LittleBigMan

Any advice from the experienced for commuting in cold rain (33 degrees and above)?

Cromulent

Bring extra socks. Cold, wet socks suck.

2manybikes

Put a small thermometer on the bars. That way if it starts to drift below freezing you know.

MichaelW

Fenders
Waterproof footwear.
Rainproof jacket and pants.
For me the biggest problem is the gap between the rainpants and the footwear. I have seen no trace of a waterproof boot with a high ankle that is light and slim. They are all thickly padded and heavy duty.
I have used plastic bags over my woolen socks with success.

dynaryder

I still can't find the bloody things,but somewhere around my apt I have a set of Totes overboots. I've used them for years on my motorcycle. I gave up looking for them and bought another set at a shoe place,but they fit funny(they're made for pointy dress shoes),so it looks like I need to turn the place upside-down again.

But the Totes work real good. If you change shoes at work and are only worried about keeping your feet dry,SealSkinz socks are another option. You just have to be real careful taking them on/off so you don't tear the internal membrane.

2manybikes

These are nice, they pack up small and light. I have two pair.

https://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...berId=12500226

MMACH 5

I put these on when it's cold and rainy:
Trail Gaiters

These are probably overkill for cycling, but I already had them for hiking/geocaching. They are water, wind and thorn proof . They rock.

Look around most camping gear web sites and you'll find a variety of sizes and coverage.

ngateguy

Waterproof socks like seal-skinz, and a good waterproof breathable rain suit for your outer layer. I wear sailboaters gloves in the winter they are designed specifically to keep ones hands warm when wet also able to pick up a dime with them.

and a sense of adventure of course

GlowBoy

Hey, here in Portland that's normal weather!

In general, my favorite saying about riding in rain is "you can't be dry, but you don't have to be cold." If you make yourself absolutely waterproof, you'll get so sweaty you end up getting wet anyway. Of course if you don't have some level of waterproofness, so much COLD rain will run in under your jacket, gloves, etc. that you get chilled, and that's worse than being sweaty. I've found myself happiest with stuff that's fairly waterproof and keeps most but not all of the rain out, and lets me breathe a little. Beyond that, I manage the "soft" layers of clothing based on the day's temperature, putting on whatever will be warm enough so I don't get chilled, but not so warm I get too sweaty.

The most important thing is a waterproof-breathable shell. Personally, I prefer something that is genuinely waterproof with a membrane, not a "DWR" (Durable Water Repellent) coating: I've found that Gore-Tex, Helly-Tech and Pearl Izumi's E-Vent all work quite well. Those aren't as breathable as the non-waterproof shells, but they do breathe and I'd rather deal with warm sweat than cold rain running into my jacket. The fabrics I've mentioned don't err so far on the side of waterproofness that I'm swimming in sweat, as was the case when I tried Columbia's Omni-Tech.

Second most important (or maybe first?) is fenders. Without fenders you're not only going to get soaked, you're going to get really dirty. Full-coverage fenders will work the best, but any old MTB fender will keep the majority of the spray from your wheels off you. Just make sure your front fender extends a few inches past the front of your fork, or you'll get sprayed in the face starting at about 15 mph.

Next most important is keeping your feet warm. I've used various Neoprene booties over the years, and frankly they all work pretty well in keeping most of the water out. And they all wear out quickly, usually 1 1/2 winters in my experience. I don't have a brand preference. Also, a shoe that doesn't leak in too much through the sole (around the cleat) is nice. The Diadoras and Shimanos I've used in the past would start to fill up with water through the sole on very rainy rides, but my Nikes are very well sealed and do not have this problem. This year I have finally splurged on the famous Lake MXZ300 winter boot, heavy duty leather with a neoprene cuff. Very nice and warm, but I haven't gotten around to waterproofing yet (I'll probably use Sno-seal, my favorite leather sealant) and so far they do leak a bit.

Almost as important as keeping your feet warm is keeping your hands warm. My experience with gloves is they're all useless in the rain -- except for $10 Neoprene fishing gloves. They don't insulate super well, but at least they still work when they're wet, and they keep most of the moisture out. If it's raining hard and the temps are down into the mid 30s my hands still get chilled, but still manageable. I've been known to carry a second pair for backup in those cases, but have yet to need to use them. I'm looking for a heavier-weight glove, but so far I haven't found any except elbow-length ones in camo.

As far as the soft stuff goes, some guys go for rain pants, but I just use regular shorts with whichever leg covers are appropriate for the day: some lightweight Sugois for most days, and some fleecy "sub-zero" ones for very cold rainy days or temps much below freezing. I'm a big believer in wool socks (especially Merino wools such as SmartWool), and have them in several weights for different weather conditions. And for an underlayer on top, I have several different weights of synthetic shirts, both long and short sleeve, and go with whichever one is appropriate for the day. With ALL of these items (shorts, socks, leg covers, tops), if I expect rain on my morning ride I bring a second one along in my pack for the evening trip. NOTHING sucks worse than putting on cold, wet clothes and then heading out into the rain.

Hope this helps!

ChezJfrey

I agree, fenders are paramount.

Also, the setup I use for 33-41 degrees and raining (this can be too warm in the low 40's if dry):

Neoprene booties (the Performance ones will leak, so I sprayed with silicone sealant, which continues to repel water for quite some time).
Tights with wind/waterproof front, breathable back (I use Performance knock-offs...possibly of the Amphib?) The Sugoi ones are excellent, but alas mine finally succumbed to wear and I've not yet replaced them.
-- tuck the booties under the pant legs.
I also use Ibex wool knee warmers under the pants because the pants aren't quite warm enough in sub 30 temperatures or sub 40 temps when raining.
Light, wool socks - even tucking the booties under won't keep your feet dry after about 30-40 minutes in a moderate rain. Wool will stay reasonably warm when wet.
Gore-Tex jacket (this usually must be considerably vented after about 15-20 minutes if no significant wind chill)
A short sleeve base shirt (if under 40 degrees), combined with a long sleeve.
Good gloves
Low to sub 30's = balaclava + helmet, 35-43 degrees = headband + helmet, 43+ just helmet

Eggplant Jeff

What about 27 degrees and raining?

Woo hoo! Nothing like freezing rain. Boy I wish my studded tires would hurry up and get here... Tomorrow's commute is gonna be dicey.

joejack951

I wrote in another thread about my Thanksgiving day ride to my parents: 25 miles at 42F, the first 13 miles during a downpour. Lucky for me, I was on my non-fendered road bike Thankfully, it at least had a rear rack to keep my back from getting covered in road grit. The piece(s) of clothing that most surprised me that day with their effectiveness were my cheap, Performance brand Goretex gloves. Not only did my hands stay warm, but they also stayed dry, something that can't be said for my Performance neoprene gloves. My Gill eVent jacket worked as expected, wonderfully. My feet got soaked but the wisdom of the forum has reminded me that plastic baggies work great for keeping your feet dry. Since I was on the road bike with my road pedals still installed, I was wearing my road shoes and booties. My feet eventually warmed up. Tomorrow, I get the same same snow/freezing rain as Eggplant but I'll have my Lake winter boots on so I should be good to go.

banerjek

+1, but I think hands are more important than feet. Neoprene is the way to go for rain in the low 30's. You won't be dry, but you'll be confortable enough.

Don't waste your time trying to stay dry -- it's totally futile unless your commute is really short.

GlowBoy

Yikes. That's when I drive. I've got studs on the bike, but people around here are totally clueless about driving in ice and snow. Ice storms are the one time I insist on being in a steel cage.

peregrine

+ 2

peregrine

absolutely. I remember a couple of years ago the whole Portland shut down for 2 weeks because of a few inches of snow.



...My bit of advice is to make sure all your lights are lit up when it's raining. Be extra careful

tokolosh

safety:

- what peregrine said about staying visible. remember you can't be seen well, and multiply a lot when you're riding in the dark. any light reflects off a wet street and makes all the spaces between the lights darker. it's just not as easy for people to realise your light is attached to a solid object - depth perception goes a bit wiggly.

- i also know from driving around here all winter for years that heavy rain gives driver tunnel vision. frontal visibility is so much higher than the lateral kind, because of the wipers. in rain i watch even more closely for hooking type accidents and try even harder to stay out of the door zone. it's harder for them to see me through the rain on their windows multiplied by the rain on their outside mirrors, multiplied by the light refractions. . . and they get hypnotised by their wipers too.

- in my observation people here tailgate when it's raining and make suicide turns when it's sunny. in rain they can't see very far ahead and it seems to give them this weird compulsion to get closer to what they can't see so they can see it better. strange, but i've been gripped by it too.

gear:

- if you're going to get wet, at least try to get some windproofing in there because wind can pull your body heat off you even faster once you're wet. i rode home one night when it was raining hard and about 3C, and i only had a windproof layer, not my waterproof shell. i got very wet, but i didn't start to feel cold until i was almost home. it helps. layers will provide some of this too, if you don't have access to the fancy fabrics. and can i say silk again? it seems to cut wind very nicely.

- i lurve my powerdry shirts when it's raining hard. they keep wet from outside away from you as well as wet from inside. i can arrive at work damp all the way through to that layer, but still warm and feeling perfectly dry.

- i've been riding through rain in my runner/hikers, and then packing them with layers of paper towels once i got there. forgot to take them out a couple of times, and it was surprising how they helped to keep my feet warm even though they got wet.

LittleBigMan

It's all helping, it's a wealth of information, fantastic. I think it's great there are so many of you who have taken the time to post your information, nothing is too small to be left out.

My commuting experience has been a growing adventure with ever-expanding challenges. This is one more that must be conquered.

beekay

knee warmers. Knees get cold easily despite all that blood flowing through yer legs, and when they get cold, you can harm them by riding. The cartilage becomes inflexible, if I remember right.