spivonious

We're currently getting dumped on with rain from what was Tropical Storm Karen. I'm finding out what's waterproof and what's not.

#1 . North Face jacket - waterproof
#2 . Merrell hiking boots - somewhat waterproof (good for a few miles)
#3 . Starter running pants - not waterproof at all

I've switched to wearing wool socks and have been very pleased with how quickly they dry out. This morning I wrapped my sneakers in plastic bags and that worked pretty well; just a little damp inside instead of dripping wet.

I hit a milestone today, although not a good one. I had my first collision with a car. A lady stopped at the stop sign, looked both ways, and pulled out right into me. She hit me right on the right rear pannier, so my clothes absorbed most of the impact. Bike seems fine, although the chain got pushed from the middle ring to the small ring. I'm fine too. I was able to get my leg out of the way. She was still in shock and kept apologizing. I'm pretty sure she'll be more careful in the future. It was partly my fault, since I should have taken the lane, but with the rain and it being one of the busier roads in my route, I stayed on the white line.

For those who care, I was running my MagicShine headlight on medium, a blinky red on the back of my rack, and a solid red on my seatpost. I was wearing a regular orange jacket (not the reflective vest I wear in the winter), and didn't have my spoke light turned on. Visibility was poor to fair - no fog but raining pretty hard and darker than normal because of the cloud cover.

SpecialX

Sucky milestone for sure..

But I don't understand about how she hit you? Especially in the right rear pannier...

rumrunn6

riding in heavy rain is like riding at night. you need to boost your visibility with all your lights and reflectivity. watch for potholes full of water. glad you survived.

Chris516

This is why I do not ride in the rain. Traction with the road is lower, both for a cyclist, and for a motorist. Yes I have a NiteRider MiNewt 600 for a headlight and an Axiom Pulse 60 LED for a taillight, but that does diddly for traction.

howsteepisit

Noting that there is nothing in the OP about traction - so why is it that Chris does not ride in the rain?

spivonious

@SpecialX - She pulled out when I was directly in front of her, so her car just caught my right rear. I'm thinking she looked right, looked left, looked right and then went when she didn't see any cars. I must have been in her line of sight when she looked left. Riding farther into the lane would have solved that problem, and given me enough clearance to go around her. As it was, she couldn't have been going faster than 5-10mph. It was just enough to knock the bike out from under me.

@rumrunn6 - I'm learning that. I thought about wearing the reflective vest this morning but figured it was bright enough out. That will be changing the next time I ride in the rain.

@Chris516- nothing to do with traction, and aside from increased braking distance, I haven't noticed any lower traction in the rain.

SpecialX

When you said you were in her 'line of sight'.. Did you mean to say, you were in her "blind spot"?
I'm sooo confused..
You were in front of her and she didn't see you? She stopped and looked left and right and still didn't see you in front if her? You mentioned that you had a rear light..
That's why most people 'take' the lane, so that they're more visible.
I'm guessing visibility was horrendous?!?

FBinNY 

I guess you don't ride far from home. What do you do when you're two or more hours out and the weather turns?

randomgear

Spivonious, What North Face Jacket do you have?

I tend to find that if I wear a waterproof jacket, I still get soaked from sweat, especially my arms, unless its rather on the cool side- lower 50s at the most.

Chris516

The OP did not say anything about traction.

But the OP did say they hit the milestone of getting hit by a car, and that it was raining.

spivonious

I meant to say I was in her line of sight when she looked right, away from me. Yep, she pulled out right into me after not seeing any cars coming from the left. I should have moved farther left so her car check would have seen me. It was pouring rain and darker than normal for that time of morning due to the heavy cloud cover. I had a headlight and two blinking rear lights. I don't think anything would have helped her see me.
@randomgear - https://www.sportsauthority.com/produ...uctId=11232746 I have it in "Zion Orange" which is orange, but a more subdued orange, like the color of leaves this time of year. The waterproofing is good; it only gets in from the top when it's not zipped up all of the way. It can get a bit warm inside, especially when I'm powering up hills. I don't wear a jacket when temps are over 55F, but it's fine for moderate cycling under that temp.

Chris516

I definitely ride far from home. If I am 2-2.5hrs. from home and it starts raining, I find shelter, and wait for the weather to pass.

FBinNY 

This is like a time joke. You wait almost 2 months to bump a thread by responding.

ItsJustMe

Unfortunately I still need to go to work when it's raining.

Leebo

Blinky light on the front bar ? I find a helmet light great for getting a drivers' attention.