use ECCO shoes with gore-tex (they also make them in a classic buisness style) when I work, not because of the rain, but because the gore-tex really helps with cooling my feet and keep them dry.
If you use leather shoes, don't forget to spray them with regularly with that waterproofing stuff (silicone?).

--
Regards

www.driducks.com

I use Pertex overtrousers when Im riding in my suit in foul weather. It is not totally waterproof but highly resistant and very breathable. It is also a lot cheaper, more durable and packs smaller than gortex.

dynaryder, I checked out the Thunderlights pants. Are they really waterproof? I've been using the Performance Nanaimo pants, they're light and pack down small, but they're only water-resistant and I'll be wanting something more protective.

if you are truly not concerned about the sweat factor, try Burley rain pants. https://www.burley.com/products/raing...Rain+Pants&i=3

I use these when it's really sloppy out. they are totally waterproof. Of course that means you will get wet from the inside unless you take it really easy and aren't riding too far. they also have very nice reflective ankle straps and the fit is designed for cycling.

I haven't had a chance to wear them in heavy rain yet,but they held out on the Pirate run we had the other night(on/off light rain all night). I also wore them into work today over jeans with no significant sweating.

Before I bought them,I checked out the reviews here:
https://www.backpackgeartest.org/revi...0Thunderlight/

They all liked them.