Alpinestars Tahoe Pants – or trousers if you're from the UK – are waterproof, rugged and simple in design. They offer few frills, but they're comfy, effective and breathe well enough for use in anything up to around 10 degrees. The waist is a bit saggy and loose, however, though that's the only real niggle.
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Constructed from a waterproof, rip-stop style fabric with tape welded seams, the legs are well-shaped for a riding fit, with a slight curve to the cut and neat cuffs that never interfere with chains or cranks. There are two pockets with waterproof zips, and they work – they kept my phone dry for the test period.
There's a decent waist band and poppers to hold the waist closed, and the fly is covered to ward off flying water and muck. The two waist tensioners on the hips aren't so good, with elastication that limits tension and a too-small strip of Velcro. Cinch them in tight and there's not enough contact for proper security.
Sizing down for a smaller waist would, I suspect, make the legs too short... while the Tahoe Pants always stayed up, at times I’d find myself shuffling in the saddle to get the waist back up just a touch. At least there are no seams across your bum, so there's nothing to chafe or wear out.
I rode these in some horrible heavy rain and mud in mild temperatures with my own bib shorts underneath (Alpinestars own separately-available liner clicks straight in if you prefer) and found the relaxed fit means it breathes pretty well for such heavy fabric. They're OK up to around 10 degrees.
The 8k waterproofness and 3k breathability is just about good enough to not create a boil in the bag effect like the matching Tahoe WP jacket does, presumably because legs don't generate quite as much heat. Which is good, as these trousers don’t have any zipper vents.
The Alpinestars Tahoe Pants are comfortable for longer rides (and pretty quiet for such heavy-duty things), yet also great for boshing around the local trails, digging and mucking about. The fabric is durable and neither washing nor hosing seems to dim their capabilities. I’d like to longer, tougher hip fasteners, but otherwise, the Tahoe's are a really strong set of bad-weather trousers.