These trousers aren't armoured and, at first glance, appear to be pretty normal. Yet they have a label saying Knox and that means...something.

What it means in this case is really simple. It means a spectacularly well made pairt of waterproof overtrousers that are easy to put on (important), don't look like a bin-bag (fairly important) and (and this is the really important bit) stop you getting wet.

Knox have hit the Holy Grail of waterproof kit. It's portable and looks OK, and it works.

This is huge.

Particularly at this time of year, when you may be placing staying warm above planning ahead and staying dry, assuming you're riding at all of course.

Knox have recently had a major revamp of their Seasonless Collection - trousers and jackets to go over more protective kit and simply keep you dry - and it shows.

The new Walker MK2 Waterproof unisex trousers have been recut for an improved fit and the performance apparently improved by 50%. That's actually quite a claim. I don't know about the previous version but these trousers kept me bone dry through some pretty nasty weather. As I doubt Knox would put their name to something that wasn't any good, I'm guessing that these will just keep you dry for longer than the previous version. They're actually good at cutting down windchill, too. Double win.

The trousers are single-layer, fully seam-sealed with an elasticated waist. The base tri-laminate fabric has been re-engineered to include a 15k waterproof membrane and with reflective panels improving performance, durability, and visibility. Yes, I am quoting them directly.

They're unisex (obviously), come in a decent range of sizes and have jackets to go with them. They also fold up really small (though no, sadly they will not fit under the seat of a modern sportsbike) and when they get all manky and horrible you can chuck them in the washing machine and be reasonably confident they won't be ruined.

At £129.99 they're a pretty fair pricde for something that works really well. I'd certainly recommend them without a doubt.

You can get Knox Walker 2 overtrousers at their online store here.