This is the third installment in a series devoted to keeping you as dry as possible while riding in the rain. In Part I, we discussed how to keep your hands dry. In Part II, we looked at your feet and discussed how to keep the wet stuff away from them. Here, in Part III, we turn our attention to the legs.

Since bicycles are human-powered vehicles, and our legs are the engine that provides that power, it is surprising how little commitment on the part of clothing manufacturers has been invested in optimizing rain pants for road cycling. Perhaps the cost to develop a technically advanced rain pant that will keep the legs dry, versioned for cold, mild, and warm weather, is prohibitive; obviously, whoever is forecasting sales can’t make the investment pencil, or we’d have a better selection. I suppose it doesn’t take an MBA to figure out that roadies don’t like to ride in the rain.

On the other hand, if the gear was developed that did keep us dry, would more of us ride in the rain?

Surfing is sport and an industry where ‘body armor’ has made the sport infinitely more accessible to millions of people. Prior to the development of wetsuits, only the most intrepid California surfers would travel the colder ‘northern’ waters to surf in the winter. Rudimentary wetsuits opened up classic breaks in central and northern California. Today, super-light, titanium fiber-lined wet suits make the most frigid waters surfable in the dead of winter; surfers are now explore locations as far north as Canada, Ireland, Russia and Japan.

Why don’t we see this type of innovation in cycling? There are water-proof, breathable options. Burley’s Ultimate Commuter Rain Pant is probably the most popular. But it has been developed for commuters. It is too loose-fitting for most roadies.

At this point in my search for the ultimate rain pant, the most comfortable product I have found is the Triflex Rain Tights, from Performance. The Tri-Flex tights fit well and are relatively comfortable in cold to cool temperatures. In temperatures above 60, however, you begin to sweat from the inside, which is another problem altogether. The tights have waterproof Triflex material on all panels that face the sky and are exposed to the rain. Panels facing down are made of Dryline. The thought is that the rider doesn’t need waterproof material here, and this allows your body heat a place to escape.

Do they work?

I’ve ridden in Triflex tights in the rain many times. They will keep you mostly dry for 2-3 hours, which is about as long as most rain showers last. Stitching in the knees provides flexibility, but it also punches holes in the material, and they do allow water in there.

Are they the best on the market?

I just bought my second pair, if that is an indicator. And, a number of other riders I know agree that on this count, Performance not only is the low-cost producer, they also have a high quality product. If you are thinking of buying, however, be advised that most Performance retail locations don’t keep a large inventory of them. You will need to go up to Performance.com to get your pair.

My quest for a better rain pant isn’t over, though. I recently read a piece at cycling blogger Michael Rasmussen’s site that introduced me to a product called Rain Legs. These are a knickers-like rain shell that reportedly accomplishes much of what the Triflex tights do, but without the extra material so you can wear them in warmer weather. I intend to give them a try.

Coming up in Part IV: the core.

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