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08-29-01, 12:30 PM
Yesterday on the way home the weather was threatening and there was a huge, hideous black cloud right where I needed to go. As luck would have it, my LBS is right on the way, and they love for me to visit because I can almost always find something I need. I decided to stop in and see if the weather would blow over. I don't mind riding in the rain and do it all the time, but given the choice I would just as soon NOT ride in a torrential downpour with lightning. When I do ride in the rain, I only put on raingear if I get cold. I have a typical coated nylon cycling rain jacket with features like zip pits, two way zipper and hood. It keeps the water out, but, despite being described as "breathable", sweat builds up almost immediately. So I get wet no matter what, but it keeps me from getting too cold.
So I'm in the LBS and see a display of O2 Cycling Jacket made of 3M Propore microporous fabric by Rain Shield. The fabric feels almost like plastic with little dimples on the outside and a fuzzy, absorbent feeling inside. Very light. I decided to give one a try and write up a report for my commuter buddies.
When the heavy rain had passed there remained a heavy drizzle/light rain. The wind was not blowing hard enough to make me cold so I probably would not have put on my nylon jacket. I figured it would be a good trial for a "breathable" jacket. Right away I thought of a couple of features that would have been nice to have - two-way zipper and hood. The two way zipper would allow unzipping from the bottom to enhance ventilation and the hood would keep water from running down one's back in a heavy rain. It wasn't raining heavily enough to be a problem yesterday.
At light exertion - 12-13 mph the breathable fabric seemed to be able do cope with perspiration; I seemed to be staying dry inside. It may have been my imagination, but I could almost feel a little air flow through the fabric. After about 15-20 minutes I decided to kick it up a little to see how the fabric could handle more perspiration. At around 16-17 mph the heavier perspiration overwhelmed the fabric's breathability and I started getting damp inside the arms even with the front completely unzipped. I must say though that even then I did not get as wet inside as with the nylon jacket at practically no exertion.
I consider this to have been a worthwhile purchase at $29.95. I would rather use this jacket than the nylon. The additional features I mentioned would be nice, but might increase the cost too much. I won't even mind water down my back as long as the weather is warm. However, I am still concerned with how I will handle a heavy rain in cold weather. I lucked out last year and didn't have a single day when it was cold AND raining, and we seldom get below freezing. A layer of light wool with the nylon shell and pants might do the trick. I keep thinking about Goretex, but I would hate to spend $150-200 only to find out that in our climate I don't like it any better than a $30 rain jacket.
Regards,
Rainman
So I'm in the LBS and see a display of O2 Cycling Jacket made of 3M Propore microporous fabric by Rain Shield. The fabric feels almost like plastic with little dimples on the outside and a fuzzy, absorbent feeling inside. Very light. I decided to give one a try and write up a report for my commuter buddies.
When the heavy rain had passed there remained a heavy drizzle/light rain. The wind was not blowing hard enough to make me cold so I probably would not have put on my nylon jacket. I figured it would be a good trial for a "breathable" jacket. Right away I thought of a couple of features that would have been nice to have - two-way zipper and hood. The two way zipper would allow unzipping from the bottom to enhance ventilation and the hood would keep water from running down one's back in a heavy rain. It wasn't raining heavily enough to be a problem yesterday.
At light exertion - 12-13 mph the breathable fabric seemed to be able do cope with perspiration; I seemed to be staying dry inside. It may have been my imagination, but I could almost feel a little air flow through the fabric. After about 15-20 minutes I decided to kick it up a little to see how the fabric could handle more perspiration. At around 16-17 mph the heavier perspiration overwhelmed the fabric's breathability and I started getting damp inside the arms even with the front completely unzipped. I must say though that even then I did not get as wet inside as with the nylon jacket at practically no exertion.
I consider this to have been a worthwhile purchase at $29.95. I would rather use this jacket than the nylon. The additional features I mentioned would be nice, but might increase the cost too much. I won't even mind water down my back as long as the weather is warm. However, I am still concerned with how I will handle a heavy rain in cold weather. I lucked out last year and didn't have a single day when it was cold AND raining, and we seldom get below freezing. A layer of light wool with the nylon shell and pants might do the trick. I keep thinking about Goretex, but I would hate to spend $150-200 only to find out that in our climate I don't like it any better than a $30 rain jacket.
Regards,
Rainman