Seattle rider here too, many years.

1) well waxed leather work gloves over padded cycling gloves, with or without thin wool liners inside depending on temperature.

2) Gore tex headgear is nice. Gore came out with a gore tex cycling cap for winter 2008 that is the flash.

3)big, big front mudflap keeps drivetrain and your feet drier.

4) quick dry, softshell pants of some configuration or other unless it's really drenching. Then there are a few stretch waterproof pants that really work well.... MEC in Canada has some. I've also been testing stretch Brockwood Agility fabrics in a military spec pant that really performs well in the wet.

5) I like wool layers. I have wool t-shirts long and short sleeves that make cycling feel dryer in the rain.

6)Softshell fabrics have their place on the intermittent shower days or during light rain.

7) toe booties.

8)It doesn't snow consistently enough in Seattle to leave a bike with studded tires on it, but I've got studded tires premounted on rims the same width as I'm running on two of my bikes (LHT and northroad Crosscheck) so I can easily swap out without any adjustments to brake pads.

9) check out this new castelli raincoat!

What brand of gloves would those be?

Uhh maybe your weather is more predictable than ours is. Good luck with that.

Ha! Performance. They were affordable, but they keep my hands at least partly dry and warm all the time. It takes a real downpour to make them wet.

[QUOTE=vrkelley;7719615]Uhh maybe your weather is more predictable than ours is. Good luck with that.[/QUOTEI

Yeah as Mark Twain said about the weather in New England: "if you don't like the weather, wait a minute."

The only weather that makes me really hinkey about riding is lightening and thick snow that makes me ride too far on the left........

Sweet jacket!!!! How much and where?

just 80 bucks retail, at your local bike shop or online!

huge pitzips, biggest reflective striping I've seen...

I'll find out how I'm prepared for cold rain tomorrow morning. It'll be in the low 40s and raining.

I'm going to wear tights & some pants (not really waterproof), t-shirt, thermal shirt, windbreaker (with hood under helmet), beanie under hood, cheap rain jacket, and leather gloves. It's all I could get together in a hurry on a budget.

I'm riding the recumbent, which has fenders, and my SPD shoes. My feet will probably get cold and wet. I'll have a full change of clothes once I get to work. Luckily it's supposed to be light rain in the morning.

Leather shoes,wool underneath,rain suit on the outside.I know I'm going to get wet,so I just dress to stay warm....WOOL!

Okay, I rode in the cold rain this morning. I need to add the following:

• rain pants
• wool socks
• wool base layer
• balaclava
• better gloves

That said, it wasn't too bad. The ride was slow, visibility wasn't great, I was out for about 1:45. I did get damp pretty much everywhere, but only my lower half and face were cold.

Toward the end of the ride, the water had gotten through the leather gloves.