Jim from Boston

I susbscribe to that opinion…you are going to get wet. However, I take special precautions for four different bodily locations.

• HANDS
  
  Quote:

  Originally Posted by Northwestrider

  Gloves have been the weak area for me as well. It doesn't get as cold here in my area as it does in yours, but the combination of fairly cold weather and rain turn my hands to ice. My wife found some rubber gloves that are supposedly used by fishermen that I will insert a wool liner, for the next season.
  
  

  Quote:

  Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

  I agree that riding in rain down below about 45°F is a tougher challenge than much colder, but dry temps. I just now thought that when the occasion arises, I may try riding with plastic grocery bags over my gloves to keep off the rain and wind, sealed at my wrist with Velcro ankle bands. Right now, it’s just a thought experiment.
  
  

  Quote:

  Originally Posted by winston63

  … I usually wear wool gloves which help keep my hands warm even though they get wet. I've got some neoprene gloves that I'll wear if it's a to see cyclists.[I've never tried them.]
• EYES
  I wear prescription eyeglasses.
  
  
  Quote:

  Originally Posted by sm1960

  I always carry a baseball hat in my bag. I wear it under my helmet in the rain, keeps my glasses dry…
  Besides that, my rain jacket has a hood.
  
  
• FEET
  I can't stand drenched feet, and my shoes never dry well during the work day.
  
  
  Quote:

  Originally Posted by RubeRad

  I don't know that I'd "swear" by it, but I've been known to do it. Foot, sock, shoe, plastic grocery bag, and tie it around your ankle (above the sock) by the handles…
  
  

  Quote:

  Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

  …In the past I had bought a pair of neon green shoe covers made by Gore-Tex, for wet riding. …and my usual footwear is thin and thick socks, running shoes and Totes rubber overshoes. I use plastic bags over my running shoes to put on the Totes more easily (see the sequence below...
  
  
• SIT BONES
  
  Quote:

  Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

  …The last time I rode in such a drenching rain, about two years ago, I got so wet that I developed a presumed blister and subsequent abscess, “down there,” and was off the bike for two weeks. So if you ride in bad weather you may be a badass in more ways than one.

Bike Gremlin

Deal with rain? Give gods an offering... one they can't refuse...

irwin7638

I have a Chrome rain jacket which is ok, but any serious amount of rain will still require rain pants. Together they mean sweat, so, to me the rain jackets are waterproof wind jackets for cool days when rain is threatening. For RAIN, I wear a rain cape (i.e. special poncho) they keep you dry and allow air circulation to keep you from overheating also. Campmor, Carradice, Brooks, Cleverhood and Grundens are a few. I used a Campmor (the least expensive)for about 4 years before the waterproofing gave up, I now use a Grundens. Fenders are necessary, but they are worth it also. I also use a foot covering, Rivendell Splats and shin guards to keep my shoes and pant legs clean.

Marc

physdl

I'm in the market to get raingear as well and the discussion here has been great. There seems to be a general consensus that the Showers Pass Elite jacket is one of the best, if not the best. But I don't see any similar consensus about pants and many people say the pants they use are no longer available. My goal for raingear is to get me to work not soaked and relatively warm (given that here most rain is in the winter) - completely dry is not an issue since I change all clothes and shower when I get in. I can hang up a damp jacket and lay out gloves to dry in my office, but need to leave my pants, shoes, etc... in a locker that doesn't have great ventilation.

My two biggest problems with just letting tights/shorts get wet is that I have to wear them again for the ride home and that when they get soaked, water leaks into the top of my shoes and gets them soaked. I can deal with the former by bringing a second pair, but while tights dry overnight, shoes can easily take 2-3 days to dry (as I've experienced after riding in rain for 4 hours). Hence, I'd like to get water resistant or proof pants that will, for my ~40 minute commute, keep me dry enough that my shoes won't get wet from the top. Any thoughts on what I can buy now that works well?

rumrunn6

depends on your shoes I guess. I used EMS rain pants, the expensive kind (not plastic). I use 1/2 (mini) clips and regular shoes and pull-on Tingley boots with a high ankle so the rain pants went over that, no gaiters required. I once got drenched by a passing school bus but didn't get a drop on me.

$22.95 per pair Tingley 1400 Mens 10" Boot -Black Natural Rubber

when it's not raining you still need to cover your legs and I love my Novara weadwind pants. They don't make that model anymore I think but there must be others that are similar, snug but not tights with room underneath for a base layer.

physdl

I use PI Elite Barrier shoe covers. They come up above the angle, and don't let in any water from the sides and help protect against water coming up from the bottom. The issue is water dripping down my legs and entering from the top. With tights over the shoe covers it seems to take about 30 min of light rain before the tights get saturated and water starts going into the shoes. Ideally I'd like to get rain pants that don't get saturated so that the water can just roll down my leg, over the covers, and down from there.

jputnam

Staying dry in the Pacific Northwet is impossible. Just try to stay clean and warm enough, and put on dry clothes when you get to work.

Until the dead of winter, I commute in SPD sandals. They don't absorb any water, so they don't suck the heat out of my feet. Wet skin isn't a big deal when the humidity is high, wet shoes are what make your feet cold.

Knee-length rain pants avoid the sauna effect.

Unless it's really pouring, I don't bother with a jacket, just layers of good wicking jersey, arm warmers, under shirt, etc. as the temperature requires.

Helmet cover is a big plus for keeping your head reasonably damp instead of soaking wet.


Dressed for Bicycle Commuting in Seattle Rain by joshua_putnam, on Flickr

Jim from Boston

Totes are I believe the same as Tingley, and I think my current pair may well be Tingley. I say “current,” because a problem I have with rubber overshoes (with toeclips) is that the rubber rubs up against the pedal crank and eventually a hole is worn into the boot, sometimes too large for a tire patch, which also suffers the same fate.

Nonetheless when intact, they are totally waterproof. So besides using a plastic bag to more easily put on the Tingley, it also further seals my shoe from any leaks. Finally the Gore-Tex covers and protects the rubber overshoes from abrasion by the pedals. When I arrive at work in a drenching rain, my feet are only wet with sweat, and my shoes are dry. The extra pair of socks is for winter riding, and that arrangement is my daily winter, layered and windproof footwear for my 14 mile, one way commute down to as low as 0°F.

noglider 

@jputnam, that's very intelligent and inspiring.

gregjones

And, I like those sandals with the toes covered as they are. Mine a quite similar to the classic "Teva" design and I always feel that the toe a in danger. I got them a size large, they adjust with velcro on both straps and the extra bit of sole gives me a little peace of mind.

jputnam

I definitely prefer the covered toe -- eliminates a lot of wind chill and keeps road slime out when I hit a puddle. Mine are Nashbar Ragster II sandals, which I suspect are a house-branded Exustar. Keen also makes sandals with covered toes.

physdl

Anyone have any experience with PI Select WxB pants? Amazon recently had them for $50 ($50 lower than their normal price and $100 less than retail). Great deal and the reviews are quite good on them, but figured I'd check if anyone on here has tried them before I remove the tags and try them out in the rain.

noglider 

Today, I braved the rain. It turned out not to be heavy or cold. I wore my Showers Pass jacket on the way out. I didn't get terribly hot or sweaty, so I guess I can attribute some of that to the intelligent design. On the way back, it was still drizzling, and I went without the jacket. I was wearing linen shorts, a polo shirt, wool socks, and Shimano SPD shoes. I didn't get cold or soaked.

I spoke today with a bike messenger who is already complaining about rain. This is his first year on the job. I laughed and said it hasn't gotten tough yet. He has to get tougher. And he knows it.

OneLessFixie

Merino Wool and fenders. That is all.

Medic Zero

Not only do I totally agree with your statement, I love your screen name. I have a bumper sticker with "One Less Fixie" on the rack on my tourer.

HydroG33r 

+1

I've been slowly building my Merino Wool collection, though when it's cold and heavily raining, I do carry (and sometimes wear) my Shower Pass Elite 2.1.

owenfinn

I`ve been using an Ikea Poncho. Keeps me dry - and it`s cheap!

KNALLA Rain poncho - black - IKEA

physdl

Since I earlier asked about options, I've finally gotten a chance to try things out and can provide some feedback. This morning I had about 30 minutes of light to moderate rain (for Seattle) and light drizzle the rest of the time. My morning commute is ~8 miles on rolling hills. I typically get a bit sweaty on the way in no matter the weather. Temperature was in the mid to high 40's this morning. My goal, as I mentioned before, is to keep my clothes from getting too wet so that I can wear them on the way home. I shower/change when I get to work anyway, but completely soaked clothes will never dry. Given the weather this morning, I was wearing a merino wool base layer (shirt, tights, and socks). What I'm wearing on the outside for now:

• Jacket: Showers Pass Elite 2.1. This worked great. I opened the side vents about halfway through and my cuffs were never closed but it was zippered all the way to the top. If any water got in, I didn't feel it. Water was definitely beading up on the outside and while the inside is damp, I don't feel I could've stayed much cooler with another jacket.
• Pants: PI Select Barrier WxB Pants. These are also new for me this year and I got them for $50 on Amazon as opposed to their normal price of over $100. They claim to be water proof and breathable (like the showers pass jacket) and for the most part they are. My thighs stayed completely dry (which is great) but below the knee was not so lucky. My base layer there was damp (including the tops of my socks) though definitely not soaked. I think this is mostly humidity getting trapped, accumulating where there's more space (since my thighs are larger than below the knees) and then condensing on the pants given the colder temperature outside. This is where some venting would be great, but there is none (particularly since the bottom of the pants needs to be tightened to keep it from hitting the cranks. Still better than getting soaked, but I'll try to think of some way to deal with this. The other problem is that the velcro that holds the pants shut at the bottom is not the best, so it came undone halfway through. No damage yet, but I'll need to be careful about this.
• Gloves: PI Pro Barrier WxB Gloves. I've had these for a year now. They get damp when it's raining but keep my hands warm even when at 20-30 mph. In colder temperatures I add wool liners.
• Shoes: PI Elite Barrier covers over Shimano Click'r shoes. Have also had these for a year now. They keep my feet pretty warm (but in rain + 40's they start getting a bit chilly) and basically block all water. They can get a bit warm in the 50's but never an issue. The only way water can get in is from the top or the bottom - I've been very satisfied with them. The only problem is size (I have size 46 Shimano shoes and the XXL covers barely fit) and wear and tear - after a year the soles are starting to rip.

Overall, I think this was a success. Better pants would be nice, but I haven't seen anything better and I'll see what I can do about adjusting the ones I have.

takenreasy

All you need are fenders, either Showers Pass or J&G rain gear and the proper attitude.