off-road.cc

Cube's Blackline Rain Pants are high quality and properly waterproof, with a tailored fit that means they don't flap about when you're riding. The ripstop material is tough and they're highly packable, but lack of space around the knee joint means they only work with the lowest profile pads, which may be a deal-breaker for some.

• The best waterproof mountain bike shorts
• What's best for cycling, synthetic or merino base layers?
• Vegan diet for cycling: What you need to know about a plant-based diet for riding

The Blackline Rain pants are made from what Cube calls 'Primetronic' fabric, which is a 2.5 layer waterproof material, with fully taped seams to boot. It's totally waterproof and impressively breathable too, while a ripstop pattern on the outer fabric should prevent any cuts that do happen from spreading, plus there's an extra tough panel on the bum to ward off wear there.

The cut is highly tailored, with a pre-bent knee that sits nicely when you're on the bike. It's a fairly close fit all over, which is great as it keeps flappy fabric to a minimum, but it means they don't get along very well with anything but the thinnest of kneepads. Sizing up might help, but then you might be left with a baggy waist, though there are sizes from XS all the way to XXXL to choose from.

The waist has a velcro adjuster on each side, plus an elasticated waistband at the rear and stretch panels at the side. There's a zip with both velcro and a popper to hold everything in place and a mesh pocket on the left-hand side. There's some unobtrusive reflective piping on the legs and some neat velcro ankle adjusters that do an excellent job of stopping any fabric from flapping about. 

There's not enough slack in the ankle to allow you to take the trousers off with your shoes on, which is a bit of a shame as the trousers pack down into a small stuff sack, making them ideal for chucking in a pack when riding or bikepacking as a just-in-case item.

If you're not fussed about running kneepads and are just after a set of breathable, comfortable and tough trousers, the Blackline Rain Pants deliver an awful lot of performance for not a lot of money, while their packability is a big bonus point too. It's a shame that they don't have a bit more space around the knee to work better with pads.

• www.cube.eu

You might also like:

• The best waterproof mountain bike jackets
• The best winter mountain bike gloves you can buy - tried and tested