Commuting - Rain solution for your legs?

Hey people,

I seem to just dodge this answer for myself year in, year out by either wearing regular pants, bringing therma fleece tights I change out of, or not riding at all, but what do you guys wear on your lower half when you expect rain?

I'd prefer something streamlined rather than long awkward garbage bag pants...

Just curious about how some other people hack it.

Skin.
It's (mostly) water proof and quick drying too :-)

Seriously, unless it's really cold I wouldn't bother with anything longer than 3/4 shorts.

My polycotton hiking trousers and polyester track pants work in light rain. If the rain is heavy or cold I add a layer of Pertex. This is lighter, more breathable quicker drying (and cheaper) than gortex, but not totally waterproof.

L.L.Bean rain pants; lightweight and non-dorky.

L.L.Bean rain pants; lightweight and non-dorky.
Thanks for the information. :beer:
Most rain wear I've seen costs more than I'm willing to pay, but I found this (http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&categoryId=33837&sc1=Search&feat=sr) at LL Bean's website and this (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47813648&parent_category_rn=4501456&vcat=REI_SEARCH#) at REI's website. I guess it's time to buy some rain pants so I can ride to work when it's raining.
Any thoughts on either one of these?

Wouldn't something cycling specific be better, since it would be made to bend in all the right places without bunching up or binding anywhere?

I like the Performance Triflex tights...Best luck I have had with rain gear...The baggies, lots of water comes in...Triflex, only a little about the seams...Biggest worry is the feet.
Again, one cause of generally staying out of the rain...Don't like what it does to the drive train with grit and just , some get motivated by the sun god.

I'll have to go with the "nothin but skin" camp also. I just toss my riding shorts over the back of the chair when I get to work, they're generally dry by the time I'm heading back home.

I do carry a cheap pair of rain pants from Wally-World if I'm wearing my Cold Gear leggings, but to be honest, if I'm wearing them then it's to damn cold for rain / wet snow.

I'll wear my neoprene booties to keep the soaking of my feet to a minimum.

I'll wear my neoprene booties to keep the soaking of my feet to a minimum.

The final impetus to my buying rain pants was rain running down my leg and into the top of the neoprene booty. My feet finally started getting wet after about 45 minutes. Doesn't that happen to you?

Then again, I guess most commutes are about 45 minutes or less so it's not a factor, huh? (I wasn't commuting, just riding.)

I'm with the quick-dry bare legs folks. :) Today it drizzled a fine mist, but I wore jeans. If I ride home in rain today, my legs might just get soaked. Fortunately, they're dry now and I can change clothes when I get home.

I've come to the conclusion that trying to keep dry in the rain is a hopeless pursuit -- anything that keeps the rain out will keep the sweat in, so you're soaked either way.

So if it's warm, I just wear shorts. If it's cold, fleece tights -- they get wet but stay warm, and dry out pretty quickly.

I like the Performance Triflex tights...Best luck I have had with rain gear...The baggies, lots of water comes in...Triflex, only a little about the seams...Biggest worry is the feet.
Again, one cause of generally staying out of the rain...Don't like what it does to the drive train with grit and just , some get motivated by the sun god.

Those are what I will be getting for riding this winter. Tuck the top of the shoe booties under the bottom edge of the bib tights.

rain shell, whatever is cheap (I got some yellow ones at wallyworld for $3 off the clearance isle), and dry clothes in a plastic bag on the bike or at work...

I don't care about wet. Cold I care about, so I dress for warm enough, and let the rain fall... then change whatever is too damp when I get there.

Those are what I will be getting for riding this winter. Tuck the top of the shoe booties under the bottom edge of the bib tights.
Dchiefransom...I find the Triflex a little warm...So best on a really chilly day..They offer lots of thermal insulation...But, overall- I like them.

I rode in this morning knowing that it was going to be pouring on the way home, so I wore these tights from Mountain Equipment Co-op (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=668731&PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=12699&bmUID=1101316633416). They're waterproof-breathable enough to keep me from getting really wet, and the spandex on the back keeps my legs comfy.

I don't actually mind riding in the rain. It gets the fair weather commuters off the road -- and out of my way -- and gives me an excuse to clean my bike in the apartment. The downside for me is that it's hard to see (I wear glasses) and my feet get soaked. Does anybody know of any booties that would fit over Cannondale MC610 shoes (http://www.cannondale.com/clothing/04/ww/model-MC610.html)?

My commute's also only about 20 minutes (7 km thru downtown Toronto), so it's not like I live way out in the sticks.

Jason

I tend to wear the lightest nylon because it dries quickest or the cheapo rain pants. I also tend to wear shorts for the above stated reasons. HOWEVER I think wearing speedo's and only speedo's in the warmer rains would be the best. No shirts(women can wear bras but don't have to). Now us americans tend to shy away from these. They make sense tho'. VEry little water holding abilities, quick drying for the way home, quick changing. Charlie

I'll have to go with the "nothin but skin" camp also.
When it's 40F and raining I'm not tough enough to ride in shorts. :o

Haha, so basically everyone's different. :)

I'll wear shorts when it rains in the spring or summer no problem but when it's like 50 degrees and raining that's a little too nasty.

I would consider those LL bean rain pants since they come in a tall and I'm 6'6.

I've worn my Microfleece Flash P.I. tights in light rain and it's been fine. Just have to hope they dry out decently at work.

Skin. People who wuss out and buy $300 waterpoof gear is... approaching idiotic.

Hey people,

I seem to just dodge this answer for myself year in, year out by either wearing regular pants, bringing therma fleece tights I change out of, or not riding at all, but what do you guys wear on your lower half when you expect rain?

I'd prefer something streamlined rather than long awkward garbage bag pants...

Just curious about how some other people hack it.
GIR! I love Gir! I'm sorry, I should think of something constructive to say.

WAFFLES!

No, wait. For real. Louis Garneuauau stoneham pants. They rock. I've been wearing them as cold weather pants, too, but the weather hasn't dropped below freezing more than once or twice so far this year.

Gortex jacket (longish) shorts untill snow (if) and some, I think neoprene socks (some military under sock) wool socks and....light boots with drain holes (military derived design again.)

Wet pants are a pain, and the water must b able to leave the boot as well as perpiration.

I'm North Shore B.C Canada, sub-tropical rainforest. Muds fun if you mtb.

I don't mind rain, HATE wind..brrrrrr.

Oh, when it gets cold I just wear 'fleece?' that stuff the make from plastc, in a pair of long j's. Stuff repells water o.k., but a bit sweaty.

Mountain Equipment Co-op up north also makes some most excellent waterproof breathable STRETCH cycling not so tights that actually work well in a downpour and also breath/wick enough you stay dry when it dries out. I've been flabbergasted at the performance of these pants. Under 75 American, i think.

I thought I'd provide a little update to my earlier post about my MEC pants. By the time I got home tonight I was absolutely soaked and my tights were drenched -- it poured the whole way home. But when I pulled my tights off, my legs were only slightly damp. My shoes were so wet they were squishy, but the legs were great! Mucho impressive, IMHO.

But why do more drivers (than normal) decide to run red lights when its cold, dark and rainy?

Jason

Thanks for the information. :beer:
Most rain wear I've seen costs more than I'm willing to pay, but I found this (http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&categoryId=33837&sc1=Search&feat=sr) at LL Bean's website and this (http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=47813648&parent_category_rn=4501456&vcat=REI_SEARCH#) at REI's website. I guess it's time to buy some rain pants so I can ride to work when it's raining.
Any thoughts on either one of these?

Just a reminder, many Sears stores carry LL Bean stuff (saves the postage)...

I've come to the conclusion that trying to keep dry in the rain is a hopeless pursuit -- anything that keeps the rain out will keep the sweat in, so you're soaked either way.

So if it's warm, I just wear shorts. If it's cold, fleece tights -- they get wet but stay warm, and dry out pretty quickly.

The rain gear keeps the road spray off yourself and you can peal the mess off when you arrive. Without it, I have to scrub pretty hard to clean up (no shower at work).