Originally Posted by mac
It looks like it's going to rain here in L.A. tomorrow - isolated thunderstorms. I haven't ridden in rain before, so what should I look out for? (I don't even ride my motorcycle when it's raining out.) I've got a hybrid bike so no skinny tires here. Don't ride over metal because it's very slippery? Extra braking distance? Extra visibility?
Also, is there anything extra that I should bring to the office with me? I've got waterproof covers for my Arkel panniers so my clothes should be dry. But I've only got UnderArmor, shorts, jersey, and forearm & foreleg warmers, so I guess I'll be soaked by the time I get there. And I park my bike in my cubicle.
You will of course be less visible in the rain so brighter clothes are always a plus. Depending on visibility you may want to turn on your taillight and/or headlight. The odd insane driver seems to get joy out of splashing a cyclist.
Fenders will be useful. (avoid the muddy stripe up your back, but if you're changing anyway maybe you don't care) Metal will be more slippery - but just approach with usual caution. Leave some extra room to brake if its raining hard. If its hardly raining you'll barely notice!
If you're going to park your bike inside on carpet, I would bring an old towel to wipe it off first so it doesn't dirty up the cube.
I find a waterproof jacket the most useful thing in the rain (but if its warm out you may wish to skip). Pants that don't soak up water (so jeans are bad) - if its a real downpour nylon pants are good but if its just drizzling I'll just wear whatever. If its warm and raining shorts are fine. For most rain I find a helmet (even with a fair number of vents) to be a sufficient rain hat. For really hard rain if you really want your head to stay dry you can get helmet covers that cover the holes and have a neck flap to boot. If you don't wear a helmet get a rain jacket that has a hood
I haven't really ever bothered with anything to cover my shoes with. But when it downpours your shoes can get soaked and stay wet. So if you have a change of socks and shoes at work (or bring in your pannier) that would be useful!