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.
Nov. 26, 2018, 8:19 a.m. - Bushpilot
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.