Thanks for the reply. This afternoon I rode in rain approaching drenching, in only shorts, shirt and a cycling vest, no gloves, and no feet coverings in a raw gusty wind up 24 mph, in the 50⁰'s …but only 1.5 miles.

Usually though I do wear rainpants and a water resistant jacket. I have ridden in drenching rain, unwillingly when necessary, since my abscess but when I get really wet I worry about a recurrence of the abscess to keep me off the bike during my training period. I didn’t mention also that I had a reaction to the antibiotic used to treat the abscess. So now I just avoid drenching rain; one day off won’t hurt.

BTW, regarding foot coverings, in my picture above, those green Gortex gaiters were about $70, the Totes overshoes about $15, and the plastic bags...can't even give them away.

The Totes and plastic bags alone might be sufficient waterproofing themselves but I found the Totes became abraded by the pedal crank, and a hole was worn into them. The gaiters cover the hole, and would have prevented that. Also they cover the tops of the Totes from water draining down, and are excellent windscreens. That get-up is my footwear, with an extra pair of socks during the winter, for my 14-mile commute, down to 0⁰.

BTW, the gaiters do have an open sole for clipless pedals, an are much easier to wrap around and fasten with Velcro, than struggle to pull on and close Neoprene booties (which I also use).