B'TWIN 900 Urban waterproof overtrousers

Proper cyclists, the hardcore racers, sportive-chasers and MAMILs, don't wear overtrousers. They wear some sort of Lycra concoction and dry it when they get wherever it is they're going. Now I have been known to have a Lycra moment or two, and that will increase over the next eight months, but historically most of my mileage has been clocked up commuting. And since my journey to work is only around five miles each way, there seems little point in donning sports wear for it. Of course the trouble with cycling to work in your work clothes is that sometimes it rains...

I got sick and tried of drying out in the office, as you can imagine. Lining your desk chair with paper towels before you can sit down gets old pretty quickly. So this winter, I bit the bullet and invested in some waterproof overtrousers.

I researched the options, of course. And before I go any further, I should make a point that applies to just about all cycle clothing out there - yes, there are cheap, unbranded versions (or unheard-of brands) of everything you need on eBay, imported from some far-flung sweatshop, resplendent in their polyester glory. But caveat emptor - nearly all of it's crap. I love a bargain, who doesn't? But if you're relying on a piece of clothing to keep you warm or dry or windproof, best not to look at something that's coming from Shanghai for £7.

That said, there are relative bargains to be had. Take these range-topping overtrousers, from B'TWIN, currently available for £24.99. Yes, there are cheaper models, but these are so well thought out, and well made. From the top, these have an elasticated waistband, popper fastening and velcro fly - they're easy to get on, in other words. Then, have have pocket openings! I can't overstate how important this is. Not actual pockets, but pocket openings, so you can get to your actual trouser pockets underneath; you can get to your bike lock keys and money easily, without having to take the overtrousers off. And these are zippered openings - so many cheaper overtrousers just have slits for accessing pockets, completely ignoring the fact that the purpose of overtrousers is to keep you dry, and a gaping pocket slit just lets water in...

The side of the lower leg is zippered too, making it easy to put the overtrousers on when you've got shoes on. And the backs of the lower legs are bright yellow - a nice safety feature, as is the clip on each lower leg allowing you to attach small lights for added visibility. And finally, the legs end in elastic under-shoe straps to keep the trousers from riding up and - brilliantly - waterproof caps to keep the worst off your shoes too.

Finally, the whole lot folds up into its own back pocket, which is again that hi-viz, fluorescent yellow/green colour, and has integrated velcro straps so that you can tie it onto something (your frame, for example) if you've run out of pockets and bag space. Yes ,they really have thought of everything.

I haven't been out in a torrential downpour, but I've been out in some pretty heavy, persistent rain, and these have done their job brilliantly. The Decathlon website (for B'TWIN is Decathlon's house brand) states a very modest hydrostatic head of 2,000mm for these overtrousers, but also claims they are tested by simulating "an average downpour": 60 litres of water per square metre per hour for 2 hours. All I can tell you is I have yet to get wet, and that includes around all the seams and zips. And whilst the trade-off for good waterproofing is usually poor breathability, these are pretty good, with a stated RET value of 12. So when I say I have yet to get wet, I'm including my own sweat in that.

TLDR: these are well-priced, well-made and brilliantly designed overtrousers, ideal for commuting through rotten weather. It's rare that I lavish praise, but these are terrific. ★★★★★

BUY: B'TWIN 900 Urban waterproof overtrousers, currently £24.99 from Decathlon

Full disclosure: I bought these with my own money. If anyone wants to give me kit in exchange for an honest review, I'm open to that, but unless I explicitly say otherwise everything I review on here will be sourced and paid for by yours truly.