Last time we covered some of the best waterproof jackets on offer, looking at textile and leather options to suit your riding – this time we’re looking at the other half; trousers.
Arguably as important as your jacket, your trousers have to take care of a similar level of crash protection as your jacket as well as weather protection. Typically they’ve also got engine heat, more road spray and potential pooling of water on your seat to contend with – it's crucial you get a pair that will perform as you expect and not just become a frustration – nobody wants a soggy crotch!
As with jackets you’ve got similar options bar one – textile, leather, overs, and nifty aramid fibre jeans.
Textiles will provide the best possible weather protection and are often the most flexible, while their crash protection can almost rival a good set of leathers on the road.
Leathers provide the best crash protection for the road possible with their superb mix of abrasion protection and implementation of top-end armour, and the potential for knee sliders, however waterproofing them is trickier and less capable as a result.
Waterproof overs are potentially very effective at keeping water out, but can cause issues with breathability that can lead you to having a bit of a sweatbox effect.
Your final option is a pair of aramid fibre jeans, traditionally very good at absorbing water then letting it through, there are now pairs that are either water resistant or even fully waterproof.
It’d be remiss to recommend the Spidi Globetracker jacket as an excellent waterproof option then ignore its trouser cousin – the corresponding trouser features the same tech that makes the jacket great. Laminate waterpoofing keeps water completely out of the garment (not soaking the outer layers making them heavy), while a removable thermal liner and sealable vented panels allow you to take on a range of weather conditions without worry. CE certified hip and knee armour round off the package.
Taking things down a notch into more wallet friendly territory we’ve got the budget champions RST with their Pro Series Raid trouser. Featuring a fixed SinAqua waterproof and breathable liner (conventional, no laminate tech here unfortunately), removable thermal liner and knee armour included (hip armour optional) this makes an ideal budget pair of textile trousers to take you into winter with ease.
It’s fair to say some people won’t be caught dead in textile gear, so other options exist to take care of their tastes, or perhaps you want the extra crash protection a good set of leather gear can provide. Truly waterproof leather gear is limited in requiring a liner to keep water at bay, or a mid-way option of a water repellent treatment being applied to the surface. The Halvarssons Celtic leather trousers go for both options to be doubly sure, using a repellent surface treatment along with a DryWay liner that can be removed. Implementation of both an Outlast thermal lining and TFL Cool treatment on the outer layer mean you’re kept warmer when it’s cool, and some of the sun’s rays get reflected off to keep you cooler. All in all, a very capable set of trousers, with typical Halvarssons quality along with CE Level 2 hip and knee armour.
Along with those who dislike textile gear you’ve also got those who’ve fallen for the comfort of aramid fibre jeans – for sheer convenience, comfort and style it’s very hard to beat them, that is until it rains! Looking to approach this problem head on are Rokker, with their Revolution jeans which appear to have solved the problem wholly, albeit for a price. The real neat feature of these jeans? There’s only a single layer to them meaning they’re much cooler and more comfortable than those using Kevlar or aramid fibre patches in impact zones – the Revolution integrates a Dynatec weave throughout its denim providing a quoted 3 second slide time before they will start to wear through, along with a C-Change waterproof membrane bonded to the inside of the outer layer. They’re quoted as saying the only way you’ll get wet is via the front pockets – impressive stuff, they even compare themselves to Rukka gear! Rounding off the package is D3O hip and knee armour for some of the best impact protection around. If you’re after just one pair of jeans to take care of your legs, this could be it.
The Bike Stop shop in Stevenage has reopened in accordance with the latest Government guidelines, and we're open for 7 days a week. Our online shop is also still alive and well and taking orders. We’re even doing a 10% off promotion – just enter the code ‘TOGETHER’ at checkout. You can check out our full range on our website with free delivery for any order over £50 on the UK mainland, and delivery possible to almost anywhere else. Not only that but our ‘No Quibble’ returns policy allows for returns within a 365 day period – see our returns page for more details.
