expensive bike gear im sick of it not working properly

[picos mestizo]

and lots of bikes have a built in puddle maker in the nutsack area, even the best goretex cant keep out standing water for long.

Fully agree with this.
It would seem that even the so called very best gear cannot cope with this area.
As the puddle here builds up over about a 30 minute period the total emersion of the semi-permeable membrane gives way to osmotic pressure & eventually leaches into the nether regions.
Must be the salty sweat inside the membrane & the fresh water outside the membrane that causes the flow via osmosis.
The only solution here is Builders Plastic type overtrousers.
That brings me back to square one where I was years ago before I invested hundreds in specialist "so called waterproof" clothing.
..........Warm clothing with cheap plastic industrial waterproofs over the top........
The downside here is that you'll probably have to stop to put them on & you'll get sweaty while wearing them.

[johnnyboxer]

I agree about the BMW Rallye suits - pants in the wet weather

I have a 15-20 year old Rukka Goretex suit for winter use & it's still good

For touring I use a BMW Streetguard Goretex & it's waterproof even in 8 hours of rain - had it nearly 8-10 years

If I was buying again I'd be going Klim I reckon

[Bigtim]

I've never had expensive gear because the designer brands don't want their kit to be seen on anyone other than a stick insect so being bigger than your average bear means I have to buy from places like Click2buyleathers or JTS or Ebay. consequently you get used to soggy crotch, wet elbows and full gloves. I've got a huge onesie waterproof suit (Not a good look) but does actually work apart from after a while the sweat build up inside is almost as bad as the rain on the outside.

IF you want to stay truly dry then either don't go out or drive a car, I personally can live with a bit of wet, as I ride all year round and love it.

[jameskaya]

In all actives it is inevitable that water will find spaces and gaps and you will get wet, especially if you are exposed for a long time. It is nice to be dry, but on multiple days of exposure to inclement weather, it is the ability of the kit to keep you warm and that the kit dries quickly. Climbers, Kayakers Etc have known this for along time. Staying dry is an added bonus.

[bowser]

I am suprised that all you experienced motorcycle riding types have forgotten the First Rule of biking 1. Waterproofs - ain't. Its a given an irrebuttable presumption.

Having said that I am convinced that most leaks are caused by the soaking of the jacket material and then it geting past any waterproof liner, if you stop the jacket getting completely sodden then they are all pretty good. How you do that is up to you, either a light over jacket to keep the worst off, extra proofing on the outer (fabsil or similar), or get a jacket with a membrane bonded to the outer shell of the jacket all work.

All have their downsides, a) you have to carry extra jacket and strides. b) you have to keep reproofing on a regular basis. c) costs a lot more and you still have to wash it in a tex wash occasionaly to keep it waterproof.

Me I went for C, and got a Klim suit, its been fantastic for 4 years, it stared to leak a bit last time out so I washed it in the tex wash stuff and the proofing is back, out in a complete downpour and not a drop got through. You do have to get the road grime and dirt out of the jacket to keep the Goretex working properly, just the opposit to my first Wax Cotton Belstaff for which covered in oil was the best way to go.
Mind you have you seen the cost of a Wax cotton jacket now £400+ its not the cheap option to start out with that it used to be.

[yoda]

Oh well i take some cold comfort in knowing its not just me then..ha ha. The only thing i've ever had thats been water proof for any period of time is my old 1996 Lewis leathers onesie w/proof suit that goes over my goretex jacket and trousers..if i keep it much longer will it actualy come back round in fashion? As others have mentioned with their stuff it has a sort of ruberised lining inside so although it keeps the rain out..you still end up clammy and damp as zero breathability but at least you stay warm even if you smell like a wet labrador by the time you get to where you need to be. Every thing i've had has ended up leaking at the crutch area, when i got this suit i cut out the strange (and massively oversized)string vest lining and duct taped the inner seams up in the crutch area inside, it never leaks there. The best bit about the rubberised lining is when its wet and you've stopped to put it on it can snag/stick a bit to other materials...which allows for ages of fun performing a sort of weird river dance around a garage forecourt trying to get it on..amuse's chidren and means your bloody hot by the time you're in it...aahhh i love motorcycling in the wet :dry:

[sexysi]

I always use a £10 pair of Gelert waterproof walking trousers as overtrousers and as they fit in their pouch they don't take up much space.

For the top I use a Decathlon waterproof cycling jacket that is vented so you don't get cooked, it's a good fit on the bike jacket so it doesn't flap about and best of all it rolls up small enough to fit in the pouch with the trousers

There you have it - a decent set of waterproofs in a pouch not much bigger than a can of fizzy pop

37_2013-10-22.jpg

Im with you Paul.

Leathers on the bottom, if it rains, out come the waterproof cycling overpants which wrap up really small. Nothing gets wet on the bottom.

Jacket is a cheap £150 HG jacket, which does a half decent job, but as i take a tank bag with me everywhere then a dry tee-shirt goes in there fine anyway. Boots are a pain, the only decent waterproofish boots I have ever owned where sidi black rain, but don't use them off road anyway as they would get ruined, just use the standard leaky o'neals.

Si
si

[stormfield]

Bought a BMW Boulder jacket a while back, and was surprised the main zipper would not lock properly and fell apart months later.

It wasn't a mega expensive jacket but you'd think BMW could at least get it right, something basic like a zipper. Even my £20 rucksack has a better zip!

[Ianuk]

I've had HG Gortex shit in the past, on one occasion I rode from the M25 to the Blackwall Tunnel. It's was raining not that heavey. Distance is what 15 miles. In that time I was soak on the chest elbows and the crotch. I walked into the HG store in Ilford. Stood there and explained I was getting wet. They told me it was just the cold getting through till I stripped off, to give them credit I got a new set there and then... That leaked just the same.

I know ride I'd Klim, it's the best stuff I have used. After a two week tour of Ireland last year and not a drop got in. This year it was the same in the Alps. It the only gear I have used that I never worry about the weather anymore.

[Diesel Pete]

If it helps I did 150 miles at motorway speeds in heavy rain recently wearing:

Trousers: RST Adventure pants with waterproof liner in. These were bone dry, even the pockets which are outside the waterproof lining were dry. The downside with these trousers is the seams split shortly after purchase. A local repair shop restitched the seams for me for under £10 and showed me that the original machining had missed the seam, so watch for this. Cheap pants which once sorted have been great

Jacket: Halvarrsons Proximo. Love it, cant fault it in any way and totally waterproof..... assuming you remember u left the the shoulder vents open when when you put it away last time and close them Its also cool enough on hot days and warm enough on the coldest days. Not expensive either, comparatively at around £250

Gloves: Halvarrsons Newman. Not expensive, warm enough 90% of the time and heated grips take care of the rest. Thin enough not to interfere with feel and totatlly waterproof.

Boots: Sidi Vertigo. Not waterproof at all but not meant to be so I wear a pair of sealskin socks and thats me sorted. Still get cold tootsies though.

Looking for some winters boots now so all tips gratefully accepted. I was thinking W2's as I need warmth, dry and the ability to walk in them as doing a tour of Europe early next year.