Best waterproof jacket and trousers

I have decided to start using my bike to travel to work.... However, due to
the inconsistency of the British weather, I am looking to invest in a good
set of breathable waterproof trousers and jacket...

I am open to suggestions, however I have been considering either of these
two;
Altura Nightvision jacket and trousers, combined £84.39 or
dhb Amberley waterproof jacket and trousers £81.00.

It is a fairly short ride to and from work, mostly downhill going, but lots
of uphill coming home and around 00:00 most nights, so visibility essential.

Any advice or help would be appreciated.

On Fri, 6 Feb 2009 18:27:33 -0000, "obelix1664"
said in
:

Altura Nightvision jacket and trousers, combined £84.39 or
dhb Amberley waterproof jacket and trousers £81.00.

Buy whichever fits better, both are good. The Altura works well for
me (I have two), but I do find that the collar is slightly
irritating when off the bike or sitting really upright on the Brom.
It keeps the weather out a treat.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk
85% of helmet statistics are made up, 69% of them at CHS, Puget Sound
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Buy whichever fits better, both are good. The Altura works well for
me (I have two), but I do find that the collar is slightly
irritating when off the bike or sitting really upright on the Brom.
It keeps the weather out a treat.

Thanks for that Guy, much appreciated.

Mark.

obelix1664 wrote:
I have decided to start using my bike to travel to work.... However, due to
the inconsistency of the British weather, I am looking to invest in a good
set of breathable waterproof trousers and jacket...

I am open to suggestions, however I have been considering either of these
two;
Altura Nightvision jacket and trousers, combined £84.39 or
dhb Amberley waterproof jacket and trousers £81.00.

It is a fairly short ride to and from work, mostly downhill going, but lots
of uphill coming home and around 00:00 most nights, so visibility essential.

I have the Altura jacket, it does what it says on the tin. I will be buying
the matching trousers at some point. I find a decent set of lights make me
more visible that the jacket I wear, especially at night on unlit back
country roads.

Cheers,

--
bob [at] bobarnott [dot] com http://www.bobarnott.com/
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Crash programs fail because they are based on theory that,
with nine women pregnant, you can get a baby in a month."
-- Wernher von Braun

On 06/02/2009 18:27, obelix1664 wrote:
I have decided to start using my bike to travel to work.... However, due to
the inconsistency of the British weather, I am looking to invest in a good
set of breathable waterproof trousers and jacket...

I wouldn't bother with waterproof trousers of any description, they'll
be far too warm in most conditions. Invest in a decent set of mudguards
and a pair of Rainlegs:
http://www.rainlegs.co.uk/

--
Danny Colyer http://www.redpedals.co.uk
Reply address is valid, but that on my website is checked more often
"The plural of anecdote is not data" - Frank Kotsonis

On 8 Feb, 21:50, Danny Colyer wrote:
On 06/02/2009 18:27, obelix1664 wrote:

I have decided to start using my bike to travel to work.... However, due to
the inconsistency of the British weather, I am looking to invest in a good
set of breathable waterproof trousers and jacket...

I wouldn't bother with waterproof trousers of any description, they'll
be far too warm in most conditions. *Invest in a decent set of mudguards
and a pair of Rainlegs:http://www.rainlegs.co.uk

Does anyone in the cycling world use Paramo gear ? I have used my
Paramo jacket a few times recently on 30 - 50 mile rides in the cold
weather. Feels great so far. Have not tried their waterproof trousers
yet, as they are very pricey, and my walkers type overtrousers, over a
standard base layer, have been fine in these colder temperatures. On
their own, though, Paramo waterproof trousers, being very breathable,
might reduce this overheating problem in warmer weather.

davidwilman3

On 8 Feb, 21:50, Danny Colyer wrote:
I wouldn't bother with waterproof trousers of any description, they'll
be far too warm in most conditions.

They're good for short journeys when you don't plan to change trousers
afterwards. They also stop the rain running down your legs and
filling your shoes. But I agree they get nasty after 20 mins or so.

For me, waterproof overshoes are important. I feel much better with
warm dry feet and it is nice not to have to put soggy shoes and socks
on to come home.

davidwilman3 wrote:

Does anyone in the cycling world use Paramo gear ?

Yes. Roos has used her Velez for our last couple of big tours.

I have used my
Paramo jacket a few times recently on 30 - 50 mile rides in the cold
weather. Feels great so far.

In this sort of weather it should be excellent. My main issue with
Paramo is that for active work I find it a bit on the toasty side at
times, but with current temperatures that's a bit of a moot point!
Similarly, packing bulk counts against it for a lot of use, but if
you're wearing it then again it becomes an irrelevant complaint.

It's more breathable than any other waterproof system bar possibly
Ventile, and if you'd be wearing a mid-layer anyway then the fact it's
built into the coat doesn't really matter.

Have not tried their waterproof trousers
yet, as they are very pricey, and my walkers type overtrousers, over a
standard base layer, have been fine in these colder temperatures. On
their own, though, Paramo waterproof trousers, being very breathable,
might reduce this overheating problem in warmer weather.

But then again the pump liner that's needed to make them waterproof is
roughly equivalent to wearing an extra layer of microfleece, so I
wouldn't bank on that!
If it's warm then I generally prefer to just get wet and then dry out in
something light and stretchy, or shorts. One stage down from that I'd
sooner have light O-Ts over Bikesters than Paramo trews. I really don't
see the trews as very good cycling wear, however good the jackets may
be. Aside from the overheating aspect they don't stretch so have to be
relatively baggy for freedom of movement, so they'll be harder work and
catch the wind more too.

Some people find Paramo's cut very disagreeable, but Cioch Direct
(http://www.cioch-direct.co.uk/) and Hilltrek
(http://www.hilltrek.co.uk/) do made-to-measure with the Analogy
fabrics, and Finsiterre (http://www.finisterreuk.com/) have a couple of
Analogy tops in a slimmer cut which saves a fair bit of weight too.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

On Sun, 8 Feb 2009, Danny Colyer wrote:

On 06/02/2009 18:27, obelix1664 wrote:
I have decided to start using my bike to travel to work.... However, due to
the inconsistency of the British weather, I am looking to invest in a good
set of breathable waterproof trousers and jacket...

I wouldn't bother with waterproof trousers of any description, they'll
be far too warm in most conditions.

That hasn't been my experience. I have an old pair of thin waterproof
overtrousers, which cost me ten quid from Black's many years ago, which
are invaluable for cycling in the rain, or even when the rain's stopped
but the roads are still wet. I haven't had a problem with being too warm.
Mind you, in only wear them if it's cold enough that having wet legs is
going to be a problem.

Invest in a decent set of mudguards and a pair
of Rainlegs:
http://www.rainlegs.co.uk/

Wow, i've never seen those before. Ingenious!

tom

--
A is for Absinthe, for which I now thirst

wrote:
On 8 Feb, 21:50, Danny Colyer wrote:
I wouldn't bother with waterproof trousers of any description, they'll
be far too warm in most conditions.

I bought a pair of waterproof trousers about Autumn 2007, and have worn
them about a dozen times, just once this winter. All my cycling other
cycling this winter has been in shorts, apart from the one time I wore
jeans going to Broadmead, and they got soaked.
However I do carry the trousers with me in case it really ****es down,
and is cold, just to keep my legs warm.

They're good for short journeys when you don't plan to change trousers
afterwards. They also stop the rain running down your legs and
filling your shoes. But I agree they get nasty after 20 mins or so.

For me, waterproof overshoes are important. I feel much better with
warm dry feet and it is nice not to have to put soggy shoes and socks
on to come home.

I love sealskinz waterproof socks, they are superb. It does not matter
if my shoes get soaked if I wear the sealskinz socks.

Martin.