Move. Seattle is a fine city... albeit a wet and cold one. Just relocate to a warmer climate.

I've been commuting all year long for over a decade. Rain and snow. Never had health problems. Wrote most of my clothing experience and tips in this article:

How to dress for winter cycling?

In short - staying completely dry is second to getting wind protection. Change of clothes when reaching destination, fast drying clothes, then ride home.

I bought a poncho and used it once. It very nearly killed me. My advice, do not wear a poncho if you live in an area with very gusty winds and don't think being blown directly in the path of traffic sounds like fun.

Surprised no one has mentioned this yet...using panniers instead of a backpack also delays the wet factor for me. Allows greater airflow around the body.

I live on The Coast.. Mudguards on the Bike, A cycle rain cape on Me ..

Ponchos are rectangular , a Proper cyclist rain cape is a conic shape, so flaps little .

The Grundens one [Riv Bike ] is a welded seam rugged fabric & so flapping resistant.





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When I lived in Seattle I almost never rode in the rain, which of course is from September to May. And really, I just didn't.

I went back a few years ago, taking my bike with me on a cycling vacation in my old town. Just did some rides around, met up with a guy from here on the forums too. The first thing I did when I got to Seattle was made a trip to the REI store (which was new to me, the old store on Capital Hill was long gone I guess) and bought myself a Showers Pass jacket. I took it with me everywhere, and needed it. Since it was May, the rainy season hadn't ended yet, and I was there to ride. I rode in the rain every day of that trip. Twice I ended up in big downpours, actually unusual for Seattle, once out at Marymoor, and once coming back from Ballard. I rode back from Marymoor in the rain as I had no choice, but I ducked in Puget co-op and had some food and waited out the second one. That jacket came in really handy.

So since I've been back in NYC, I have yet to use that jacket in 5 years. My wife uses it for running, but I just avoid the rain.

Great jacket though, highly recommend it.

I use panniers for being waterproof.

But for the airflow - I put backpack on the rear rack, never carrying on my back. Same as panniers.

I use speed fenders from plant bike on my road bike. I have never had a stripe on my back from using these fenders. However I can't say if someone would get splash from behind me as I have never had someone riding behind me during rain.

I sweat regardless of season, so trying keep dry in the rain is sort of pointless. Truly waterproof rain jack and pants would be quite warm, I imagine, and if I'm wet from the inside out, then it'd be even more uncomfortable with the rain gear.

I can count the number of times that I've had to ride in the rain the past two years on one hand. Maybe three times. More often it's the morning following a rainy night where I have to ride on wet pavement. In this case, fenders and shoe covers are more important for keeping me dry.

Cycling rain gear bears a strong resemblance to light ski/snowboard gear, which might be easier to find. It works for me. I do have a jacket with a double zipper pull so you can pull it up from the bottom and free up your hips while your torso is protected.

I have an early-90s vintage rain jacket with a removable fleece liner that my Dad bought me from REI. It's old but perfectly ok for any purpose. The only reason not to wear it much is that the muted teal color is so pre-grunge-era!

What ever you decide to get make sure that it ventilates. air flow is paramount when work muscles are heating up. Enjoy the ride
V

For me, panniers, fenders, and a jacket from Showers Pass work great. If it's really coming down, I'll wear pants from Showers Pass as well. As people have said, nothing is waterproof and breathable, but the SP gear works for me. If the outside of the clothing is wet, I manage to stay relatively cool inside of it.

Quick question on eye wear while riding in the rain. Do you guys/gals wear goggles or anything? I wear contact lenses and would like use something but it gets all wet and hard to see without wiping it sometimes. I need somekind of mini windshield wipers for my glasses...

I wear prescription glasses and have both tinted and non-tinted riding glasses with my prescription, but my vision is sufficient to ride without any correction and so when it's raining hard enough (or worse, when it's foggy) that's what I do. I haven't found any other solution that I'm happy with.

I've got a Brooks rain poncho and velcro rain shoe covers.. The beauty of the poncho is it breaths so you're never sweaty.. You also feel like 'Batman' flying down the road..

I recommend wearing a baseball cap. I managed to find one that is made of a super thin material (I think it's a mix of cotton and polyester; it says "Nike golf" on the tag). The thin material is key because it allows me to wear the hat comfortably underneath my helmet.

Whether I'm wearing glasses or contact lenses, the baseball cap keeps 90% of the rain away from my lenses. That's the best solution I've found thus far, and I bike a lot in the rain.