There are many styles of winter riding pants; tights under baggie shorts (very 90s grunge), knickers, hiking pants and that one friend who always shows up in shorts. I have done them all. Bike companies have been making cycling specific pants for a bit time now, but they have all been way too heavy and not breathable. This year Troy Lee Designs has released the Skyline Pant for winter riding and in short, they are great.
Troy Lee Designs Skyline pants are a great mountain bike pant for the winter. They are slim cut, highly breathable and warm enough for everything but full on fat biking in the snow. Although in the right conditions they work would well for that.
What sets them apart? They have a few really well thought out features. To start with, it is the same fabric which is found in their Skyline shorts. Then they don’t use a belt, but have two velcro tabs for adjustment. Plus a reinforced ankle on the drive side.
Not to mention, probably my favorite feature which is the holes behind the knee, which keeps you from getting clammy on the climbs.
For years I have advocated to just buy hiking pants for winter riding. The Troy Lee Designs Skyline Pant has made a convert of me. If you mountain bike in the winter, definitely check these out. If you are a snow biking fat biker you might want to look for something with a built in gaiter. But that is not what these are for. These are so nice I got a second pair. Hey, I need to keep riding through the winter!
Troy Lee says: https://troyleedesigns.com/products/sp21-skyline-solid-pant-black
Troy Lee Designs Skyline Pants With 20 years of experience crafting the best race pants, TLD has taken that knowledge to create a MTB trail pant that is perfect for rides that might have a bit more bushwhacking, cooler temps or shuttle days. Laser cut venting behind the knee give you ventilation in a critical area, room for knee pads or not and based off our best selling Skyline shorts with 2 zipper pockets and dual waist adjusters to dial in your fit throughout the day.