decent rain gear?
 

My commute is about 11 miles one way. i'm fine with the distance, no problem. Today was the first since last winter (when my commute was only 2 miles) when it rained/drizzled the entire night, and during my ride in. I got in, and I'm soaked. I looked up the rain gear I have, and the manufacturer (Sierra Designs) says it's good for a light rain for a short period of time. I'm thinking that 45 minutes to an hour is not a short amount of time.

Can anyone recommend a decent set of rain gear (pants and jacket? hat? gloves?) that I should look at. The stuff I have is fine for short trips in a light rain, but it would be nice to be able to ride in to work/home in a downpour and still be mostly dry when I get here.

Thanks.

I dont have any myself but i've been looking at showers pass stuff - www.showerspass.com

Anything that keeps rain out often will keep sweat in. Goretex and other breatable layers do not pass water out if there is a solid film of rain on the outside. Good rain gear just leaves you warm/damp instead of cold/wet. I an using a Performance rain suit that has lasted 20 years. Not made now. Fenders, head cover, gloves, booties are also needed.

Yeah, I'm aware of this...I didn't arrive damp, I arrived soaked. Well, mostly. My cloths were either soaked from seepage. The difference between water proof and water resistant in my "rain" gear, I'm guessing.

I've been thinking about this stuff too. I just moved to Seattle and I would like to commute through the rainy season, and I think the Showers Pass stuff might be the ticket.

Living in Florida I get to ride in some pretty heavy rain. I have a set of Frogg Toggs that I wear on my motorcycle and they work great but are sized to fit over my riding jacket and pants and are too baggy for cycling. This afternoon I came across a set of reflective Frogg Toggs at Dicks Sporting Goods for $49.99. I think they are going to be just what I need.

Last winter (it rains every day in the winter here) I rode for a while in a full Gorton's Fisherman costume. The similarity of this suit to what wrestlers wear on weigh-in days to get down to weight is obvious, but in the winter that's not always a bad thing. When it started to warm up, I switched to leg warmers, bike shorts and a light wind breaker. That was surprisingly effective. Eventually, I switched the wind breaker out for a jersey and arm warmers. That still worked pretty well.

The thing I would note in all of this is that the bike clothes which keep you from being drenched in sweat on hot summer days just don't get "soaked" no matter how much they get rained on.

When you got soaked, were you by any chance wearing cotton and/or denim under the rain gear?

I've just got a good jacket from Ground Effect that works well. It has pit zips and a hood that fits under the helmet. I just wear a pair of their Daddy Long Legs tights in the rain.

My legs don't get cold even though they get damp and the jacket works well. I tend to wear wicking shirts which don't hold the water close to the skin underneath. I'd like to wear merino wool tops but I am mildly allergic to wool.:notamused:

You are not going to stay 100% dry in the rain. If you wear 100% waterproof gear you will still arrive wet, just it'll be sweat not rain. I'd suggest that on wet days wear some clothes that will keep you warm even if you are damp.

I have a north face hyvent jacket that seems to keep me plenty dry.

Showerspass makes the most breathable, cycling specific rain shells you can get. But apperently they had a batch where the cuffs on the sleeves were made from water absorbant material, heh. There is a thread on here about it. Write em and make sure they have corrected it and you'll get the best hardshell raingear you can get, or used to be last i researched raingear.

Anyways, anything else from material such as goretex, hyvent, precipe, will breath less. Frog togs is from propore and is less durable but cheaper and breathes slightly less. Beware of anything made from a material that is manufacturer specific, since you wont be able to research even what the heck it is. (manufacturers just buy a material from someone and rebrand it in their marketing brand)

Hardshell raingear is also really only appropriate for cycling in temps below 45-50 degrees F. Anything above that and your going to sweat faster than it can clear. Try a windshirt if your in temps above that. Anyone who claims your going to be covered in sweat cyclign in temps below that, has probably never used anything better than goretex.

A softshell is also an option for rides of an hour, but they take a while to dry out, although they breath the best.

I have a showers pass elite as well as marmot precip coat and pants. The Marmot precip stuff is good, the pants need to be cinched in so as not to catch the chain though. The showers pass works very well, and is usually my go-to jacket. The fit is very close, so occasionally I will use the precip when I have many layers on (read sub zero temps).

get a goretex suit, helmet cover, shoe booties.

have a pair of dry (double bagged) work cloths, just in case....

it's not good to be wet all day!

O2 cycling jacket for 60-70 degree range for rain. Very light & packs down to the size of a clenched fist. For colder weather I go with a Performance illumiNITE Commuter Jacket. Very visible, pit zips, removable hood, rear zippered pocket. I love this jacket.

As for pants, Bellwether Aqua-No Rain Pants. Very breathable, no mesh liner, packs very light & small.

Fantastic thread, especially as it's suddenly become relevant to me. I appreciate all the answers so far. However, please allow me to broaden the question. Jackets are one thing, but what about something for the legs? I got stuck out in the rain yesterday, and my Land's End jacket was fine for my upper body (I got a tiny bit damp, but it breathes well, and I didn't sweat.:) ). However, my legs got soaked, cold, stiff, and I ended up with sore knees. Temps were in the 60s. I don't like the idea of wearing shorts in these temps, and it will be going quite lower in the next couple of months. What do people do in these temps and for legs? Also, the Yehuda in the wears a cape. Anybody do this in real life? What are the benefits/difficulties of a cape? BTW, fashion is of no concern to me. ;-)

-Jon

showers pass website has no pants...

For pants I use a pair of Novarra rain pants from REI. They aren't as nice as the showers pass pants (no vents on the back of the knee, but they're half the price and have worked well so far.

If its waterproof, and it breathes so well you didnt sweat, how did you get damp?

Your going to sweat with or without raingear. I sweat commuting to work in the summer in the sun, and in the winter in the rain. Raingear doesnt magically stop you from sweating.

What good raingear does is have enough breathing that it clears the sweat away when you get to the flats, slow down, etc,. Bad raingear doesnt allow the air and sweat to clear so it continues to build every time you exert and sweat. Starting with damp, and going to wet.

Currently always bring a change of clothes and if cold and/or wet a change of shoes and socks. I hate, hate, hate working in wet shoes and socks.

Hat:
I use a standard helmet cover (LG) and/or the O2 hood.

Jacket:
I like the O2 jacket as well. It is baggy and lightweight so air circulates as you move. Plenty of room to layer in cooler temps. This summer have mostly missed being drenched on the way to work. Have learned to enjoy the rain on the way home. Am considering something from foxwear for the colder months.

Gloves:
Wear them mostly for the cold and wind chill. Still need a good wind/cold/rain solution that doesn't leave my gloves saturated for hours. Also, if the jacket has elastic or tight fitting cuffs, you can expect runoff to enter the holes.

Pants:
The O2 pants are baggy so the leg needs to be wrapped or the chain will mess it up but they work as well as the jacket - not cut for cycling. I also purchased the Showerspass rain pants and the the material is much heavier and the cut is leaner; should be good for colder temps.

Feet:
For warm temps and rain:
Currently use aqua shoes or sandals in warm temps and put dry shoes and socks on at work.
For cold rains, snow, and cold/windchill:
In the colder months I've also tried: full hiking boots with platform pedals, its time consuming lacing the boots but they work
NEOS Villager overshoes work well with athletic and dress shoes -10F to 40F , very bulky, bombproof
NEOS commuter overshoes (discontinued): ankle high slipons ok for dress shoes but too tight for athletic shoes. Same as the Villager.
This year I'm going to try some rubber overshoes for the colder rains and maybe gaitors.
Like gloves, runoff from your pants can get into the shoes.

wet weather commuting shoes and gloves?
 

Sorry if it's come up already.... but I live in Chicago and it's the time of year when I wonder about being ready for some of the damp, cold commutes to come this fall/winter.

My commute varies from 5 - 12 miles one way.

Hiking boots vs waterproof cross trainers vs plain old rain boots? Suggestions?

Also... what's a good waterproof glove or shell (that's affordable, too) for this wet midwest fall weather?

Don't even consider it if you're not running fenders, but I like my rain cape from Log House Designs...I've been considering getting the overboots, but for now I just ride in Keen Sandels.

Maybe not a preferrable solution for you, but here's my take on rain gear:

If it's waterproof, I'm going to sweat to death.
If it's breathable, it will seep water in after an hour or so.
I'm getting wet either way, so screw it; I just worry about staying warm.

This year I bought a pair of PI Gavia Plus tights, and I have a SmartWool base layer for up top, and a couple of wool jerseys. I think I'm going to get a wind vest, but that's about it for temperatures even into the mid 30s and spitting rain.

Anybody know if the Showers Pass Club jacket is true hi-viz yellow/chartreuse or if it's just another weak approximation?

The REI (Novara) stuff has been working pretty well for me. And on sale too...

http://www.rei.com/product/771257

http://www.rei.com/product/724558

I just bought a cycling rain suit for my husband. I wish I could have bought him a Burley rain jacket (I love mine), but they're no longer making them.

We first got him the O2 Rainwear Rainshield jacket and pants, but the fabric seemed flimsy and there was an unpleaseant rubbery coating on the inside. Returned it and got a Novarra Stratos jacket and Novarra Express pants from REI, they seem much better.

In general, I would recommend looking for something with "mechanical" ventilation. So-called "breathable" fabrics can't breathe when they are wet on the outside. Pit zips and a vented back keep my Burley jacket from getting sweaty inside, but no rain gets in.

60F is too warm for rain pants IMO. I'm expecting to wear mine over shorts if it's raining and 50F or less.

(I actually got them for snowy weather... when it's bitterly cold, even wool pants and long underwear aren't enough to keep me comfortable. So I'm hoping a wind resistant outer layer will help.)