Touring - Touring in rain suggestions?

Hey everyone, I'm planning a solo "credit card" tour for next week from Baltimore back home to New Jersey. Unfortunately, the weather doesn't seem to want me to go - the weather in the area is solid rain/thunderstorms for ALL of next week. My experience with touring has been rather limited - the last one I took was 130 miles to Washington DC with two other people over two days. During the last trip, I was on a mountain bike, and there was some rain on our way back. I haven't really biked this far in very bad rain before, and that scenario looks likely if I leave next week. I will be riding 150 miles over two days on a road bike this time.

Anyways, I'm trying to collect some experienced opinions. Will it be safe for me to tackle this trip solo? Is biking through heavy rain any worse than biking through the drizzles I'm used to? Also, what kind of extra gear should I pack/prepare for if I do choose to go?

Thanks!

What I learned on two very wet tours is:
a) Riding in the rain isn't as bad as you think it might be.
b) If it's warm and wet, just wear the minimum of clothes (shorts, tee-shirt) under a water proof jacket and change or dry out when you stop.
c) If it's cold and wet, waterproof trousers are worth having.
d) You need to pay a bit more attention to ensuring you are visible, e.g. high vis waistcoat.
Otherwise it is no big deal.

wool or modern materials are your friend in the rain. I love cotton for off bike, but I just got back from 8 days of riding in Ireland and about half of them were in the rain. Wool socks don't hold water like cotton does, and coolmax shirts dry quickly and don't hold water either.

Also Ortleib bags really are waterproof and are the only thing I saw on serious tourist bicycles over there.

Sheldon

I've done it as part of longer tours, but if I knew in advance that I was going to get rain the whole time, I would not do it. It is "do-able" but not "fun". The really dangerous part is how hard it is to be seen on the road, and how the cars may not have as much control as they want. They might be hugging the shoulder to keep away from oncoming traffic. And you can't see the road surface, so it's easy to run over stuff and get a flat.

If there is very little traffic on your route, it might be OK. But otherwise... bleh. forget it. save it for another time.

I had 5 straight days of pouring rain in new zealand, and i rode, but it was warm, and there was almost no traffic. It was sort of ok, it made me feel tough, but it wasn't really that much fun.

Touring is supposed to be enjoyable.
I've been caught in some rotten rain when i've been on long tours but if i can avoid riding in heavy rain day after day I will. I always carry rain gear and ortleib panniers so I'm fairly immune to the weather as it's better to plan for the worst and then anything less is catered for and easy.
We did 120 km's along the Danube rive in rain heavy enough to cause flooding a while ago and instead of camping when we arrived at Melk we stayed in a very nice hotel to get dry. As it kept on raining and the cycleway was closed due to flooding we caught the train back to Vienna and toured the sights.
So if I knew that it was going to be solid rain for the week I wouldn't be going or i'd go for a tour somewhere else that had better weather.

Cheers

Geoff

I'd probably keep my lights on the entire time if it's really raining. Half of the route I'm traveling on has relatively low traffic route through country roads. Downside is there's not much shoulder and the cars travel very fast, but there isn't likely to be too much traffic. The other half I'm planning on hugging the coast, traveling through cities, Wilmington DE and Philadelphia. There will probably be high traffic there, but mostly city traffic, which I'm extremely used to considering my escapades in Baltimore. Also, it seems that the storm is slowly splitting up... Perhaps instead of steady rain, I'll probably get spurts of thunderstorms in between calm.

Money is the number one help with rain. If you're totally broke and can't afford a hotel and have to camp in multi days of rain-- life really sucks. Even with raingear, waterproof bags and good tent, everything gets cold and wet. Comfort food, beer and a warm bed are the best way to deal with a crappy weather day.

I've always wanted to do an inn to inn tour in England in Oct. Yeah, I know it would rain, but as long as a good B&B waits at the end of the day, it would be great.

Rain really raises the stakes safety wise. Having lived in the UK, I know that life goes on in the rain, unfortunately we don't necesarilly have the same drivers over here (probably do in seattle, etc...). I basically agree that I would leave it for another time if I had a choice, unless the roads are wonderfully absent of traffic. You can do a lot, and should, to make yourself more visible. Unfortunately most of that stuff also attracks car hits. So you don't get hit due to invisibility, but do run an uncomfortable risk anyway. On top of that the whole driving thing seems looser, cars slip on oil, bikes can go down, cars are more concerned about the margins for passing oncoming cars, everyone feels the squeeze.

As far as the comfort part is concerned, your bike choice does not yell fully supported, so if it is a credit card thing, then yeah, it can actually be fun to run in the wet and then dry out in a nice little snug. If it is a camping trip, particularly one with stealth camping, then one needs to develop the right mindset. When I did live in UK we used to solo or lead on friction slabs in torrents of rain. If one just took the view that one didn't do stuff in the rain then one might as well give up on the outdoors. These days long since returned to NA. I tend to get angry at bad weather, and I have been planing on doing some work on getting more geared up for it, and developing a better mindset.

150 miles, 2 days, credit card = hotel?

i wouldn't worry at all about it. if you don't already own some decent raingear, just get something cheap. if you want the best, look for cycling specific goretex: jacket will have longish sleeves, long drop in the back, long pit zips and probably thumb tabs. pants will have sculpted knees, be fairly tight-fitting along lower leg, and have full side zips. a helmet cover is also nice. if you go with the cheap stuff, the pants will be really baggy, so use one of those velcro closures or a big rubber band so the pant legs don't get caught up in the chainring.

under your raingear, wear nylon or polyester shorts and tank top/t-shirt. otherwise, just make sure your end-of-the-day clothes stay dry in your pannier. yellow lens sunglasses make rainy/stormy days seem amazingly bright. clear lenses help keep wind-driven rain out of your eyes.

bring along an i-pod, etc, crank up the tunes, and the day will be over before you know it.

have a nice ride!

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Yeah, I will definitely be staying at a hotel in between.... I originally wanted to go stealth camping, but a recent shoulder injury meant that that is out of the question. Biking is fine, but I'm not so sure about setting up a tent, that's why. Also, the temperature seems to be hovering around 60-70 F, nothing too cold, so I doubt I'd need anything too fancy clothing-wise. I think I will probably just wear a long waterproof jacket over a bike shirt, and just bring a change of clothing for the next day.

Also, the rain is really breaking up now, very small scattered storms. It's looking very hopeful now! :) Again, thank you for all the suggestions, I will report back on how well it goes, barring any major stopping blocks!

I never build a tour around weather - except of course planning around seasons like not bicycling in Ontario in January.

Good days get rain. Rainy days get sunshine. Just go.

Of course, a couple of hours of rain mixed with a couple of hours of sunshine is enjoyable enough. Two days of solid rain will suck pretty bad and be dangerous as well. You can never be sure what it is going to be like, so don't miss the trip just because the forecast says "rain, followed by rain, mixed with rain, and finally rain by evening". Bring plenty of reflectors.

75 miles per day for two days is a full day of bicycling for most people. Doing it in the rain would normally be a very long day so plan to start early and end late.

The reason I insisted on forcing myself to go out in the rain. The multiple day tours I signed up for say, we go rain or shine. In such instances you have no choice, unless you want to be left behind.
Rain riding. Problems to solve. Finding actual rain proof gear. I have jackets and tights that are pretty effective. I have never found gear that keeps your feet dry. I think the solution is in finding waterproof socks. No shoes are effective. ( I hate the smell of shoes that have gotten soaked .)
Other aspects of rain riding I don't like . Reduced visibility and loss of braking traction. None the less, you want to do multiple day tours in the east. gotta accept the fact it might rain. It's not so bad.
Actually, I was reasonable comfortable except for the feet.
To be seen in dark rainy conditions. Take lights that are water proof and lots of reflective gear. And accept braking to be slower.

an addendum. One thing about riding in the rain. After a day in the rain; i'd splurge and get a hotel. Camping in the rain would be over the limits of my tolerance after a day in the rain.

I got rained on in Washington this summer (big surprise, huh?) It wasn't a big deal because I was prepared. I have Goretex rainpants, a Goretex jacket (Hi-visibility yellow), a waterproof cover for my helmet (no rain in the vent holes), Goretex winter gloves, and waterproof shoe covers. I stayed dry, except for the condensation - Goretex works fine when you're blithely pedalling along, but when you start climbing hills you sweat too much for it to handle. I was quite comfortable.

Camping in the rain is annoying 1) when you're putting your tent up in the rain; 2) when you're taking your tent down in the rain; and 3) when you're cooking in the rain. Other than that, it's fine, as long as your tent doesn't leak. It gets old hiding out in your tent, and taking your rain gear off and on when you go outside the tent is a hassle, but I enjoy being able to do it and survive and stay relatively cheerful! It makes me feel like I can handle things.

Having said that, I am happy to stay in a motel when it's pouring, and often do. Since you're credit card touring, that's a given.

I think the most important thing, besides having rain gear, is that you are able to be seen. If you're rain jacket is dark, get a hi-viz vest or something. Blinkies are fine, but you can't really seem them much in the daytime.

Riding in lightning scares me. You don't have the protective metal cage you do in a car. In a severe lightning storm I'd take protective measures - get inside, get in someone's car, stop in a low area but not under a tall tree - even crouch in a ditch if there are no other available refuges.

I have never found gear that keeps your feet dry.

http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/Products/CyclingClothing/5009241s_v1_m56577569830584340.jpg


These (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442618318&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692723&bmUID=1163047920768) worked great for me. I have size 14 shoes, so finding something that worked was especially difficult. I wore these through several downpours and my shoes stayed completely dry.

...Also, the temperature seems to be hovering around 60-70 F, nothing too cold, so I doubt I'd need anything too fancy clothing-wise. I think I will probably just wear a long waterproof jacket over a bike shirt, and just bring a change of clothing for the next day.


Continuously soaked and drenched at 60 degrees is mighty uncomfortable. I ran my first marathon in 61 degree steady (but not heavy) rain and expected it would be perfect. After too many hours in that stuff it took me all evening to stop shivering.

If the temp is OK (80's), I like to wear bike sandels because there's nothing to hold water.

And go super high visibility. All of my "vehicle encounters" have involved rain to some extent.

Continuously soaked and drenched at 60 degrees is mighty uncomfortable. I ran my first marathon in 61 degree steady (but not heavy) rain and expected it would be perfect. After too many hours in that stuff it took me all evening to stop shivering.

If the temp is OK (80's), I like to wear bike sandels because there's nothing to hold water.


I left yesterday morning to head downstate and it rained on me the whole time. I knew there were clouds across the whole state but I didn't think it would rain aaaaalllll day long. It was that cold 65ish degree rain and I was riding through Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. I only made about 50-60 miles and decided to hop on the Metra and come back home. The forecast has rain for therest of the week and I don't want to spend the next three days as miserable as I was. I totally agree that a light rain is quite nice, especially if its warm. But when its a heavy cold rain and you're being constantly heckled by motorists.. no thanks. I'm going to wait a few more days to head out again.

It cleared up and got warm about 20 miles north of Urbana-Champaign (I drove it)

http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/Products/CyclingClothing/5009241s_v1_m56577569830584340.jpg


These (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442618318&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692723&bmUID=1163047920768) worked great for me. I have size 14 shoes, so finding something that worked was especially difficult. I wore these through several downpours and my shoes stayed completely dry.

blue toe. My problem I ride totally clipless. Think they'd work with clipless shoes.

I use those MEC shoe covers and they work pretty well. I cut a little bit off the underside to make room for the cleats. I rode hours in driving rain and water got in a little from the top (I never wear rain pants) but at least my shoes were not soaked through.

If you have to ride in the rain, just go. The only thing worse than riding in the rain is leaving again after a pause. You can't stay completely dry so focus on staying warm, but don't wear too much while riding or you'll sweat too much. Put something thicker as soon as you stop. For riding, I wear a thin long sleeve underwear under the rain jacket because it feels better on the skin. My helmet has a visor and I use a cover so water doesn't drip down my face and glasses.

What I learned on two very wet tours is:
a) Riding in the rain isn't as bad as you think it might be.
b) If it's warm and wet, just wear the minimum of clothes (shorts, tee-shirt) under a water proof jacket and change or dry out when you stop.
c) If it's cold and wet, waterproof trousers are worth having.
d) You need to pay a bit more attention to ensuring you are visible, e.g. high vis waistcoat.
Otherwise it is no big deal.

What he said.

I just came back from a wet tour of Scotland -- where I think it probably rained 23 days out of 28. A lot of the fear about riding in the rain is just that -- irrational fear. If you're prepared, it's never as bad as you think it might be. Just get out there and do it. Riding in the rain might seem bad, but I can tell you it's a lot better than not riding a tour and regretting it later.

I use those MEC shoe covers and they work pretty well. I cut a little bit off the underside to make room for the cleats. I rode hours in driving rain and water got in a little from the top (I never wear rain pants) but at least my shoes were not soaked through.
.
I have a similiar version of your MEC shoe cover. I bought them from Adventure Cycling. They help but a decent amount of rain gets through the underside, somehow.

What route are you riding?

Well, as you can obviously see, I've delayed my trip by one day. Tomorrow seems to be rain free, so I'd rather go a day late than face rain! Anyways, here's my projected trip:

Tomorrow, I will be taking this route:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=1+E+University+Pkwy,+21218&daddr=39.668085,-76.175079+to:Wilmington,+DE&mrcr=0,1&mrsp=1&sz=10&mra=dpe&dirflg=h&sll=39.557001,-76.028137&sspn=0.464807,0.933838&ie=UTF8&ll=39.859155,-75.437622&spn=1.851039,3.735352&z=8&om=1

For the second day, it will be this one:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=Wilmington,+DE&daddr=39.979225,-75.143738+to:26+Running+Brook+Circle,+08822&mrcr=0,1&mrsp=1&sz=10&mra=dpe&dirflg=h&sll=39.91079,-75.076447&sspn=0.462428,0.933838&ie=UTF8&ll=40.170479,-75.204163&spn=0.92133,1.867676&z=9&om=1

I'm mostly trying to avoid the hills. I know I can go for a straight shot up through route 1, but based on the elevation maps and google earth, that would put me over endless hills, which I'd rather avoid. I'm also looking for a place to stay in Wilmington. If someone wouldn't mind lending me a couch, I would be extremely happy! Otherwise, I'll probably just find a motel in the area and crash for a few hours.

I'd ignore the weather reports. They're pretty much unreliable more than 4 days out anyway.

If you don't have Ortliebs, make sure to use some kind of a liner like a garbage bag. My "waterproof" Deuter bags were completely soaked after 2 hours of rain one day; without the trash bags, all my stuff would've been totally soaked.

To echo other folks... rain really isn't a big deal. You won't get sick just by getting wet, that's an old wives tale; you get sick from germs, remember? The main thing to watch for is hypothermia, which won't be an issue as long as you keep your core warm and reasonably dry.

Hello everyone! I'm alive, and not a single drop of rain along the way! Thanks again to Tom Gears in Wilmington for letting me stay at his place for a night. Warmshowers is seriously a great service!

The weather was surprisingly perfect for biking the last two days.... Slightly cloudy, and very cool. No sun glare, and the temperature meant I could really push my pace without overheating. Also no rain to speak of! So much for all the rain fears, haha.

The ride was really long, and pretty rough in some parts. Baltimore->Wilmington was REALLY hilly - I had to make it over some nearly mile-long hills. Considering that I had an ancient 10-speed bike, some of the hills were too steep even for my lowest gear. Most of them I just stood up and ground my way up the hill. There was only one hill where even that wouldn't work, and I had to get off and push! Also to note, Rt. 273 going into Newark DE is NOT the right path, even though it's designated a "bike path". Three gigantic consecutive hills really killed me right before the road flattened out. 75 miles for the first day over extremely hilly terrain.

The second day was much more pleasant terrain-wise than the first day. Tom helped me look for a different route from Wilmington back home. The original route I planned put me over mountains, and he suggested I follow the river up. Unfortunately, that turned my 80 mile trip for day 2 into 100 miles! At least the route was pretty flat though. Wilmington -> Philly was pleasantly flat, although the scenery wasn't all that pleasant. Mostly consisted of oil refineries and such. I got a bit lost in Philly, but I finally crossed the Ben Franklin bridge into Camden. Also to note for other bike tourers - the pedestrian path for the bridge ends in STAIRS on the Camden side. Yes they do have a ramp on the stairs, but by god it's treacherous trying to get a loaded bike down that thing x_x. Camden was a pretty scary place, and unfortunately the road I was supposed to be on, River Rd, was closed in quite a few places. When I finally made it onto the that road, I found it to be extremely pleasant. Very flat, shoulders or bike lanes in a good portion of it. Unfortunately, I had been putting off lunch to try and get out of Camden, and it really caught up to me around here. My energy bottomed out, I felt like crap, and the granola bars were not helping! I finally found some food in one of the many small towns along River Rd, and an hour later I was back in business. After River Rd. (Rt. 543), I had to connect to Rt. 130. Horribly treacherous road! DO NOT TAKE IT! I finally get into Trenton, then it was home free along Rt. 31! Getting home was the most amazing feeling, and I have a picture of my bike computer saying 100 :) I completed my first century!

Before this trip, I thought Baltimore drivers were very bad with bikers. Let's just say, my scale got expanded by two orders of magnitude.... Philly drivers were already pretty aggressive; they won't give you much room when they pass. However, Jersey drivers were the worst of the bunch! They will literally RUN YOU OFF THE ROAD. Route 130 was the worst portion of my journey because these drivers were literally crazy! Almost every single one of them would pass me with only inches to spare - I was effectively invisible to them. One Hummer on the road roared past me nearly clipping me in the wheel, cut me off, and braked REALLY hard to make a right turn. He couldn't even wait the 2 seconds it took for me to get across the intersection! I was going really fast too, nearly 20 mph at the time. In any case, BE VERY CAREFUL when biking in New Jersey!

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I'm happy to be home and alive, now with a century under my belt! :)

James,

I'm glad you did your trip, and even though you made it OK, I'll give my $.02 for anyone else expecting to ride in the rain.

1)First of all, if you don't have at least a front fender, get one. It will protect your bottom bracket from road crud, and help keep your feet drier.

2)Avoid cotton anything. Cotton has absolutely no insulating capacity when wet. Go with wool or synthetics. I've found that my aerotech tights, even though they get wet, do a fair to middling job of keeping me warm even when wet in marginal weather, though in winter I would get a set of thermal underwear and/or a pair of rain pants.

3)Try and get a jacket that will keep you completely dry. I had purchased a Land's End jacket that was "waterproof," and found out, way too late, that it wasn't at all. Again, if you can't get something that keeps you dry, go with wool/synthetics(I had a light flannel jacket as an underlayer which was a lifesaver--even wet it was warm).

4)Rain temps feel A LOT colder than dry temps. Riding in a 60 degree rainstorm is like riding when it is 30 degrees and dry. Water conducts heat away from your body. Riding back in Tuesday's rainstorm(59 degrees in New York), I was borderline hypothermic by the time I reached my destination.

5)Get a wool hat/helmet cover for emergency warmth. You lose 40% of body heat through your head. A wool hat will help trap a lot of heat without carrying a lot of weight.

6)+1 on ortlieb bags. They are absolutely waterproof, and I am convinced they are the only Panniers worth getting.

Amen Geoff; touring is supposed to be enjoyable. If I had that forecast, I'd cancel. Sorry, but riding in the rain just doesn't appeal to me -not least of which it does have increased risks of someone hitting you or you going out under your bike. Call me lightweight, but I'll cycle in the rain only if I need to, not if I have a choice to!


Touring is supposed to be enjoyable.
I've been caught in some rotten rain when i've been on long tours but if i can avoid riding in heavy rain day after day I will. I always carry rain gear and ortleib panniers so I'm fairly immune to the weather as it's better to plan for the worst and then anything less is catered for and easy.
We did 120 km's along the Danube rive in rain heavy enough to cause flooding a while ago and instead of camping when we arrived at Melk we stayed in a very nice hotel to get dry. As it kept on raining and the cycleway was closed due to flooding we caught the train back to Vienna and toured the sights.
So if I knew that it was going to be solid rain for the week I wouldn't be going or i'd go for a tour somewhere else that had better weather.

Cheers

Geoff

I did about 40 of 55 miles of a ride on saturday in rain, some of it a heavy down pour. When I stopped during the heavy down pours (with lightening), I was cold, temp dropped down to 68*, didn't feel better until I got back on the bike and moving again.

This was a short weekend ride to family, but I can't imagine going from riding in the rain to setting up a tent in the rain. I reallly didn't mind riding in the rain, but when you stop, I was cold, shoes were wet and heavy, and I've gone camping in the rain before and that dampness in the tent is no fun.

If I were to get caught in the rain, I would probably do as many miles as possible since sitting in a tent won't be any fun, and just tough it out, as long as the temp was too low, and find a motel at the end of the day to crash.

Hi,

I don't have any problems if it rains one or two hours per day. But if it's raining all day long (maximum was about 7 days in Iceland without any stop) I really hate. The reason is that you see nothing, nothing and nothing - all grey in grey - mountains hide behind the clouds. That's really disgusting.

I take it as it is (don't pay attention to wheather forecasts) but I try to avoid it. Last year I had on a 4 day trip on the last day rain so I decided to cycle home. I came home after lunch (150 km). I'm always faster when it rains...

Try cloths for the evening and a hot shower are quite nice after cycling in the rain.

Thomas

I ride in lightweight wool T shirts, they feel a lot nicer than cotton if they get damp and they
don't smell. I use a microporous rain jacket as they are light, more breathable than any other jacket I've
tried and cheap. Also I always carry an umbrella for when it's raining too hard to ride

I hope the OP made it on his/her rainy tour OK-last year.

I have not cycled too much in the rain, not while touring at least. I do work in the forest, and have to deal with rain a lot (depending on the season). If you bring enough clothes and are prepared for the worst and have a good attitude, the rain won't get you down. One thing rain does do is tire you out. At the end of a rainy day I am much more tired then a nice day. Rain gear usually keep the water our for about an hour or two, then some water starts to get in, but it does keep the heat in, and after a while, it seems like you wear rain gear for the heat, not the protection from water. An whatever you do, don't wear cotton, cotton is the worst when wet.

Wet socks are a real drag. Have some wicking socks or get rain boots. Boots also keep shoes dry.

As far a how tolerable wet socks are. It varies greatly depending on both the shoe and the sock. I find My Sidi Thetas and Bullets pretty comfortable with Under Armor socks even when wet.

rain really raises the stakes safety wise. Having lived in the uk, i know that life goes on in the rain, unfortunately we don't necesarilly have the same drivers over here (probably do in seattle, etc...). I basically agree that i would leave it for another time if i had a choice, unless the roads are wonderfully absent of traffic. You can do a lot, and should, to make yourself more visible. Unfortunately most of that stuff also attracks car hits. So you don't get hit due to invisibility, but do run an uncomfortable risk anyway. On top of that the whole driving thing seems looser, cars slip on oil, bikes can go down, cars are more concerned about the margins for passing oncoming cars, everyone feels the squeeze.

As far as the comfort part is concerned, your bike choice does not yell fully supported, so if it is a credit card thing, then yeah, it can actually be fun to run in the wet and then dry out in a nice little snug. If it is a camping trip, particularly one with stealth camping, then one needs to develop the right mindset. When i did live in uk we used to solo or lead on friction slabs in torrents of rain. If one just took the view that one didn't do stuff in the rain then one might as well give up on the outdoors. These days long since returned to na. I tend to get angry at bad weather, and i have been planing on doing some work on getting more geared up for it, and developing a better mindset.



+1