My wife and I are looking for advice on cycling rainpants. We are going on a Bike and Barge tour to Holland in September. I hear it rains often in Holland, so buying a pair is necessary. However, I only need them for a week, so spending $180 on Goretex rainpants is not an option. We have Goretex jackets, so all we need are the pants. We are looking in the $75 to $100 range. We have found cheaper ones but question if they work. Another option is waterproofing some nylon cycling windpants we have with Nikwax. Has anyone used this product? I have used it in the past but don't remember how well it worked.

I don't tend to favor rain gear as it only lets your body get soaked with sweat instead of rain. Maybe some woolen stuff that still insulates when wet will be better.

A quick google says it only rains there 10 out of 30 days in September. But the temperatures are much lower than I expected. Highs of 64°F (18°C). Not certain at all if google is correct.

Thanks. We have Goretex rain jackets, and they work reasonably well. At least we don't get soaked from sweat. I wore rain gear that didn't breathe and got soaked from sweat.
Do you have any thoughts on rain pants advertised to breathe? They won't work 100%, but they will be better than a plastic bag.

I prefer wearing water resistant leg warmers when it's raining.

A rain jacket, rear fender, leg warmers, and shoe covers are all I ever use for wet weather.

Look at the cycling and regular rain pants that REI carries. Definitely there's some in your price range.

I just use my hiking full zip rain pants when I HAVE to ride in the rain, when it's not hot enough to just wear shorts and tolerate the wet. They're kind of baggy, but easy on-off (full zip) and I just use ankle clips to keep the cuffs in control.

But I rarely use them because I avoid starting a ride in the rain. I did use them satisfactorily for a day or two on a bike/barge trip we did in Germany a couple of years ago when we had to ride in the rain. They were fine for that.

If I were using rain pants regularly for cycling, I'd probably look into some cycling specific, but have no need for them.

If it’s warm enough, wear quick dry shorts.

Rain pants just trap water under the pant. Waterproof and breathable are two words that do not coexist despite marketing claims to the contrary.

I would go with something that drys quickly honestly. If you already have Gore-Tex pants those will do fine. I have a nice pair of ice climbing pants from Mountain Hardwear that are waterproof- breathable and not heavy and have some movement in them so they have lasted quite a number of years. However especially in summer I would rather have something that dries quickly because I will stay cooler and more comfortable. I can keep all the stuff that is mission critical inside a waterproof bag inside panniers and just have shorts on and then when I get to camp or hotel or something I can change to something else (which I would anyways) let the other stuff dry and be more comfortable.

As MikeDeason suggested Waterproof and Breathable don't really co-exist so well though I would take a slightly lesser tone as I have used the stuff for years and while it isn't perfect the right stuff does help a little on the breathability front but mechanical ventilation is really what does the trick.

I use a rain jacket of the brand O2. It's cheap, lightweight, breathable and most importantly very waterproof. What's the catch? They material is fragile and my now 5 year old jacket has numerous rips.
Looking on Amazon they also make pants for $25 /pair so this could be ideal for your needs.

I dont ride my bicycle in wet cold weather. But when I used to ride a motorcycle in wet weather the most effective clothing I used was some Army Wool Long Johns. When the water eventually leaked through my rains pants at least my legs remained warm...

I commuted for years on my bike through rain. For me, there are only two answers and my decision depended on the temperature:
1. Keep my legs dry with gore-tex pants over bibs.
2. Just bibs and ride with wet legs.

The most annoying part of option 2 is wet socks. With option 1, I would wear gore tex overshoes. On shorter rides, I would just put my feet into grocery bags before putting on my shoes. Waterproof with zero breathability.

Rainlegs. Essentially chaps covering the front of you thighs and upper calves, leaving the back open. $50 on Amazon. Good enough for Portland, good enough for Holland.

Also my experience with several different "breathable" garments. My toughest group rain ride was 75 miles at a steady 37° and very lucky that it didn't get colder and snow. I have 3 pair of tights of varying thickness and water repellence, none of them at all waterproof. I never wear waterproof on my top either. In the summer, we sweat and its evaporation keeps us cool enough. In the rain, that obviously doesn't happen, so the thing to do is to let a little rain water in. That cools us. There's really no other way to do it. Breathable gear doesn't work because again, there's no evaporative cooling, in fact no cooling at all unless one dresses so lightly that the cold fabric on your skin cools you. That's way too nasty feeling for me. I prefer to be all comfy in my cocoon of insulating fabric which stays slightly wet from the rain water. I'm water cooled. But never wool in spite of what one reads. Wool absorbs water, becomes enormously heavy and is very slow to dry. Everything should be synthetic, which does not absorb water and dries very quickly.

The trick is to have a wind shell on your top which admits just the right amount of water. I check by sucking on the fabric. It should be possible to suck a little air through it, but not much. Legs don't feel cold as much as our tops, so no need for any wind resistant fabric over the tights. That said, it's good to try out various thickness and types of tights in the rain to get about the right stuff. Pearl Izumi has a very nice series of leg warmers and tights of varying warmth. For summer touring, we never took tights, only leg warmers which work down to maybe 55 and raining.

My solution has been Decathlon Btwin rain over-pants. For $30 you get everything you might want from such a garment. Contrary to some sentiments above, Dutch riders cover themselves thoroughly when it rains cats and dogs and go on with riding as if it were any other day.

My wife has two pairs on order scheduled to arrive on Tuesday. We will test them in the rain and post the results here. Thanks.

Arc’teryx and and Grundens make the only truly waterproof rain pants I’ve found. They’re heavy and don’t breathe.

We use them for boating.