groovestew

As bicycle commuters, we've all been faced with riding in rain. This morning when I set out, it was 12C/54F and raining lightly. I opted to put on a rain jacket, some high-tech sporty thing that claims to breathe while repelling water. When I got to work 40 minutes later, the wettest part of me was my torso, not because the jacket failed to repel water, but because it failed to breathe, and I overheated and soaked myself in my own perspiration. I would have been better off without, I think. My shorts and shoes were drier than my shirt.

On Monday on the way home, I got caught in a downpour without a rain jacket. The temperature was around 15C/59F. I got soaked, but wasn't really that cold. I suppose if the temps were significantly lower (5C or so), I would be better off with a jacket, but in the summertime, it's rarely that cold, even here in the tundra.

So I'm wondering, for those of you who ride rain or shine, do you bother with rain gear? Does it depend on certain variables (e.g,. temperature, humidity, distance, how hard it's raining, phase of the moon, etc.)? I'm not looking for jacket recommendations - I already have one and doubt a different one would be any better - but I'm curious how others decide whether or not to don rain gear. You'd think that after a year and a half of cycle commuting, I'd have this figured out by now, but it's a pretty dry climate here, though this year seems to be wetter than last.

Kojak

What I wear largely depends on the temperature. As you stated, if it's raining you're going to get wet regardless of clothing options. If it's cool and raining, I'll wear a coat to stay warm, but I still get wet. When it's warm, no jacket but also wet.

Andy_K 

We get almost all of our rain in the winter, so I'm usually wearing tights and a light jacket anyway. The rain tends to go right through my jacket (Performance Century II), so sometimes I'll add arm warmers if it's below 40 degrees. The only other clothing change I make specifically for rain is wool socks and shoe covers. I have a waterproof helmet cover, but it is very much like wearing a space heater on my head, so I only use it when it's really cold (regardless of whether it rains or not).

Seattle Forrest

Mainly it depends on the temperature ( not just when I leave, but over the course of my ride ... which sometimes means how long I'll be out ) and how much stopping I plan to do. If I'll be going straight to or from work, it's less important, because I'll work up enough heat after a few minutes to stay comfortable throughout the ride; if I need to stop a lot, my core temp is going to do a lot of yo-yo'ing, and I may need more isolation from the elements. But, really, if it's above 50 degrees, unless there's going to be a lot of wind, a wool base layer is plenty.

You might be wrong about the jacket, though. I have an Arc'teryx Accelero for the kinds of conditions you describe. It's not 100 % waterproof, but more than enough to wear kayaking on a rainy day. More to the point, it breathes like magic, and doesn't add any more warmth than it needs to, eg more than any layer would. It allows some wind and air to pass through, so the breeze from riding is nature's air conditioner. Here's the point I'm getting at: I've never felt warm from riding in this thing ... the only time I sweat when I'm wearing it is when I stop, because I've lost the cooling wind.

Now that we're talking about clothes, though, wool keeps its insulating properties when it's saturated, and has a way of not feeling wet. Merino can be made softer than cotton.

PaulRivers

Your situation is typical - there's just no way to stay completely dry while biking above about 60 degrees.

At the risk of making one of those annoying suggestions that you asked not to get, I do have a suggestion - the showers pass ProTech vest -
https://www.showerspass.com/catalog/m.../pro-tech-vest



It's not waterproof in the back, it's open mesh (I assume because the majority of water hitting you while you're riding hits you in the front).

I'm afraid I don't have a lot of experience with it - only worn it once, when it was cold enough that my full length rain jacket was good to wear (wore it because I loaned my regular jacket to someone else on the ride who had brought a non-breathable one).

The other advice I've read about is wearing a material that will still provide some insulation while wet (like wool, or most regular synthetic bike gear) and just getting wet like you said.

scroca

Depends on temperature and wind.

If I am going to get wet, I prefer warm sweat in the colder weather. Otherwise, I just let it rain on me. I actually like riding in the rain when it is warm.

PaulRivers

P.S. I've also found Specialized helmets are good for the helmet cover. They have an "air port" across the front of the helmet that's separate from the other airflow openings on the top. I can hook my helmet cover on the top of the "air port" and still get some airflow across my head, while still having some protection from the rain on the rest of my head.

Grishnak

Always carry my rain cape.Not as sweaty as a jacket.

CommuterRun

I don't bother with rain gear at this time of year. When it's cool enough for a jacket I wear Frogg Toggs.

exile

I have some rain gear I bought from a sporting good store. It doesn't breathe well, but my commute is usually not long enough for me to worry about it.

groovestew

Thanks for the responses so far, everyone.

I'm intrigued by the suggestion of wool; I know I've heard this advice before, but it hasn't sunk into my subconscious yet. But doesn't wool stink when it gets wet? A couple of times, I've been caught in some rain wearing a wool suit, and the odour wasn't pleasant. Maybe sporting gear isn't as bad. I'll have to try it out.

PaulRivers

Um...maybe someone else knows - lol, at the moment the only wool I wear is during the winter, where it gets sweated on but it doesn't get "wet" in the same way.

I know wool goes a lot longer before it stinks because you've been wearing it to long (weeks, apparently) - but I don't know what happens if you get it wet. I think I've read something about it smelling a bit like a sheep, true.

I know I wore my regular bike tights swimming once, and they were surprisingly comfortable on the ride back (in fact I hardly knew they were wet), and I didn't notice anything about them stinking.

I can say that synthetics have a reputation for keeping you warm when wet, just like wool. I know I've read that you have to wash them even more often than cotton to keep them from reeking after you've worn them, though. Lol, maybe kind of a tradeoff...

no1mad 

First time in the summer with, since without. Don't know about cooler temps yet, since I just started.

Seattle Forrest

Wool is the best deoderant around. You should never smell your own body odor in it. In fact, unless I spill something on mine, I typically wear a jersey 30+ times between washes. Fewer if I'm sweating excessively, or kayaking on the sound - both because of salt. On the other hand, some wool can take on the "wet sheep smell" when it's completely saturated. A lot of the high-end exercise stuff avoids this, because the fleece goes through all kinds of chemical baths after it comes off the sheep but before it becomes a shirt. I've got a couple jerseys that used to do that until they've been through several washings, and a few that have never made the wet sheep smell.

I think generally the thinner fabrics are the ones I've had that have never smelled. They're probably also the ones that will be most appropriate for you - least insulation. I'm wearing this one to work today; it's cloudy and might rain later, but around 60 degrees, and I have plans to paddle a kayak a few miles to dinner later on, where I'll get splashed to no end.

aadhils

I wear full rain gear during rain season complete with a helmet cover and booties. The only thing that gets wet is my socks which is easily remedied by carrying an extra pair of socks.

pwdeegan

two things about rain gear:
1. proper rain gear is not just waterproof, but designed for cyclists. among the best (if not the best) is Showers Pass gear (mentioned above). Pick something for your temperature range. You can still overheat, but less so than other jackets/covers not optimized for cycling. If you really overheat, try just slowing down a bit, after all it helps visibility...

2. good jackets increase visibility, which during rain and when sharing the roads with autos is really really important. even in places where rain is more than frequent (hello PNW!) and auto drivers are somewhat more accustomed to it, it's always good to be more visible. in properly downpouring rain i've even been known to use my nighttime flashing lights.

but if you're just out for a summer ride, a little rain is just extra coolant.

SunnyFlorida

Yes I bother with rain gear. In my case, it's a light weight yellow poncho I tie around my waist with a cloth tie.

It has saved me from reaching my destination soaking wet.

Of course my cheap poncho won't save me from a heavy driving downpour. If I know that's a comin my way, I just head for cover and wait it out. Once I see the rain lessening, then I head out - in my poncho.

Now if I'm heading into a light drizzle or mist and I'm near home, then I don't bother with the rain gear.

xtrajack

I have different rain gear for different situations. I have a rain poncho designed for bicycling, rain chaps, rain pants, rain mates, and a J & G breathable rain jacket (which is one of my favorite pieces of gear) Which particular piece(s) I wear at any time depends on the temp and level/type of precipitation.

shouldberiding

This time of year, shoe covers and that's it. If it's just misting I don't bother with those either. I don't wear street clothes on the bike though, so I'm comfortable regardless of how wet I get. The only hurdle is getting rain in the eyes or having the glasses so wet you can't see through them.

swwhite

If it's raining enough so that I would get wetter from the rain than from perspiration, I use the gear. It's a personal challenge to see how dry I can stay in the worst weather.

I had a great rain event last week. I got caught in a downpour, so I ducked into a gas station to wait it out. I was sure it was a passing shower. It kept raining, and raining, so I finally gave in and put on all the gear. I headed out. I went a block and a half and it quit.

PaulRivers

Yeah, but the OP is right. Different rain gear may or may not make a slight difference, but it's not magic. I own the premium Shower's Pass stuff and it's no good above 60 degrees, even with the arm vents open, the jacket zipper slightly open, etc etc.

You have several factors -
1. You're exercising and your body is producing a lot of heat. Even if you slow down some, it's still very significant.
2. Your rain gear covers your entire torso or body with an insulating layer.
3. Your rain gear is windproof - you lose almost all the cooling benefits of riding into the wind.

gerv 

Me too. I have been caught out a couple of time in very rainy conditions. The temps drop suddenly and you go from overheated to chilled suddenly. Rain cape is great for that. You can even get off the bike and it forms something like a tent. It is marginally less sweaty than a rain jacket since you have more ventilation. Also, while riding with a rain cape, your gloves, shoes and legs don't get super wet....

TheHen

I only wear rain gear if the temperature is going to be below 50F. If my feet, hands and nose are warm I can modulate the rest by my output. I once had a student working for me in CA who would ride into work in a Speedo when it rained. He would then pull his clothes out of a bag and get to work. Of course, he never dealt with freezing rain.

tjspiel

I don't have the greatest rain gear but my expectation is not to stay dry, it's to stay warm.

So I don't bother with rain gear in warm weather. In colder weather I'll wear it. I get pretty damp from sweat even if the jacket and pants don't let much actual rain in, but that's OK as long as I'm warm.

wrobertdavis

If its a light drizzle, I just ride through it. However, if its looking like a heavy, steady frog-strangler and I have more than 15 minutes left in my commute, I pull over and put on rain gear. I know you asked for no jacket recommendations, but I have to say that my rain cape is a completely different experience from a jacket. I started wearing rain gear regularly when I saw how well it works. I stay dry and there is a nice billowing breeze that comes under the cape to keep me from experiencing the sauna effect. If its really coming down, I will also put on my rain booties.