I have succumbed to buying Rainlegs

[GruB]

I have very much appreciated my rainlegs for the last few commutes. I don't find they keep you completely dry, but they do keep your thighs warm. During the winter, my rainlegs (and waterproof jacket, if I'm not wearing it) are always in my pannier.

PBT,
That is exactly the sort of thing I'll be hoping for and doing with them.

[Tewdric]

How far do they go between your legs, as it were?  Dry crotch too?

[TheLurker]

How far do they go between your legs, as it were?  Dry crotch too?

NSFW here we come...

[токамак]

They cover the crotch area. Here's a Googled photo:


The problem I've had is the nose of saddle catching in the covered area from behind when I resume a seated position. If you don't get out of the saddle much I guess this wouldn't be an issue.

[clarion]

Crotch shots on the forum?

Whatever next?

[alan]

Whatever next?

the money shot ? 

[mattc]

They cover the crotch area. Here's a Googled photo:

Well done - I can never find pictures of Grub with google.

The problem I've had is the nose of saddle catching in the covered area from behind when I resume a seated position. If you don't get out of the saddle much I guess this wouldn't be an issue.

You're not alone with this problem. There is a knack to retaking one's seat, but it's still annoying. I also found that not using the upper straps reduced the problem a lot.
If you get the adjustment right the saddle will be covered by the ... errr gusset, which is good, without causing tensions in any other area.

[PrettyBoyTim]

They cover the crotch area. Here's a Googled photo:


The problem I've had is the nose of saddle catching in the covered area from behind when I resume a seated position. If you don't get out of the saddle much I guess this wouldn't be an issue.

Although it does cover the crotch area, it doesn't cover it sufficiently to keep your crotch dry. The rain that lands atop your thighs and the rain that runs down the front of your waterproof jacket gets funnelled into the crotch area where it runs down. The rainlegs only cover the front of your crotch so this water ends up flowing off the rainlegs and soaking whatever you've got underneath just below the crotch area. As a result you arrive at work, take the rainlegs off and have an big wet patch just between your legs.

This is actually where getting the rainlegs caught on the saddle can be useful. If you can get the lower edge of them underneath the saddle, the rain is less likely to flow onto your clothing.

[arabella]

Very old thread but still relevant.
I bought mine in small size so they are a looser fit than shown in the pic.
I don't have the soggy crotch mentioned upthread.
The teabag bit is covered by my (non figure hugging) jacket.
Occasionally it does catch on the saddle but can be tweaked.  It's not nearly as annoying as the back of (another) jacket catching on the back of the seat when I am stopping/dismounting, leading to clipless-style comedy (for those watching) dismounts.

My one beef is that above the inside of the knees the rain runs down the rainleg and along the strap and onto my trousers.  I do wonder if this could have been prevented by not having the velcro straps sewn in right to the edge so that the rainlegs overhang the strap.  Nonetheless it's dryer than no rainlegs.

[urban_biker]

I liked my rainlegs when I first bought them but found that they delaminated near the crotch due to repeated peddling action. Now if they made some in goretex or a better material I think they might be worth it.

[Chris S]

I borrowed some this morning - as I was wearing Humvee 3/4s which are less suitable for a soaking than regular lycra shorts. The Humvees still got wet, but they didn't get saturated enough to chafe. And it was proper wet. So I guess it was worth looking - erm, slightly uncool (didn't matter on this count, as I was already uncool - wearing SPD sandals).

Had I been wearing lycra shorts, I wouldn't have bothered with the Rainlegs - as lycra just continues to do its thing, wet or dry.

I always remember oft-missed MalVolio saying "They are a solution to a problem I've never had" and I still go along with this. I do have a pair myself (Rainlegs) - as yet, unused.

[clarion]

...they delaminated near the crotch due to repeated peddling action. ...

What was it you were peddling which involved your crotch so much?

[LittleWheelsandBig]

I find Rainlegs very useful when wearing 'civvies' while commuting in the rain, not so much when in cycling clothing.

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

Well, that was a mistake. The rain was quite light as I left for work so I just put my rainlegs on instead of my proper waterproof trousers. Unfortunately I exited the tunnel into a deluge so heavy I had to stop because my eyes were full of water. And my rainlegs just funnelled the water to the midline and down, so now I have wet feet, wet shins and a wet crotch. And not in a good way.

[LEE]

, so now I have wet feet, wet shins and a wet crotch. And not in a good way.

There's never a good way for a girl to have wet shins

[Auntie Helen]

After today's ride to church where I got super-wet thighs and crotch I believe I need to buy some rainlegs.

I will order from Wiggle but thought I'd enquire here first whether anyone has a pair (Large size, i imagine) that they no longer require!

[arabella]

I've repurposed mine as frostlegs - they provide added protection against frosty wind chill on mornings like I'm getting at the moment.

[HeltorChasca]

I like them for warmth and waterproofing too.

It’s just the noise I dislike when pedalling along.

[T42]

It’s just the noise I dislike when pedalling along.

Yes. In the 80s we had a secretary who favoured leather skirts, and the noise the Rainlegs make is just like the noise she made walking down the corridor. We used to call her Old Rubberthighs.

[Kim]

The noise of the waterproofing being abraded from the underside of the fabric...

If I had proper sewing skills, I'd have a go at molishing some improved rainlegs without that silly mesh to let water in at the top, the buckle somewhere that you don't end up lying on^[1], and a bit more hip and crotch coverage.


_{[1] I removed the buckle from mine to fix this, but you have to step into them and tighten the waistband each time, which adds faff.}

[Cudzoziemiec]

The noise of the waterproofing being abraded from the underside of the fabric...

If I had proper sewing skills, I'd have a go at molishing some improved rainlegs without that silly mesh to let water in at the top, the buckle somewhere that you don't end up lying on^[1], and a bit more hip and crotch coverage.


_{[1] I removed the buckle from mine to fix this, but you have to step into them and tighten the waistband each time, which adds faff.}

Crazy idea from a non-recumbentist: out of the school of capes, how about a rain-blanket for darksiders? It would cover the whole body from shoulder to ankle; it would be breathable because it would be loose and have air circulation underneath, like a cape*; no uncomfortable seams or pockets to lie on: but it would keep the rain off, if it was made of appropriate material. And it could be used as a, well, as a blanket for camping or those audax bus shelter moments, and as a rug for picnics.

The length and width would have to be carefully thought out in order to not restrict leg movement and it would have to be made of a light material, and there are probably other problems I haven't thought of, but hey! It's a new idea! And the deluxe model could be wired up to a dynamo and/or a lightweight battery for heating! Toasty and dry!

*I have even less cape experience than benting but I hear this is their great advantage.

[Kim]

This sort of thing? 

[Cudzoziemiec]

I was imagining something more blanket-like, flatter, but... yeah. (See, that just shows what a brilliant idea it was! I think... )

[pdm]

Still using my Rainlegs 10 years down the line! 
Very useful in the past few months with the wetter Autumn (The worst Deluge of which was on a par - almost - with the Great Sheffield Flood of 2007 in which people actually died)

[T42]

I eventually stopped using mine: I sweated under them too much. I didn't like the way the straps would occasionally hook the nose of the saddle, either.