Commuting - Oh man it finally happened...

Has this ever happened to you? Earlier I rode to the supermarket (about 6 miles away) to buy some stuff and when I got out it was raining hard. I don't have any rain gear besides this Performance jacket (http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/500/10-0271-ROY-FRONT.jpg) that I luckily happened to be wearing. (The jacket kicks ass BTW.) So what do I do? I ride across the street to McDonald's order a coffee and sit there for over an hour till the rain let up then I booked home as fast as I could.

I really need to get some rain pants and waterproof gloves. I tried on the rain pants at Performance but they didn't fit right the other choices are just so expensive$$$. Does anyone know if neoprene is actually waterproof?

It's water resistant for a while. Eventually it gets waterlogged and then neoprene is soggy, miserable, and takes forever to dry.

I really need to get some rain pants and waterproof gloves. I tried on the rain pants at Performance but they didn't fit right the other choices are just so expensive$$$. Does anyone know if neoprene is actually waterproof?

The wetsuit that I use for SCUBA is neoprene. It isn't really waterproof (they aren't designed to keep us dry). If it gets older, it will probably leak a bit more, but it does insulate fairly well.

I've always figured, if you're gonna get wet, you might as well do it all the way. Being even a little wet is annoying to me, so I just ride it out. Great for summer riding, not so good for winter, but I'm not sure where you are. I have a Performance rain jacket as well, but I am still going to get wet in a rainstorm.

check out red ledge, I got jacket and pants raingear for $70 bucks and after being in the rain for hours it only takes around 15 mins to dry tops. Lightweight and the same stuff the sailors use.

I live in Florida, so rain is always a threat. I keep booties and a cheap clear jacket in my panniers---and if I'm going to be out for a while I'll strap my Rainlegs on. Rainlegs are rain chaps that roll up into a belt and strap around your waist. If rain threatens, I can unroll them and velcro them on in a few seconds. Good product.

I wasn't expecting rain on my ride home from work tonight...

My ansi class 3 reflective windbreaker protected me from the sprinkles

Best money I ever spent :)

i'll leave out the teasin'. Never is heavy and heavy is fine but only in the street man - we ate our words wrong this time - it's wicked where we tread.

It would've been nice to have had some rain pants today, I had to go to the store to get onions for chili as the ones I had went bad. For as brilliant as the invention of waterproof jackets is, the invention of water absorbent pants is equivalently idiotic. Or maybe it's just me for wearing them. Wish I had some waterproofed ones.

Stuff a poncho under your saddle and you'll always be prepared.

It's water resistant for a while. Eventually it gets waterlogged and then neoprene is soggy, miserable, and takes forever to dry.

True, but it helps keep you warm if not dry because it keeps a thin layer of water near your skin which stays near body temperature. Though that may depend on the thickness. I know I feel warm enough in 55 degree ocean (that's pretty cold for water) in a 7mm thick wetsuit.

Gore-Tex, nuff said

The wetsuit that I use for SCUBA is neoprene. It isn't really waterproof (they aren't designed to keep us dry). If it gets older, it will probably leak a bit more, but it does insulate fairly well.

There are different kinds of neoprene... closed cell and open cell. The closed cell stuff should be water proof. Open cell is like a sponge. Your wetsuit is probably closed cell, but loose enough fitting to allow a thin layer of water to form next to your skin. A close fitting can be achieved and may be done with a smooth faced neoprene to form neck fittings, and cuffs which can make a neoprene suit a "dry suit."

Gore-Tex, nuff said

Tend to agree... Best stuff I've used... expensive though.

6mi and not near freezing I'd just ride home anyway if destination was home with a place to take a warm shower and then dry out.
Al

Rain pants are too sweaty - I prefer my J&G cape.
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=292431
http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Rain-Capes.html
http://www.bicycleclothing.com/rain-cape.jpg

Neoprene sucks (IMHO). I bought a pair on the recommendation of my LBS. It is indeed waterproof, or pretty much so. This means that by the time I get where I'm going, the inside of the gloves are a stinking pool of sweat. I ride 11 miles, and when I get there I can pour out probably a tablespoon of sweat, and my hands are freezing. Plus it's pretty gross, and it's almost impossible to get them back on again until they completely dry.

Maybe it's good for shoe covers, especially since they're likely to have a hole in the bottom to let the cleat through, but for gloves I hate it.

I just use cheap waterproof/breathable gloves that I get for about $15 at Kohls. The colder it gets, the more I go for bigger/looser ones.

I've tried cape/ponchos, but if you have bad crosswinds (I often do), it's like a sail that will yank you right in front of that truck. I actually took mine off halfway through the ride and got drenched rather than ride with that killer on my back. I've never worn it again.

Neoprene sucks (IMHO). I bought a pair on the recommendation of my LBS. It is indeed waterproof, or pretty much so. This means that by the time I get where I'm going, the inside of the gloves are a stinking pool of sweat. I ride 11 miles, and when I get there I can pour out probably a tablespoon of sweat, and my hands are freezing. Plus it's pretty gross, and it's almost impossible to get them back on again until they completely dry.

Yeah, I understand. I used to go hiking in the mountains, and when it rained a number of people would put on a poncho of some sort. I would never wear the things as I would get more soaked by sweat than anything else. Instead I would just carry a cheap throw-away umbrella and use that which was be best compromise for me.

An umbrella would be no no use for cycling however.

I bought a pair of rain pants from REI (http://www.rei.com/product/724558?vcat=REI_SSHP_CYCLING_TOC). The price is right, but they get pretty hot and I only use them on rides when it's colder than about 55dF.

I bought a pair of rain pants from REI (http://www.rei.com/product/724558?vcat=REI_SSHP_CYCLING_TOC). The price is right, but they get pretty hot and I only use them on rides when it's colder than about 55dF.
Same here but I got these (http://www.rei.com/product/724361) from REI. I just get wet. I do wear a nylon jacket so most of it just falls off. I change at work BTW.

Neoprene sucks (IMHO). I bought a pair on the recommendation of my LBS. It is indeed waterproof, or pretty much so. This means that by the time I get where I'm going, the inside of the gloves are a stinking pool of sweat. I ride 11 miles, and when I get there I can pour out probably a tablespoon of sweat, and my hands are freezing. Plus it's pretty gross, and it's almost impossible to get them back on again until they completely dry.

Maybe it's good for shoe covers, especially since they're likely to have a hole in the bottom to let the cleat through, but for gloves I hate it.

I just use cheap waterproof/breathable gloves that I get for about $15 at Kohls. The colder it gets, the more I go for bigger/looser ones.

If the gloves are large enough, try using glove inserts with them. They can make a huge difference. The inserts will, at least, aid in evaporating some of the moisture, but they also make it easier to get the gloves back on.

Has this ever happened to you? Earlier I rode to the supermarket (about 6 miles away) to buy some stuff and when I got out it was raining hard. I don't have any rain gear besides this Performance jacket (http://www.performancebike.com/product_images/500/10-0271-ROY-FRONT.jpg) that I luckily happened to be wearing. (The jacket kicks ass BTW.) So what do I do? I ride across the street to McDonald's order a coffee and sit there for over an hour till the rain let up then I booked home as fast as I could.

I really need to get some rain pants and waterproof gloves. I tried on the rain pants at Performance but they didn't fit right the other choices are just so expensive$$$. Does anyone know if neoprene is actually waterproof? Hey yamcha, the LA area seems to only see a month's worth of rain throughout the year so I'm wondering if rain gear is even worth spending money on. Check out this table on Average Days of Precipitation, .01 Inches or more (http://www.met.utah.edu/jhorel/html/wx/climate/daysrain.html). If I remember correctly, the rains we got the other day lasted for a very short period of time.

As for neoprene, I used to go fishing in a float tube where the bottom half of my body was submerged for hours at a time. The only time I got wet was from my own sweat.