Do I need rain pants? Ireland in June....

[azfiddle]

We're doing a self-guided cycling tour in Ireland in June for 8-10 days. I have a rain jacket, but no rain pants - we hardly ever need to ride in rainy weather in the desert. Any thoughts?

[Eden]

I ride all year round in the Pacific Northwest and I prefer not to have rain pants… I do wear long tights when it's raining out unless it is very warm and in the winter those tights are heavy ones (my current ones are cross country ski tights), but I find water proof rain pants to be too bulky and too hot and sweaty.

[salsabike]

Az, if you take, say, three pairs of shorts/tights, so you can rotate among them and let damp ones dry, you should be fine. We started cycling in the rain here in the PNW around 2003, with rainpants, and dropped them totally within the year. Last use was our trip to Iceland, where everybody walks around in rainpants for very good reasons.

Cycling tights are meant to absorb AND dry reasonably well. I think you'll be more comfortable and do just fine without rainpants.

[ny biker]

I'm pretty sure my friend did not feel the need for rainpants for cycling while she lived in Dublin. I will check.

[azfiddle]

Thanks - I was there in 2010 and only did 3 short cycling trips, none in the rain but this time we may be riding the the rain by opportunity or necessity. My longest rain ride was a century (80 miles in the rain out of 113), and I wore an extra layer of exercise capris over my shorts, along with a lot of wool accessories.

[Crankin]

Well, I would say it depends what the temperature was. When I was in the Czech Republic, the beginning of the tour was about 53 and rainy two of the beginning days. I very much needed my rain pants. I can't imagine riding in wet shorts or tights at that temperature. It would have to be at least 75 degrees before I could do that, without feeling hypothermic! I am talking about steady medium to hard rain, for hours. Sure, some of the others made fun of my booties, rain gear, wool socks, helmet cover, but you know what? I was dry and they were not. It was freezing to me... but of course, I also bring enough pairs of shorts for each day of the trip, which makes me the odd one. I guess being self supported, weight is an issue, but I don't think I could wear a pair of shorts that had been rinsed out in the sink.
I might consider those Gore rain shorts, which look cooler and easier to pull on and off.