Bike Chaps

Make a pair of bike chaps to strap over your work clothes for riding in the rain (or potential rain). No need to change when you get to work! These are fitted with ties to roll up and secure, adjustable straps and webbing buckles. Lightweight Gore-Tex sews up fast with no need for fussy seam finishes.

It is out of the scope of this tutorial to teach you to sew; however, if you have any trouble there are many online groups consisting of friendly experts just itching to help. If you have any questions about sewing feel free to post a comment here or email me at kellyhogaboom AT gmail DOT com.

Step 1 Gather Ye Materials; Measure Your Waist

Materials:
1 yard Gore-Tex or other waterproof fabric
1 yard 1 1/2" elastic
1 yard 1" elastic
1 yard 1 1/2" web
1 yard 1" web
4 buckle fittings, 1"
1 buckle fitting, 1 1/2"

Optional:
Fittings / closures for pockets: snaps, zippers, buttons, velcro
1 yard lining fabric

Equipment:
Sewing machine & needle (use appropriate needle for material - a universal should work on most waterproof mediums)
Men's pants pattern, including waistband
Scissors
Pins
Seam ripper (never sew without one)

Optional:
Ironing board & iron
Cutting mat & blade
Lighter (to fray-check webbing ends)

Measure:
Take the following measurements:
Waist measurement
Length from waist to the knee
Thigh circumference
Knee circumference

Comments

[ajara1]

Hey, this is a great idea!
I had a question about the pattern, though... in step 3, you wrote to cut out two front panels, but I only see 1 panel utilized in the pants. What is the need of a second panel?
If this is massively obvious and I just missed it, sorry. :)

[avaerewyck]

Thanks for the great alternative transportation solution! I've shared it with my "No Car Go" readers:

http://nocargo.wordpress.com/2010/12/16/tis-the-season-to-buy-rain-chaps/

[rtwitchy]

where do you get gore-tex material from? The biggest cloth/sewing store I know of is handcock fabrics and they don't have it.

[CodySteed]

 www.rockywoods.com

www.seatlefabrics.com

[luvit]

 these look good in shag, too!

[wow-amazing]

How the heck does this fit in a kiting group? BTW, Nice instructable.

[rudgewhitworth]

I do regularly use something like these 'chaps'; they're commercially produced and called 'Rainlegs'. Their main benefit it to stop the thighs and knees getting cold and wet which can give all sorts of problems later. The other point is 'How much do you want to carry?' If you have something like chaps that fold as small as your fist and do take them with you, they're more useful than full waterproofs that fold only to the size of an old encyclopaedia and so get left at home!

[Southpole]

i can't see how these will be rain proof. the second main point of water proof clothing, after the fabric, are taped seams, and you are not ironing any on?

[Southpole]

in the intro you said they can be used to ride in the rain and there is no need to change upon arrival. i inferred this meant that trousers below the chaps were supposed to stay dry. i also assumed that was the point in using Gore Tex. i'm sorry if i misunderstood. but perhaps you know if it is easy to get such tape to seal the seams?

[kellyhogaboom]

They are absolutely not rain-proof. A rainproof item would obviously also offer full coverage. This isn't something you'd wear in a torrential downpour. Since I never claimed they were rainproof; perhaps you're confused with another project here on Instructables? I will say the fabric itself is completely rainproof, not the garment.

[Southpole]

hi kelly, in the meantime i learned a bit about sealing seams and thought i could share the info here ... there seem to be three common methods: 1. ironing tape over the seams. this seems to be most common in commercial rainwear. 2. painting diluted silicone caulking on the seams. this method seems to be used preferably for tent seams and waterproof bags. don't know if it works for Gore-Tex. 3. high-frequency welding of seams. this is done in very expensive outdoor clothing. the tape needed for option one can be bought at stores that specialise on materials for selfmade outdoor wear. i give three examples (haven't bought from any of them) thru-hiker in the US, shelby in Finland, extremtextil in Germany. there is also at least one in the UK but i can't think of the name right now. silcone caulking and thinner is available in hardware stores (or supermarkets) and seems the cheapest and most flexible solution to me, with cost as little as 2.50 euro for a 500ml caulking tube. but i don't know if it will work on Gore-Tex. high-frequency welding is to my knowledge only available industrially these days. but it is the most attractive method, because it also replaces the sewing. i like your instructable because i have been looking for quite a while for waterproof bike chaps with the features i want (long enough, outer pockets, waterproof zip) but couldn't find any. i hope to make some based on your instructions when i find the time.

[kellyhogaboom]

xsmurf, thanks for asking! I can't answer this question fully yet as the shop I bought it in is closed on hiatus for a few more days. I will say the fabric was $15 / yard and there is yardage left over. I am planning on making my family's raingear this year and the ease in sewing with this fabric is a definite plus.

[xsmurf]

How much did the Gore-Tex cost? Do you know which type? (Packlite for example). Nice instructable and nice idea cause good goretex clothes are damn expensive (Montain Coop, OR, etc).