A ratchet strap provides reliable and secure waist adjustment and stops the trousers falling down once wet. They didn’t soak through during testing, keeping us totally dry after hours of torturous wet-weather riding, even once they were covered in mud. If you’re looking for a waterproof riding trouser that offers meaningful extra warmth, Altura’s Ridge Thermal is a really effective solution. It’s warm and dry, so you can’t argue with the functionality and it’s also really stretchy and easy to move about in. The legs taper nicely, so they don’t flap around even when wet or muddy, but still leave enough room to wear knee pads underneath. There’s ample space for knee pads, and tapering at the calves means they don’t flap in the wind. Elastic ankle cuffs stop water splashing upwards and the legs from riding up.

Far from the usual crinkly, tissue paper fabric found on most waterproof trousers, the Fox Ranger 3L Water is soft and supple against the skin. There’s a four-way stretch to the fabric to ensure it doesn’t restrict movement, and the fully taped seams and quality Durable Water Repellent coating keeps you cool and dry. With the Ranger 3L, Fox gives you form and function. Fit: The Dakine Thrillium Pant had the snuggest fit of all the "mediums" and size 32's in this round up. If you're on the upper edge of that size you may want to bump up a size. The pants have room for knee pads when dry, but once the fabric gets soaked, it tended to bind on my kneepads. The lower legs are on the roomier side as compared to many of the other offerings reviewed here, which made them nice and comfy when pedaling vs. feeling like I'd pulled on a pair of tights. Overall they fit me pretty well, considering I measure as a 31" waist, although I'd like just a little more room or stretch across the lap in the waist. Sizes: 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40in | Waterproof rating: 10k | Breathability rating: 10k | Rating: 10/10 Fit: The Ion pants fit, but the cut was a bit awkward for me. The leg length was good, and the overall fit was okay; but I found that even with the waist cinched down all the way, the pants didn't stay up well . I should note that I don't have a whole lotta junk in the trunk, so this problem has cropped up before; it just depends on the pant. Also the cut of the fabric around the knee area causes the excess fabric to bunch above the kneepads, which felt funny, but didn't inhibit pedaling. For comparison's sake, I did try on the size small, and while the waist fit was better, they were too tight on my legs. One nice feature of the Shelter Pant is the lower leg zipper, which allows you to pull the pants on over shoes or to put on kneepads after you've put on your pants—something I've come to really like as I sometimes forget to grab knee pads before putting on my pants.The durable water repellant (DWR) is a surface treatment to the fabric that helps water run off rather than soak in How do brands test for waterproofness and breathability? And what do the figures mean? All waterproof fabrics are rated for waterproofness and breathability using standardised lab tests. The waterproof rating involves placing a piece of fabric under a vertical pipe and it with water. Then measuring the height at which the water starts to leak through the fabric. Anything over 10,000mm (10 metres) is pretty watertight in normal conditions. The differences might be minor, but they all add up in the end. However, it’s still worth pointing out that I really rate the Fox Ranger pants.

While Rapha might be a brand more often associated with road cycling, its trail mountain bike range is impressive, and we found these offered comparable performance to the Troy Lee Skyline trousers during testing. In terms of waterproof resistance, we found Ridge is very effective against both splashes and sustained rain and keeps you bone dry inside, but the dull soft-shell fabric doesn’t quite bead water or shrug off muddy splashes as readily as a more traditional waterproof trouser, such as the 100% Hydromatic or Troy Lee Designs Resist, and can get heavier than some fabrics as a result. a) If we have sent you the incorrect bicycle, we will cover the cost of collection and delivery of the correct model.Waterproof trousers will make wet-weather riding a much more pleasant experience. Ian Linton / Immediate Media The Paclite trousers kept us dry, not wetting through for the entire test period, but ventilation is an issue. Ian Linton / Immediate Media Vents like this will improve airflow when working hard or when conditions warm up. Ian Linton / Immediate Media Choosing performance bike outerwear can be confusing and full of jargon, which is why Fox organises its outerwear range into clear and understandable categories, using three overarching category names: Water, Fire and Wind. Even without explaining any further, it’s easy to work out what each category focuses on. Water is for rainy and wet weather. Fire is for cold temperatures. Wind is for, yep… you guessed it, windy conditions. In the past, waterproof trousers/pants looked awful and were rustley, crinkly and boil-in-the-bag as soon as you got moving. But advances in fabric technology mean that the latest options a soft and comfortable, stretch as you pedal, keep you warm and dry when the spray is flying, and even look good off the bike. Here’s our round-up of the best options on the market.

pants feature a DWR finish to shed moisture, dirt, and trail debris. When you're flying down the trail, the In the correct size (we’ll come on to that), the fit on these Fox Ranger 3L Water Pants is perfect and sculpts to the riding position well. Autumn and winter in the Coast Mountains of B.C. are challenging for gear. It's damp all the time, making it feel colder than it is. But once you get moving on the bike, the humidity and relatively warm conditions turn you into a sweaty mess. This has always been my challenge and I don’t even sweat much. I enjoy the 35-degree weather and grew up in very humid conditions. Fox clothing is known as one of the most stylish brands on the market, and its current outerwear collection enhances this quality with some serious technical know-how, whatever the weather throws at you.You might not be able to tell from the pictures but the Fox Ranger 3L Water Pant doesn’t have that typical nylon trouser construction, it’s more of a soft shell. The face fabric contains a high percentage of Spandex, which means it has a four-way stretch ability, is less noisy and, in our opinion, way more comfortable. Manufacturers describe their garments as having two or three layers, but what does this mean? A two-layer fabric is made up of an outer face fabric bonded to the waterproof membrane. Inside may be a hanging mesh liner to protect the inner membrane. On a 2.5 layer, the mesh liner is replaced with a micro (or half) layer, which is either bonded or printed onto the membrane. Seventeen years after first having to adjust to the pronounced seasonal change, I still struggle with the initial shift to autumn and winter, and not only when it comes to riding. Heaps of people are fond of autumn but for a few close friends and me, it can bring the mood down. In spring, everything is in bloom, the forest smells fresh and there’s a buzz of energy. Come the summer months people are smiling and stoked to be outdoors more, soaking up as much vitamin D as possible – as if trying to store extra in preparation for winter. I'm addicted to that glorious glowing orange ball of light.