rain Archives - Cycling uphill

For any commuter cyclist, waterproof trousers are essential. I remember the first two years of working in town, I was too tight to buy any waterproof trousers. When it rained I would teach by standing by the radiator waiting for trousers to dry. Happy days!

Then I got a pay rise and bought a pair of waterproof trousers from an outdoor shop. They weren’t very good. Firstly they were too short and so your ankles got very wet. So I bought a pair of walking garters to fill the gap and stop the trouser getting stuck in the chain. I’ve been meaning to buy a proper pair of cycling waterproof trousers for several years, but I never seem to get round to it. There’s always a new deep section front wheel to buy.

sun-raind-close-up — waterproof trousers

For the past two years, the elastic waist broke on my old trouser. So it meant when I got off the bike, the waterproof trousers would start to fall down. A bit embarrassing, even if there was another pair of trousers underneath. Anyway when I was offered a pair of DHB waterproof trousers to review, I was pretty happy. Anything was going to be a big improvement…

I got them a couple of months ago, and to be honest there haven’t been that many wet days. But, when it has rained, I’ve put them on and they have done a good job in keeping my dry.

waterproof-3 — Perhaps there is a second career as a cycling model.

I was offered a chance to review two products sent from Wiggle. The first thing I chose was a waterproof jacket. In the past few years, technology has improved, but for various reasons I haven’t bought one for a long time. I needed a proper waterproof cycling jacket just for commuting into town on rainy days.

The DHB Flashlight Compact-XT Waterproof Jacket claims to be lightweight, waterproof, breathable and adjustable.

It comes in a choice of two colour – blue or fluorescent yellow. I chose the fluorescent yellow for better visibility on the commute into work.

Sizing – I chose medium expecting it to be a little short. I’m very tall (6″31) and thin, so it’s always hard to get a good fit, but the sleeves came down nearly to gloves and it wasn’t too baggy. This was my main need – I didn’t want it to be too flappy.

Waterproofness

The jacket is definitely waterproof, it kept me dry in quite persistent rain and shows no signs of leaking at the seams. It feels quite solidly made.

DHB state the Waterproof Jacket has a waterproof rating of 10,000 mm to keep you protected, with additional rain defence from Teflon™

Breathability

It is not bad for breathability. I rode commuting into town and didn’t work up a sweat. If your training really hard, then I’m sure it will get a bit more sweaty. But, I think overall it is fairly decent for breathability. There are flaps on the back to allow some air to escape without allowing water in. The zip is fairly easy to undo, if you need to let a bit more air in the front.

Quality of build

The zip seems fairly solid and so far has no problems.
I like the adjustability of the cuffs. It is easy and quick to change with velcro and quite useful for getting on and over winter ski gloves.
The fluorescent jacket certainly stands out on the roads.
It comes with a few pockets – not that I tend to use pockets on a waterproof jacket.
Despite my awkward build, it is a good fit.

DHB Waterproof trousers

DHB Flashlight waterproof jacket