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Hein Gericke ‘Blizzard’ over-trousers – Bob Pickett looks to keep dry, but finds a welcome extra feature

Now this is going to sound odd, but when it finally rained when I was wearing my Gericke ‘Blizzard’ waterproof over-trousers, it came as something of a relief, as I was finally able to use them for their intended purpose!

So what was I doing with them before? Well one cold and nasty day – when it looked very much like it was going to pour down before day end - I slipped these on, just in case it started when I was on the road.

And here comes the unexpected result. The ‘Blizzard’ trousers have a webbed lining. And that helps create layering. Layering that has kept me much, much warmer, even when exposed to some really cold winds from the north.

Of course, that lining does have a drawback; it catches against your boots, making the ‘Blizzard’ trousers tricky to pull over them. Not an issue if you slip them on indoors before putting on the boots, as the trousers unzip at the legs really wide. But on a rainy day when you’ve just pulled over at the side of the road as the Heavens have just opened, it isn’t going to make life easy.

Other things to bear in mind? Well, you want over-trousers to be loose enough to fit over the rest of your kit, but on the bike they need to sit comfortably and not feel like they’re dragging/dangling over the sides. And they’re great in that respect. As someone who is short legged, when standing/walking in the ‘Blizzard’ they make me look like I’m a little kid that put on a pair of Daddy’s trousers he pulled out the wardrobe. But on the bike they are comfortable and unobtrusive, except they do flap a bit in stronger winds.

And as the bulk of wet weather comes in the Winter/Spring, the shorter nights mean that visibility is a plus point. So the reflective strips along the length of the legs are a welcome addition.

They also fold up small – if you’ve got a bike with some underseat storage, they’ll slip under there (in their own storage bag) easily. I’ve not tried it, but I reckon they’d slip into the toolkit space under the seat of my ER-6F.

But back to the core purpose – are they waterproof? Yes they are. Despite riding for well over an hour in that horrid, drizzly stuff that penetrates everything, my legs remained dry and snug.

Verdict:

Waterproof over-trousers that work, plus help keep your legs warm. Well worth buying, but you might want to slip them on before you start riding.

For details of your local Hein-Gericke stockist, click on Hein Gericke's UK site

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