On Thursday afternoon I had something of a dilemma – a cycling meeting to go to in Bigtown (which obviously it would be bad form to go to in the car)(and besides, when I say ‘meeting’ what I really mean is ‘pub visit’ and while I’m happy to cycle with half a pint on board, I’m not really comfortable driving having had anything more mind-altering than a coke) on a day when the weather was alternating between grim and miserable. As the appointed hour when I would have to leave approached, and with Rain Today only giving out the faintest gleams of hope, the weather switched abruptly from grim to ‘heavens opened’ and I knew that this time there was no alternative but to take desperate measures: the waterproof trousers.
Despte our notoriously wet weather, I think I’ve worn my waterproof trousers just once since moving up here. The problem with them is that while they work – in that they keep the rain off my non-waterproof trousers – in all other ways they are a terrible idea: sweaty, deeply unstylish even by my standards, and rather putting paid to the whole ‘oh you can just cycle in your ordinary clothes’ vibe I try to have going on. Plus there’s the fact that once you arrive and get off the bike you have to take them off (or go into the pub with them on) and trust me, you don’t want to be hopping about on the street in Bigtown outside a pub taking your trousers off, even if you’ve another pair on underneath. Waterproof trousers really speak volumes about the fact that their wearer has given up on everything but practicality – and that’s before the wearer has tried to put her keys in the (non) pockets and has then had to extract them from her shoe. In fact, wearing waterproof trousers is tantamount to admitting that cycling is something that, when it comes down to it, only very strange people do. At least in the rain in the dark in October.
The worst part about this whole story is that – you guessed it – the minute I’d struggled into the damn things, the rain stopped. And stayed stopped all the way into town, near enough, where I arrived looking dry and (once I’d made a dash into the pub toilets to change) reasonably fresh. They are, it would seem, not just rain proof but rain-repellent and in the interests of everyone in the area I’m going to have to start wearing them full time (just carrying them around is not enough – I had them in my bag on Sunday and got completely drenched before I had time to get off and put them on). It’s that or shell out €55 for one of these.
“Come on Eileen,…….torooriahe”, as Dexie and the Midnight Runners used to sing. Come to think of it he wore a sarong kind of thing. So it’ll have to be one of those, as you call it. I’d fancy wearing a wrap myself, if it works that is, and to be honest I can’t see why it wouldn’t.
Hmmm, I’d be a bit more convinced if this advert wasn’t filmed on a delightfully sunny day…
If you really wanted to be environmentally conscious in your travelling to the pub… I mean meeting the you’d have used one of these: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/10/bamboo_bike/
Not sure if they go soggy in the rain though
I would think they’d make rain pants with zips up the outside of the legs to the hips, with a placket under the zip. They’d be much easier to get in and out of.
They do… I have more than one pair! I’m Scottish. It rains. I go outside in the rain ergo I wear sensible waterproof trousers and stay dry. Who cares for stylish?
welshcyclist – I’m not sure how well it’d work with a diamond frame, tbh.
Jo – yeah, I had wondered that myself. And how they found a sunny day if they filmed it in Dublin
Dom – given my frame was about 20years old, I reckon it’s still pretty environmentally sound.
Wol -well, it would be more practical but even less stylish, probably. If such a thing is possible.
I did not see much traffic about in the video, anyway I don’t think I could handle putting one of them on, its much too difficult for me.
John
Some women do wear skirts while riding diamond frames. You might have to lean the bike over further before mounting. Wind might affect the skirt more since it couldn’t drape downward. Perhaps your winter bike should be a step-through…
Leg zips still don’t prevent hopping on one foot while performing trouser removal, or so I’ve learned from embarrassing experience.
Ooh I want a rainwrap now!
You can get waterproof trousers that completely unzip up both sides. It does make it rather easier to get in and out of them.
No waterproof trousers are in any way stylish outside of mountaineering clubs, though.
Whatever happened to the old-fashioned cycle cape? Or didn’t they work?
They kept you dry, but you ended up where ever the wind was blowing
Welshcyclist / Autolycys – I suspect the rain wraps might have the same problem
Sounds like they get a cautious vote of approval though – Louise, if you do get one, report back…
I do have something similar — a WeatherWrap made by Emergent Designs in Oregon, USA. It doesn’t have the anti-wind toggle, and the manufacturer recommends against wearing while cycling. If it’s very windy, pants are better.
Toggle or no, it drapes down well on a step-through bike frame, especially since I always cycle slowly in rainwear to prevent sweat and the resulting steam bath.
aha. these? Looks like they’re bloke friendly too… for the braver bloke at least.
What’s brave about wearing a skirt, Beckham did it, so did Dexie, not forgetting Simon le Bon?
Older English people would simply wear a cycling cape: no sweat!
Rotrax Cycles in Southampton still make proper good-quality capes: http://rotraxcycles.wordpress.com/2008/11/23/available-waterproof-cycle-capes/
Dutch people would take a large umbrella, it seems
There are also decent waterproof trousers that are designed to be worn as normal trousers, and which don’t look all shiny. Expensive, but perhaps worth it if you live somewhere very rainy!
I’ve thought about capes in the past, I’m a bit worried about the spinnaker effect.
Just noticed an advert in today’s (Dutch) newspaper for “Rainlegs”: http://www.rainlegs.com/en/home
Keep you dry where rain hits most, i.e. on your upper legs. See the video how they are worn. Simple and easy. They have a webshop (no distributor in GB) or I can send you one from Assen.
As for the umbrella: you know we have an umbrella that is storm-proof: http://www.senzumbrellas.com. Really.
Saw the rainlegs on Bike radar, I think, some time ago, don’t think they’d be much good in the continuous drizzle, I’ve had to endure of late. OK maybe when you get caught in a shower, and make a das for home. The umbrella looks OK for bimbling along.
hehe – I notice their advert is filmed on a sunny day too. What is it with these rain product people?
I shall investigate further. Unfortunately cycling with an umbrella is out for me as I don’t have coaster brakes so need both hands for stopping in an emergency
They need light for filming, and what better than the sun?