Originally Posted by
jyossarian
Some people don't mind not having a hood as long as their helmet visor keeps the water out of their eyes/glasses. There's also separate helmet covers that extend down the back to allow water to roll onto the jacket instead of the back of your neck. Light to moderate rain, I don't bother w/ the hood/helmet cover. Heavy downpours I pull out the helmet cover or hood.
I seldom wear the hood when I'm riding the bike but as a transportation cyclist it means I wear the jacket when I'm off the bike as well. I don't carry a different rain coat with me when I've ridden my bike somewhere, locked it and then become a pedestrian nor do I carry an umbrella. In a downpour I like to be able to walk into a place with a relatively dry head. Maybe I'm the only one with this complaint but an issue I have with a lot of cycling specific clothing has to do with exactly how "specific" it is. If cycling clothes are designed so they only make sense when on the bike they lack the range of functionality I need for every day use. Maybe they're okay for racing and some recreational riding and touring but $200+ is a lot of money to spend for a rain jacket with such limitations of use.