Waterproof shorts or trousers for winter riding?

What’s the best choice for the coming winter months? Originally I was thinking some waterproof shorts with sealskinz. However I seem to remember that my sealskinz always end up wet sooner or later with water creeping in through the top of the socks (normally after going through big puddles).

So would a better choice be a decent pair of trousers such as the Endura MT500’s? Thinking they’d prevent the wet sock problem, but could end up getting too hot?

I’m interested in this too.

I wonder if there is a budget option though?

I like the Endura but pretty expensive!

Shorts for riding in damp conditions, through puddles etc and the odd shower. Trousers for riding in the rain. Budget option is army surplus goretex either full length or cut down. RAF ones if you don’t fancy the camo look

You don’t tend to see many people out in waterproof shorts/trousers unless commuting, and having tried them both in the past i can see why. It’s usually the hands and feet that suffer the most in wet/cold conditions so i’d look more towards them. Sealskinz in wet weather, as you seem to have discovered, are useless. They just fill up like balloons

Don’t want to hijack thread, sorry op!

How about Single Track II?

Cheaper. I need to keep (bad) knee warmer for a start and a bit of water resistance is very handy too.

Pretty good reviews.

In really foul weather I’ve taken to wearing altura attack waterproof trousers, with the bottom of the legs strapped over a pair of Mt91 boots, keeps things nice and toasty in really grim condition and no water getting into the boots.

Madison tempest.

Not too expensive and very waterproof. Also easy to wash.

Found that trousers drag on the knees when peddaling

sealskinz knee high resolve this, the hydro stop mid length are actually very good.

Castelli nanoflex 3/4 bibs with any shorts, currently favouring endura mtr.

I use the Altura stuff, which is relatively well priced and pretty good too. Uses the React fabric, which is basically water and wind proof.

ittttt just so happens that I am selling some XL sized trousers and 3/4 shorts, both either new without tags (trousers), or worn no more than twice (3/4 shorts) 😀 …coincidence? I think not…

If interested let me know 🙂

New sealskins have waterstop cuff around the top of the sock, much better. Have some madison shorts which are pretty good, but get norrona or 7mesh if you can stretch the budget

Trousers when it’s proper minging stops shoes filling up with water

I’ve got the Altura waterproof shorts and when paired with a half decent jacket, they are great.

I can deal with wet legs and feet, but keeping your lower back, crack and thighs dry makes things much more bearable.

In the summer I did a multiday trip on the cross bike, towpaths, gravel and tarmac. The rain was torrential for the first six hours and I had to keep my head down to avoid my contacts being washed out. Got a bit damp around my buff, gloves struggled, but otherwise remained dry from knees up 🙂

I hate trousers on the bike, uncomfortable, and I find they are either loose enough to slide up and down on each pedal stroke, or if snug, they slide up and leave ankles exposed!

I use a pair of cutdown army goretex shorts for wet trail rides – find trousers too restrictive especially over knee pads.

For longer rides I have a pair of Tenn Outdoor Driven trousers – cheap and have been quite hard wearing.

Depends on the length of the ride but for my 1.5hour commute in just use thick roubaix leg warmers

Thanks. Think I’m gonna go with shorts and some of the hydrostop sealskinz

For full on wet id go for the knee length socks. They don’t have hydro stop I just wrap some electrical tape around the tops to stop them slipping

goretex socks and waterproof shorts.

3/4 water proof shorts to keep the worst off, on top of lycra longs, to keep you warm, and waterproof boots..
IME waterproof trouser just get damp with sweat becoming nasty & cold, lycra get wet but stays warm

Out yesterday in my altura attacks and seal skinz and was a tad wet ,only gripe is flying through puddles and the puddle water which is Baltic
Splashes up and eventually soaks in down the socks and your feet get cold and wet,I wear merino wool socks so still tetain some heat,ma big mate had full waterproof trousers he bought from an outdoor shop and he was bone dry and clean as a whistle where the rest of us where mokkit
Think I will be taking his advice and using the trousers for full on muddy wet rides as the mud gets so thick I need to go for a shower then a bath

Thick merino socks and waterproof 3/4 shorts for me when it’s really wet.

Shorts with a splash proof panel for damp and puddle infested rides.

+1 for military surplus gore Tex

I try to get out twice a week (off-road) up here in Aberdeenshire. The days/times are dictated by other commitments, so I’ve got used to riding in all weathers and have tried most options in the way of clothing. At the end of the day they all work, none are perfect and attitude it probably more important than what you wear.

You can’t avoid getting wet when it is wet any more than you can avoid getting hot when it’s hot, so embrace it. It’s all part of the fun. Also, nothing has been invented yet that is totally waterproof and breathes well enough to cope with vigorous exercise. So, you need to decide how hard you are going to work. You can either go for very waterproof clothes (full storm kit) and just take it easy, or shower-proof but breathable and work hard enough to stay warm. Just remember that you might get a puncture/mechanical and pack something warm.

To answer the original question, my default winter outfit is: knee length sealskinz socks, bib longs, Madison Addict (or Altura Attack) waterproof shorts and a Madison jacket with nice long pit-zips. If the weather is really foul (e.g. sleet and strong wind) I might go for singletrack trousers with full length gore-tex waterproof trousers (bought a size smaller, so they don’t flap) instead. But whatever I wear I know that I’m still going to be pretty damp by the time I’m finished.

I’ve got the endura mt500 trousers after going through this dither a month or so ago. I generally run quite hot but they’re brilliant. They breathe incredibly well, are waterproof as you’d expect and make riding in the wet a much better experience. I wear some fox enduro knee pads under mine as well. No pockets are a bit of a pain and as usual the endura sizing is all over the place. Worth the money in my opinion and they fit much better for riding than the usual army surplus recommendation.

I have some new Madison Addict shorts – I like the fit in general, although come up a bit longer than my other shorts, but that’s ok.

I commuted in them last week – about 50 mins of very heavy rain. My undershorts were slightly damp but not that bad – still not 100% waterproof though – I’m sure rain got through the zip! 🙂 Thighs were totally dry though so not bad, and they dry super fast.

Overall I like them, but don’t feel they are worth £60.

As per the other thread, its worth owning waterproof trousers for times where you might get dangerously cold without them, but i’ve only actually felt the need to wear mine about 5 times in 5 years.

DWR treated tights with waterproof shorts is a better option 99% of the time.

I like the idea of trousers but I’ve never tried a pair that work well over kneepads (proper kneepads mind, none of that minimalist nonsense with 100% of the sweat and 10% of the protection)

So instead I am- altura attack waterproof shorts, kneepads, long sealskinz or dexshell socks. Leaves me with about 1 inch of exposed skin. I do get a bit of splash up the legs but I reckon the thing to do here is not to think about “waterproofness” exactly, but about hte difference between this and normal kit. I’m not going to declare waterproof shorts useless after getting a bit damp, when the alternative was trenchfootballs

i’ve only actually felt the need to wear mine about 5 times in 5 years

But got it wrong every time, and not worn them when I should have.

lol, got it right 4 times out of 5 myself.
Tend to come out for long, cold decents in the high mountains.
Don’t think i’ve got it wrong the other way yet (should have worn them) yet.

Army Goretex trousers

Cut them to length,
Best £20 I’ve spent on MTB clothing….hands down.

Don’t like wearing shorts in muddy conditions. Full trousers not for warmth but full protection from the mud. Much better to come back without any mud on the skin and all I need to do is just change my clothes.

Hmm, ordered both the MT500 shorts and trousers from CRC to try on for fit/feel. Can’t decide.

The trousers are a great fit, loads of room in the knees for pads underneath and feel thin enough to be quite breathable.

Shorts are again a great fit, but not as much room at the knees for pads – I think would be a problem to ride with anything other than slim pads as the knees might ride up.

Shorts are going to keep me cooler, but still likely to end up with wet feet, even with SealSkinz. Trousers are going to be warmer but keep me totally dry.

I said it above but i’ll repeat to hopefully help with your dither and because, despite a fair bit of experience wearing top end goretex jackets, I was amazed….the trousers breathe exceptionally well. Coming from someone who gets pretty hot in stuff. I had mine on last Sunday down south when it was about 15 degrees outside. Admittedly I should have gone with shorts but I thought it was going to be colder and wetter. That said I was fine with the trousers even when taking into account I had summer roadie bib shorts on underneath and kneepads. You can leave the zips a little bit undone at the bottom as well which I’ve found helps protect from water going in the top of your shoes.

@Gotama – Ha, thanks. Don’t suppose you’ve tested their crash durability? Their thinness makes me think they’d tear fairly easily.

Sorry, no, I’ll see what I can do for you when I go out this afternoon though ;-). That said I mainly ride in Surrey hills so the ground is usually quite kind to gear when crashing. Just roots and mud.

Iv tried various options to stay dry in very wet winter conditions riding in the Lakedistrict all through winter.

First option goretex shorts from Scott were very expensive but kept yer arse dry. This was a first intro to water proof clothing below the waist. A dry back side made longer rides a lot better.
Downside feet still wet and cold

Next addition Northwave goretex boots. Great up to the point the water is running down your legs and into the boots. ….Cold wet feet

Then tried dry suit cuffs cut to size on calfes over the top of the boots. Not bad an improvement.

Then the revelation the gore shorts died after so much use they disintegrated and i was reluctant to spend that much again.
After looking here i saw the recommendations about the military issue goretex trousers.
I went for the police issue as they were plain black
I bought a pair with the intention of cutting them down to shorts, but they are long enough to slide down over the tops of the boots and they have side zips to make them tapper in so they are a nice fit around the boots.
This is the go to option for wet minging riding out for a decent duration and dry feet and pants!
Whinlatter solo night rides in the howling rain back to car and dry under the waterproofs. As someone said best £20 iv spent.

Agent (RF) shorts and old skool tights for me. OK tights arent waterproof but you don’t notice the wet nearly as much in them, and they tend to stay warm either way. Running the tights over sealskinz means even the non hydro stop ones dont pool with water, it seems enough to keep them pretty dry. I have some really good Endura trousers but the battle damage is evident and I cant bring myself to buy another set only to destrpy them again, so I save them (And their little patched knees 😉 ) for the commuter duties. Bonus of the tights as well is you can peel em off, nice clean legs, and you can wash as many times as you want as there’s no DWP to destroy.