Rain pants , also called rain overtrousers or waterproof pants , are essential for bicycles, scooters and motorcycles in heavy and / or long rain. We give you here some advice to choose it according to several criteria:
- Impermeability;
- Breathability;
- Security ;
- Practicality;
- Responsibility.
IMPERMEABILITY
The waterproofness of rain pants depends on:
- The water repellency and impermeability of its fabric;
- The impermeability of its seams .
TEXTILE WATER REPELLENCE
The fabric of rain pants is water- repellent when the drops of water “slide” over them. The water repellency comes from a surface treatment applied to its outer face. The level of water repellency of a textile is defined by the EN ISO 4920 standard . You can find more information about water repellency here .
We advise you to choose rain overtrousers with a water repellency of 100 (ISO 5) , which is the case with TOMO Clothing's waterproof trousers .
TEXTILE WATERPROOFING
The impermeability of the textile can be obtained by integrating an impermeable membrane in the textile, or thanks to a specific weaving . The level of impermeability of a textile is measured using the Schmerber test , defined by the EN ISO 811 standard . You can find more information about waterproofing here .
We advise you to choose rain pants with a waterproofness greater than 8,000 mm (i.e. 8 m). TOMO Clothing 's rain overtrousers have a waterproof rating of 10,000mm (10m).
WATERPROOFING OF SEAMS
It is not enough for the textile of a rain overtrouser to be water-repellent and waterproof, because the water also penetrates through the holes drilled in the textile during the tailoring of the overtrousers at the seams. We therefore advise you to choose waterproof pants whose seams exposed to the rain are heat-sealed or heat-sealed. with some sealing strips .
BREATHABILITY
Breathability is essential for rain pants, as they are a close-fitting piece. The breathability of a textile is measured by its thermal evaporative resistance (RET) . You can find more information about breathability here .
We advise you to choose waterproof pants with an RET of less than 15 . The rain pants from TOMO Clothing in the color bottle green have a RET of 8, and are therefore very breathable .
SECURITY
Cycling safety starts with visibility. We also advise you to orient your choice on waterproof pants that incorporate retro-reflective inserts , which is the case of TOMO Clothing 's rain pants .
PRACTICALITY
You must be able to put your waterproof pants on easily over your pants and shoes. This can be facilitated by adding zippers to the bottom of the pants, which is the case with the waterproof pants from TOMO Clothing. Once put on, your rain overtrousers should not limit your movements.
The rain pants can optionally be folded into an integrated storage pocket .
Finally, the waterproof pants can be integrated or complemented by rain overshoes .
RESPONSIBILITY
Like any garment, the environmental and social impact of a rain overtrouser is due in particular to the origin of its textiles , its place of manufacture and its recycled and/or upcycled composition . You can find more information on responsible cycling clothing here .
TOMO Clothing 's rain pants are made from recycled and upcycled textiles, made in Belgium and Italy, and the rain pants themselves are assembled in Romania.