RainmanP

Yesterday on the way home the weather was threatening and there was a huge, hideous black cloud right where I needed to go. As luck would have it, my LBS is right on the way, and they love for me to visit because I can almost always find something I need. I decided to stop in and see if the weather would blow over. I don't mind riding in the rain and do it all the time, but given the choice I would just as soon NOT ride in a torrential downpour with lightning. When I do ride in the rain, I only put on raingear if I get cold. I have a typical coated nylon cycling rain jacket with features like zip pits, two way zipper and hood. It keeps the water out, but, despite being described as "breathable", sweat builds up almost immediately. So I get wet no matter what, but it keeps me from getting too cold.

So I'm in the LBS and see a display of O2 Cycling Jacket made of 3M Propore microporous fabric by Rain Shield. The fabric feels almost like plastic with little dimples on the outside and a fuzzy, absorbent feeling inside. Very light. I decided to give one a try and write up a report for my commuter buddies.

When the heavy rain had passed there remained a heavy drizzle/light rain. The wind was not blowing hard enough to make me cold so I probably would not have put on my nylon jacket. I figured it would be a good trial for a "breathable" jacket. Right away I thought of a couple of features that would have been nice to have - two-way zipper and hood. The two way zipper would allow unzipping from the bottom to enhance ventilation and the hood would keep water from running down one's back in a heavy rain. It wasn't raining heavily enough to be a problem yesterday.

At light exertion - 12-13 mph the breathable fabric seemed to be able do cope with perspiration; I seemed to be staying dry inside. It may have been my imagination, but I could almost feel a little air flow through the fabric. After about 15-20 minutes I decided to kick it up a little to see how the fabric could handle more perspiration. At around 16-17 mph the heavier perspiration overwhelmed the fabric's breathability and I started getting damp inside the arms even with the front completely unzipped. I must say though that even then I did not get as wet inside as with the nylon jacket at practically no exertion.

I consider this to have been a worthwhile purchase at $29.95. I would rather use this jacket than the nylon. The additional features I mentioned would be nice, but might increase the cost too much. I won't even mind water down my back as long as the weather is warm. However, I am still concerned with how I will handle a heavy rain in cold weather. I lucked out last year and didn't have a single day when it was cold AND raining, and we seldom get below freezing. A layer of light wool with the nylon shell and pants might do the trick. I keep thinking about Goretex, but I would hate to spend $150-200 only to find out that in our climate I don't like it any better than a $30 rain jacket.
Regards,
Rainman

neguypdx

I think Goretex is really an overrated fabric. Nylon works well, though doesn't breathe all that well.

I am interested in your rain jacket you mentioned. At $30 what a steal!

What about pants? As we head into the fall, I am going to keep commuting as long as I can. What pants should I get? There are tights and then rain pants. I have also seen this Illuminite fabric that Performance has. That looks very cool for visibility.

Suggestions?

RonH

Thanks for the report Rainman. I've seen this rain jacket at my LBS, but at $25+ I wondered if it would hold up. The fabric felt like it would fall apart in a good rain. It kinda feels like paper or some sort of fiber.

Let us know what the fabric does once it dries out and if you think it is good for more than a couple of rides in the rain.

Chris L

My rain jacket stays in one piece pretty well (although I haven't tried to wash it yet, after about three months!), but like most other "waterproof" stuff, it's pretty ineffectual against genuinely heavy rain.

I really don't think staying dry is an issue. Staying warm is more important. That basically means having a dry change of clothes for when you get to your destination, and having a jacket that will keep the wind off you. My rainjacket does that pretty well.

Chris

MichaelW

I can recomend Pertex for rain pants. Its not 100% waterproof, but its very breathable and windproof. Rain evapourates off very quickly, so the worst that happens is a little dampness on your tights. Mine cost == $30 and have lasted 3 years so far. The water-resistant properties are not dependant on any coating or treatment.
Hoods are bad news when cycling, they limit your vision. A very generous collar is much better. Most cycling jackets have skimpy little collars.

junebride

i'm a fan of goretex and use it for both jacket and pants. of course i also live in seattle. my rain pants are actually designed for light mountaineering... which is remarkably similar to cycling the killer east-west hills of seattle! heh-heh.

still, it's much more comfortable to cycle in tights and a fuzzy stretch shirt than in full-blown goretex (which does reduce sweat build-up on the inside and also keeps at least me very dry). regular stretchy cycling clothes feel better, stay closer to your body, reduce wind drag, and you don't feel huge and crinkly. but i only do this if i'm not going to be out for more than 20 minutes in real heavy rain.

for light rain, a nice compromise would be those special wind-front tights - your basic fleece cycling tight with a nylon panel on the front side of the leg. i don't have these but wish i did!

oh, and the best rain protection of all, in my opinion? fenders!

-junebride

Jean Beetham Smith 

I've used a Rainshield jacket for about a year, and it is pretty beat at this point. It shreds very easily. However, for the money, it is a very good keep in the rack trunk rain jacket.
Think of its fragility as an extra incentive to not crash.