I generally hate having my fully legs covered on the bike and in winter I always wear 3/4 bibs and gore waterproof shorts. But as yet more heavy rain is expected at 5pm and I have access to a brand new pair of waterproof trousers (someone in work bought them, stopped cycling due to injury and gave a load of kit to split among the cyclists and these haven’t been claimed yet) I’m thinking of sticking these on as that should mean I have dry feet too. But my commute is 20 miles and I don’t want to get half way and be boiled to death by them. I guess I could just bin them if they start to annoy.

You could always roll them up if they start to annoy. They’ll be fine though.

You could always roll them up if they start to annoy

Yeh I guess so. Could have a trial wear round the office 🙂

Take some tape and wrap it round the bottom to stop the things flapping.

I do, but it’s only a 15-minute ride which I do in normal clothes so they keep the road spray off those.

I don’t think they’ll help with your feet, unless you’re wearing your trousers very strangely.

For what its worth my commute is 11 miles, I wear waterproof trousers if the weather warrants but, when I do my shorts go in my bag, so just lycra underneath (where it belongs).

My shoes still get wet, largely from spray, and the only real Solution I’ve found for that is overshoes.

<edit> I suppose of they’re long enough you could knot the bottoms so they cover your feet too? Though this may interfere with your cleats. </edit >

I don’t think they’ll help with your feet, unless you’re wearing your trousers very strangely.

er I have waterproof boots but the rain runs down my legs into the boots. Waterproof trousers would stop that happening as they would cover the boot cuff.

Although as the sun is now shining I’ve banished such thoughts from my mind.

I used to wear over-trousers in the winter on my commute. They won’t save your feet though. Overshoes are the only thing to save your feet. Someone will be along and go “winter boots and sealskin socks”, but they still have wet shoes and socks, and it’s horrible putting them back on at the end of the day if you don’t have somewhere to dry them properly.

Unless you’re riding at a pace to match the club run then I always preferred to wear decent waterproof kit. I would ride in baggy shorts with padded boxers spring-summer-autumn, with the over-trousers and overshoes in my bag. Warm days and summer I’d wear a jersey or t-shirt, Spring and Autumn would be a longsleeve jersey, with a lightweight waterproof jacket, again in the bag. As soon as the jacket was on more than off I’d switch to base layer and winter jacket, base layer leggings and wear the over-trousers whatever the weather. It would be cold by then so the idea was to keep warm. I’d only be carrying the overshoes in the bag then. I did have excellent drying rooms, so warm dry kit to ride home in.

A couple of winters would kill a pair of overshoes, but at £15-20 it was cheaper than killing an £80 pair of shoes. Cheap, comfortable, warm, and dry. Leave the team kit for posing with the roadies. 😉

I do when it’s raining heavily for my 20km trip. It’s not pleasant and can be a bit sticky but I’d rather wear them than be soaking wet from spray.

As said above wrap something round the ankles otherwise they’re seriously annoying. If it’s cold and wet enough to justify wearing them then I found it’s preferable to be a bit sweaty.

They do have velcro on them so should be flap free. If they don’t stop my feet getting wet then I don’t really see the point.

If they don’t stop my feet getting wet then I don’t really see the point.

I think the point is that they keep your bum and legs warm. You can lose a remarkable amount of heat from the legs, much more so when wet.

They should keep your feet dry though as you describe, just really depends on the amount of spray coming up form the road or from the wheels.

I don’t do commuting, but when touring on rainy days I wear RAF wet weather trousers (£15 from the surplus shop) and goretex hiking boots. I’ve never had wet feet or legs, or overheated.