Wet Weather Product Review
Race Face Agent Pants Reviewed
Secret Agent
Raceface's Agent pants are 3-ply waterproof with a wicked stretch-factor thanks to 10% spandex. All-ride comfort - even once the mercury rises - comes courtesy of a mesh interior and some solid-ass venting. With the sealed seams and waterproof membrane (10,000mm; 10,000g/m2) they're as drench-proof as any commuter pants I've worn but they have a pile of trail-friendly features, and belt loops.
Belt Loops. B-E-L-T-L-O-O-P-S. Why can't everyone else figure it out for rain gear? Screw your drawstrings.
Inner leg reinforcement against crank rub. The Agent pants have been patterened with an eye to pedaling comfort and durability.
Comfortable but technical cut that isn't too baggy. Belt Loops! There's also an adjustable waistband system if that's your preference.
They cost 175 USD but frankly they're worth every penny over the too-short Gore Bike Wear and Endura shorts I've previously tested. So far - knock on wood - they're damn resilient to putting the bike down hard and I've been patching waterproof breathable clothes for years so I'm not panicked about hitting the deck while sporting the Agent pants.
Tapered legs to avoid hooking on trail features or bike features and two-position ankle snaps.
I like to think of myself as a critical bastard, but, other than the inevitable comments about pricing, the only thing I'd change is to make the pockets a bit deeper. For those, like me, that have had past issues with Race Face soft goods, the stitching and zippers are premium quality and there's ample gusseting where it's needed.
Race Face doesn't make any claims about armour fitting under the Agent pants and I don't generally pedal in knee pads. My Leatt hardshell knees easily fit inside and, thanks to the stretchy waterproof material Race Face uses, the range of motion is excellent. I will note that breathability goes out the window as soon as I combine a set of full-on knees with pants.
I Hate(d) Pants
Until the Agents, I hated riding in pants. Race Face hasn't made the first waterproof pants I want to ride in, the Agents are the first pants of any sort I've wanted to ride in. Between the comfortable cut, the stretchy material, and breathability, I've been happily wearing the Agent pants even when there isn't a reasonable chance of a deluge. In addition to being immensely comfortable for pedaling, apartment living is much cleaner and easier when I arrive home from a late rip with clean legs.
The mesh layers, front & rear, keep the clamminess to a minimum. (Thanks or the photo prompt Endur-Bro).
The only waterproof lowers I've worn where lycra underneath isn't mandatory for me.
When it's pissing rain I pull on my Showers Pass socks and with the overlap from the Agent pants, my feet stay comfy. Photo: Dave Smith
In terms of said comfort, this is probably drifting into the TMI category but I just rock the Agents with a pair of Saxx boxers. No thick lycra mid layer required.
Mandatory crotch shot. Waterproof zippers and sotto voce branding.
Examples of the quality seam tapping on the Agent pants. (Thanks for the photo prompt Brad Sedola)
Everything looks tight and neat after multiple trips through the wash.
The Agent pants have a pretty complex patterning thanks to a mix of materials.
One more shot for thoroughness. Tapping looks good throughout.
I'm re-reading this review and thinking, "wow, if I don't seed this piece with some random criticism some, cynical, folks are going to have a hard time taking me seriously". What can you do? The Race Face Agent pants have replaced an entire drawer of gear for me - both rain gear and fall-weight riding gear.
These Race Face Agent pants are straight up amazing. They're my secret weapon, rain or shine, for fall-winter riding and they've rendered every other piece of, below the waist, rain gear I own redundant. If it's 10°c or less I'm wearing the Agents clean or dirty. I've been in them a minimum of three days a week whether it's shuttling Cypress or pedaling up the relentless No Quarter climb on Fromme. They're easily my favourite piece of cycling clothing ever and if it's wrong to be fully stoked on them I don't want to be right.
175 USD is a lot of money for a piece of clothing I'm taking out into the woods and crashing in but I've spent more on gear that has impacted my experience significantly less. If you're out riding in the pissing rain regularly I'd recommend checking them out at Race Face or at any stocking dealer.
Comments
Merwinn
6 years, 6 months ago
"B-E-L-T-L-O-O-P-S."
Preach it!
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Rob Gretchen
6 years, 6 months ago
OK.... I need to try the kool-aid... there is a pair of these at the shop that I have tried on 3 times and now I need to try them out in the wild... thx buddy... ;-)
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
It’s my nature to despise being the Jim Jones in this situation but you really do NEED a taste because until you try them they’re just another piece of expensive rain gear.
In all my years in the industry I’ve never once thought “wow, shops should really demo X piece of clothing” but what the hell, if people will mix sweat with demo/rental helmet pads why not some pants that can be washed? It’s an item I wouldn’t have considered but now I’m in love.
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Brad Sedola
6 years, 6 months ago
So how is the taping of the seams? The Agent jacket and shorts from the last few years have been terrible. I browsed the MEC racks of shorts on a few occasions looking for a pair where the seams were taped well. No luck. The jackets were not much better. I broke down and went 7mesh with the shorts. Belt loops, Goretex, expensive, but very well made. God forbid I outgrow them and need the next size up (getting close).
I'm in need of a new set of waterproof pants. I almost jumped on these before they were sold out on MEC. Very skeptical to mail order them based on what I've seen in the past.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
In all honesty, I’ve never flipped a water proof garment inside out and thoroughly inspected the seam taping - I’ve just taken it for granted unless there’s been an issue.
I’ve had zero leak points but I’ll flip them and have a really good look this aft and report back. Thanks!
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Thanks for the prompt. I've added some images of the seam tapping. It all looks good to me.
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Perry Schebel
6 years, 6 months ago
i've had two pairs of agent shorts have seam tape fall off within months - rendering them very much not waterproof. judging by the mec comments this doesn't seem to be an isolated issue. at least mec's return policy is solid. hopefully current production runs have seen improvements.
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Henry Chinaski
6 years, 6 months ago
Same experience. The agent shorts were possibly the single worst mtb clothing item I have ever purchased.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
I’ve worn and washed these pants a tonne already - but will report back if any longer term issues come up. Quality of manufacturing looks really good but I’ve never looked at the shorts up close to compare.
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mike
6 years, 6 months ago
Everyone I know who bought the RF shorts when they 1st debut. Same deal one or two rides and the seam tape was falling apart. Heard the early jackets did the same.
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jason
6 years, 6 months ago
Hope the seams hold up. I have a pair of Agent shorts and they are garbage. Such poor quality. So bad that I don’t want to return them as I don’t want a new replacement.
Seems are poorly sealed. I re-ironed the seems initially but now the tape no longer sticks.
On the short there is an internal cuff to keep out water. On both legs this came off.
The material absorbs water (dwr is either not working or was never applied) so the materials wets out and then soaks through.
And of course it keeps moisture and heat in. Which would not be bad except for the wetting out/leaking issue.
So now I use a proper short ( https://www.sweetprotection.com/en/mudride-shorts/828005.html?dwvar_828005_color=TEBLK&cgid=15312 ) for heavy rains and a regular baggy for light rains. The Agent short just occupies space in my gear bag.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Again, can’t speak to the shorts at all but these are proper 3-ply / 2.5-ply (lower legs) 10k/10k water proof material. I added photos of the tapping job to the article; it looks good to me.
I have lots of hours/washes already and they look great (photos of pants/seams are now, not new).
I will certainly report back if I have any issues.
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jason
6 years, 6 months ago
Yeah, hopefully they use better material than a couple years ago and their quality control upped their game.
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mike
6 years, 6 months ago
legs are a tad short IMO , and the zipper is awkward to use when the time comes.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Had a very tall friend make the same comment - but hadn’t tried them on yet in his size. Inseam should probably grow with larger sizes.
They’re perfect for me. Stretchy enough that they don’t shorten much in the extremes of pedaling. But, I do wear tall waterproof socks religiously if it’s pissing out.
I’m only ~5’9” but I have a fairly long inseam for my height.
Haven’t had any issues watering ferns :-)
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Primož Resman
6 years, 6 months ago
Thanks for the info. L through XXL pants should be 83 cm inseam (32 3/4 inch). I'm running the shorts that have a 15 inch inseam (the Agent ones, but i also have a pair of Ambush shorts and a Dakine Derail, which are all 15 inch inseam) and they are on the short side, to even prevent pad gap on my thigh they would need to be 16 or ideally even 17 inch :/
Looked at the 7mesh stuff, holy cow, finally some long enough shorts (mostly). But, holy somethingelseentirely the pricing?! :D
EDIT: i have a to-the-floor inseam of around 91 cm. And i'm an M waist size :/
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Just heard back from Race Face and future production runs of agent pants will have longer inseams.
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Samuel McMain
6 years, 6 months ago
How much longer? Or did they say? I too have a long inseam and M waist. 93cm
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Dates / Dimensions TBA.
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grcgrc
6 years, 6 months ago
If the sizing that RF puts on their charts is accurate, these will be too short for pants and too long for knickers. The chart says the XL has a 83cm inseam and my legs are 92cm. Mind you this is nothing new. I am accustomed to clothing being aimed at the XL wearing crowd as being short and more rotund. I will continue to search for something with a more appropriate inseam length.
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Primož Resman
6 years, 6 months ago
I hate this so much... See above, i can't even get shorts to be long enough (yeah, sounds weird, but i suppose you understand that).
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grcgrc
6 years, 6 months ago
Dickies. And check out squidbikes.com. They take Dickies and add a chamois. Shorts are near indestructible. And long. Love my Dickies.
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mike
6 years, 6 months ago
Do they have helmets that clear Man buns as well!!
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Just heard back from Race Face and they’re listening to feedback. Look for longer inseams on future production runs of the Agent pants.
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Samuel McMain
6 years, 6 months ago
How's the waterproofing? I've got a pair of the Agent shorts and they're more of a softshell than true raingear. That being said, they're better than nothing and stay dry through light rain and a few puddles.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
I’ve never used the Agent shorts to compare. These pants are very good - definitely a waterproof pant not a softshell.
But, when you look at the 10k/10k rating there are certainly more waterproof options on the market.
The thing is that thanks to the cut/ stretch/ breathability/ light-weight these are actually awesome to ride in.
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earle.b
6 years, 6 months ago
Kinda surprised to see this much praise for a 10k/10k fabric. I've have thought they would be a sweaty soup inside when riding in slightly warmer conditions.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
You know I’m a sweaty, dad-bod equipped, beast. I wear them dying on my single speed up No Quarter.
Combination of the mesh liner allowing for a very light under layer / feeling less clammy and the stretchiness making for less rigid skin/material contact? The ass venting?
Under 10-degrees and I’m wearing them rain or shine. If it’s not raining, and closer to 10 than 5, I definitely pair down my top layer a bit compared to wearing softshell 3/4 shorts.
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Perry Schebel
6 years, 6 months ago
SSing NQ is just masochistic. what gear are you pushing (and do you clean it)?
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
It’s really not that bad. I know a handful of guys who clean it SS and none of us has pro skills or fitness. Once you have the SS mindset it’s actually way more fun than climbing NQ geared.
I regularly clean it (with breaks) and have cleaned it in one effort from pavement to gravel. Mostly I do like tonight and walk the one long steep stretch between old Dream Weaver and where the switchbacks start again (also had an off on the skid road higher up), walking that pitch just makes all of life more pleasant.
Tonight I was on my Walt. I run a 29x2.6” SE2 out back which rolls well, 32:22t gearing and the 32t is oval which I find evens out torque (less slipped tires) but does feel like a bigger gear than 32t-round. I often run it 32:21t but I’ve been riding No Quarter a lot and the 22t is WAY more pleasant.
On my Honzo - which is heavier and has a suspension fork - I regularly run 30:21t (again Oval) which is pretty similar but if I’m working on my bike and know NQ is on the menu I’ll occasionally slip a 22t on which makes it more pleasant.
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Perry Schebel
6 years, 6 months ago
my knees hurt just reading this. i am liking that route more & more these days however. just with a 44t rear cog.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Tonight was a great example. In a hurry to make my group ride and assumed it was colder than it was (surprisingly humid on Fromme too). Totally dry so in hindsight I would have worn shorts but when things got really sweaty standing and hammering up the road I wasn’t turning back.
Thanks to the liner I never felt like I was swimming in crotch soup. Below the liner (knees and lower legs) things were really sweaty a couple times on the climb but any time we regrouped I was comfy again quick and was never clammy on the descent.
Again, would have preferred shorts tonight but the Agents were totally fine and that’s max heart rate out of the saddle sweaty beast mode for most of the climb.
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auzz-man
6 years, 6 months ago
Love my Agent pants, first time riding with pants but after a particularly wet ride in September I bought a pair off Raceface's site for 145 CAD soon as I got home
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Bushpilot
6 years, 5 months ago
I found the water protection of these quite underwhelming. I've been wearing them for my short bike commute to work (haven't used on dirt yet). Commute is usually about 14 minutes each way. Used the pants 6 or so days in the last two weeks, including today. They are pretty much brand new so they should be performing at their best. I start to notice wetness on my shins and thighs in 5 to 10 minutes if the rain is moderate or worse (as we've had here in Vancouver the last week or two). Today my shins and thighs were soaked by about the 10 minute mark of my ride. It wasn't from sweat. Granted it was raining hard this morning. For reference, I also have a pair of 7mesh Revo shorts which offer outstanding protection. In similar conditions the parts of me covered by the Revos stay much, much drier. The face fabric of the Revos does wet out after some time in hard rain (not as fast as the Agents though) but the interior stays dry. The downside of the Revos is obviously that there is no coverage of your lower legs and your feet end up wetter. But, the counterpoint to that is my shins dry a lot quicker than the Agent pants do (which will still be damp when I put them on to ride home tonight). IMO these are yet another example of a bike apparel company producing a sub-par product for wet weather. If you want something moderately priced that works "okay" for moderate weather, these may be for you. If you want a product that works much better and are willing to pay for it, then stick with 7mesh or non-cycling companies that specialize in proper outdoor apparel. Now if 7mesh made a pant version of the Revos...
To be fair, Raceface did well with the cut and comfort of these. The fabric just isn't a winner in terms of staying dry when the weather is gross, even for a short ride.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 5 months ago
I haven’t wetted them through on the trail yet but I have fully inundated them on the road a few times.
Riding down Lonsdale in heavy rain post-ride (sans fenders) I’ve soaked through the lower legs. There’s a different material below the knee for durability and it definitely is not as waterproof.
A few weeks back on Saturday when we had the biblical rains I was wearing them home from work and got caught in the worst of it (~1:30am). Even my Gore-Active jacket was leaking but the Agents were fully soaked through.
They definitely meet my expectations for a 10k/10k product but if I was commuting in the rain, my wife has a pair of the latest Gore Bike Wear Active Shell pants and they’re impressive - I would definitely buy them for all season commuting but having tried them on, even aside from no belt loops, I wouldn’t wear them for trail riding.
Been wearing the Agents almost every ride this Fall and I’m going to buy a second pair. Love the fit, love the function. BUT, I definitely get where you’re coming from in wanting something more weatherproof on the road - even when I think about riding to/from trails.
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Bushpilot
6 years, 5 months ago
Agreed. I'm not aware of any company making a cycling specific product that is waterproof to the same extent as my backpacking / ski touring gear (other than 7mesh and Gore Bike Wear). The fit of Gore brand shorts I had before I owned the Revos left much to be desired. For pants, it must be possible to make a bike-specific pant in a full gore-tex active or pro fabric but maybe the market is just too small for anyone to make such a product that fits really well for trail riding. I've never encountered a proper waterproof fabric that had any stretch so maybe the difficulty is that the tailoring that would be required to make a proper trail pant from gore-tex would be too difficult or too expensive. As mentioned above, the Agents are very good in that respect.
Maybe adding more dwr to the Agents will help keep them dry a bit longer for my commute. I'll try that this week.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 5 months ago
My wife’s Gore Bike Wear Goretex Active pants are awesome - waterproof and stretchy. Don’t know how well they’d wear off-road.
If RaceFace offered a higher level Agent pant with the same details/fit and that material (with reinforced seat/knees maybe) I’d be very interested.
What product do you use for restoring DWR? I’ve been using Nikwax for a few years but curious if it’s all the same sh*t or if some stuff is better.
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Bushpilot
6 years, 5 months ago
I've used the Nikwax and Grangers stuff, both spray on and wash in. I've found the spray on stuff better than the wash in but not sure I've noticed much of a difference between the two brands.
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Endur-Bro
6 years, 6 months ago
Haven’t heard of much 3L outerwear with a separate mesh liner.
I take it the liner helps reduce the soupy feeling inside the pants?
I have a pair of Norrøna Fjørå Dri3 shorts that are the absolute hype for wet weather riding. Pair those with a pair of proper merino socks and I’m good to go. 😎
There is a Dri1 pant but unsure if I’d like the inner lining of it.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Yes. So comparing them to the stretchiest / priciest Gore pants I happily just sport a pair of athletic boxers under these but really need another layer under the Gore - read lycra shorts - or they feel soupy and cold on the descent after a hot climb.
I’ll add a photo of the mesh liner later. It’s a great feature I should have captioned (thanks!).
It’s just a thin mesh lining so it’s about comfort not insulation.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
Thanks for the prompt. I've added some photos of the mesh liner.
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Andy Eunson
6 years, 6 months ago
I checked the sizing recently. Not even close. I need a 31 waist and 29 inseam.
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Andrew Major
6 years, 6 months ago
I would have guessed the small would work well?
I’m in a medium.
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