Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Comfortable clothing is the trick. The following is for cold and wet:
Nothing waterproof except for your MTB boots. Skin out upper body - Craft LS undershirt, either very heavy poly jersey or two jerseys, windshell. Legs - just a pair of winter tights, like PI AmFIB tights or equivalent. Feet - WP MTB boots with wool socks. Over the MTB boots put a set of dry suit leg seals on your bare ankles so that the bell covers the boot top and the tights cover the top of the leg seals. Feet stay dry all day. Hands are hard. Giro 100 Proof lobster gloves are probably the best commercial cycling rain gloves. Many riders prefer heavy knit wool gloves, no shell over. A hard thing with gloves is getting your wet hand out to do something and then get it back in again.
The theory of all the above (except feet) is that you need to be water-cooled, summer or winter. In the rain, you have to let in just enough water to keep your body temperature down. The exact permeability of the wind shell is critical. You wear just enough insulating material to keep your body temperature about where you like it.
I have a pretty different approach to rain riding. For me it's all waterproof breathable shell from head to toes. I've found that modern waterproof shells are breathable enough that they can be used even during moderate intensity in cold climates without sweat soaking issues. Of course you get what you pay for. Good waterproof shell is never cheap.
of course in warm rain (+18C) and with higher intensities even wind shell can get stuffy so it's always a balancing act between clothing and heat production. But if I consider common intensities for 2-4 hour road rides I often opt for waterproof shell.
Waterproof shoes I've found are difficult to find. But on tours and even sometimes on my road bike (GASP) I"ll use Shimano SPD sandals and sealskinz waterproof socks. Of course that'll mean that one needs to use MTB pedals instead of road pedals so for many that's not an option.
Sealskinz waterproof gloves are the best I've tried. They're so good in fact that I'll sometimes use them even when it's not raining or even wet. They work exceedingly well down to -5C after which I'll pull out my Hestra military leathers.
I don't typically use any cycling specific rain gear. For some reason the cyclign stuff is never as high quality or as functional as similarly priced generic gear. I'll lose some aero benefits but in the rain that's not a big issue. The only cycling specific rain clothing I have is the POC consort mtb dungarees. Bought them the second I saw them. Finally rain pants which have a high enough waist. And they're waterproof stretch which to me seems like cheating somehow.
in more general terms some sort of butt protection is mandatory. It can be either a buttsaver or full length mudguards, but something must be used to prevent direct water spray to the saddle/butt area. Nobody likes a wet behind (or a soaked chamois) and with direct spray even the best waterproof shell cannot help you. Once you start sitting on water it will get through.