Raingear suggestions
 

Now that Spring is around the corner -- and particularly since it was raining today -- I was wondering what to do about commuting in the rain?

Searched Performance bike for raingear and came up with only this
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_id=1130
Which wasn't what I was thinking about...

I normally wear a somewhat rainproof vest which would be OK for misty days, but we tend to have downpours here and I thought it would be nice to carry something like a poncho.

However, when I searched for ponchos, this is what happened
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=4408042
Probably wouldn't fit anyway..

Any ideas?

http://www.rainshield.com/index.html

$20 bucks or so, weighs like all of 100 grams, packs down to nothing, and actually breathes.
Great for an 'emergency' type shell to carry for those occasional downpours. Its bad point is its fragile, so not good for daily use over a whole winter.

Here's the most useful gear I've heard of:
http://www.showerspass.com/

Jarery, I looked though the product links you provided and came up with this jacket for $21.99
http://penncycle.com/itemdetails.cfm...gId=39&id=1514
But the matching pants are same price. Would you recommend both? (I'm already carting almost 20 pounds for the commute). Everything else I see on the internet costs an arm and a leg...

Found an exhaustive article on rain gear and bicycling, which kind of shoots down my notion of a poncho (although it might work for a short commute...)
http://outnaboutgear.com/page.cfm?PageID=70

Personally i would never use a poncho. The days i need raingear the most its also windy, and i never was good at sailing.

Id skip the rainpants. I only use a jacket. I use the showerspass jacket that HiYoSilver linked to (its the best raingear made ) But if its out of your price range, then dont go half way, go cheap, and save for the good one later. I live in pacific northwest. January was 40 commuting hours, it rained 38 of those i think, thats worth the $180 to stay dry to me.

For legs I use
http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1141877551732

Those are probably also out of the price range, but they are good for all cold days, rainy or not. If it rains, my legs stay warm even when wet since their the engine powering me along. The windproof front keeps them from getting cold. You may be able to find some windproof tights cheaper where you are.

Raingear is one of those odd things. They ALL stop the rain. Only some breath. Breathing half way isnt worth half the cost. Go big or go for the least expensive since the middle cost ones dont seem to breath any better than the cheapest ones. With those your just paying for fashion.

Just get good quality underwear. Tights or neopreme long underwear (under shorts unless you are very comfortable) and something lighter (like a jersey) for the top. I learned long ago that all the effort expended trying to stay dry is better spent trying to stay warm. Once the weather warms up getting wet is no big deal. Until then long underwear and wool.

Rain is about attitude not gear.

Also important: Don't forget a dry pair of wool socks for the ride home. The wool is great but the socks in particular seem to take forever to dry.

The most important raingear is fenders. I don't mind getting rain on me, but I don't want to get muddy.
After that, a helmet cover and a breathable (vented, not fancy-pants fabric) jacket; mine is from J&G at bicycleclothing.com and works great even in downpours.
I just let my legs get wet unless it's < 40*F or so, in which case I put on some tights and cheap nylon shell pants so at least I have warm water and not much wind on my legs.

I use a vinyl clear rain jacket for when its really raining (like the $9.99 jacket listed on Performance). This keeps me warm and some what dry in bad weather and is cheap. If the weather is warm (60-65F+) or only lightly raining I do without and just get wet. For me I am more comfortable wet from rain than wet from sweat. I'm sure the ShowerPass jacket is much more comfortable but I don't ride in heavy rains enough to warrant to much greater expense. I will probably only ride a dozen commutes in weather sufficient to drench. I use weather.com to find openings in the rain showers so i can avoid the worst of the weather. This is in fairly wet Cleveland. I'm guessing areas like the NW have alot more days of all day rain where an expensive jacket makes more sense. For me I spent the extra money on a softshell winter jacket that keeps me warm below feezing and is mostly waterproof for those rainy winter days.
Craig

I love my rainpants. Especially if you don't want to change clothes at the other end of the commute. Even with fenders I find I get crap on my pants from the road - some times by motor vehicles creating a big splash. I pull em on over my pants. I also got a helmet cover that has a neck flap on the back, I always hate rain pouring onto the back of my neck.

For short trips (like commuting) when it's reasonably warm, the best way to stay dry from outside and inside is the poncho (aka cape) specifically designed for bike use. They have loops for your thumbs and a strap that ties around your waist.

Yes, they add drag -- I would not attempt to break the hour record while wearing one. But I do not have any particular problem with side winds while wearing one.

You have to have fenders for capes to do you any good. If you resist this practical feature, you need full rain gear -- pants and jacket.

http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Rain-Capes.html
This is the one I have: http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/st...roductId=10130
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/carradice.asp (scroll way down)

There is no way for me to keep dry from sweat wearing a water proof jacket unless it's below about 40F. And breathable fabrics don't help that much in the rain, because they can't breathe when they are wet.

+1 on that. I couple that with $20 Performance Rain Pants and I'm all set. No complaints with either piece of gear. The best thing is a baseball cap under the helmet though.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=1130

I agree with this. Unless I am commuting in <40F temperatures, I find it's better just to resign myself to getting wet. It's amazing how much fun it can be to ride in the rain.

If you want to stop the all of the rain, I agree with Jarey--spend the money (or save until you can spend the money) it takes to get the best, most breathable stuff.