Amheirchion

Last week while riding home from Uni it rained.
It rained hard, and it rained lots, and I got soaked. Mostly it wasn't too bad, I got home and stripped out of my wet things, got dry and put some new clothes on. My wet clothes were hung to dry, so no harm there.

My trainers on the other hand were soaked, leaving me to wear my combat boots to Uni the next day as they are only other footwear I have with me. Now this wasn't too bad as I was home and had done my day of lectures, but in the spirit of being prepared I want to minimise this issue in the future, especially for the mornings when it rains so I'm not left to get trench foot in class.
Being at Uni I don't really have the luxury of keeping spares there waiting, or having somewhere to dry my stuff out, so I want to keep dry on the ride.
I now have a pair of waterproof overtrousers, and my coat did a good job of keeping me dry anyway, but I'm looking for a solution for my trainers.

Option 1 is to wear my combats when I know the rain is coming, but as I found out, it's kinda weird cycling in them thanks to their thicker soles.
Option 2 are those neoprene (?) overshoes I see in the bike shops that cost a fair whack and also look designed for skinny bike shoes rather than chunky skate shoes.
Option 3 (and possibly more) is where I'm looking for your advice. Ideally I'd like to keep things cheap, I'm a poor student and my loan is unlikely to come in before term starts properly, and when it does come in I'll need it for rent and utility bills. So any suggestions are welcome, and thanks in advance.

Spire

You could get cycling shoes. Most of them dry out pretty quickly.

Do you not have a locker at UNI (its pretty standard to have on here in NA)

Amheirchion

I haven't seen a single locker yet, I suspect there probably are, but they will be up in the Equine/Sport campus far away from where I'll be studying.

Totaled108

The neoprene works very well. Its pretty stretchy and has worked for my in a down pour, for the whole hour home. nice dry feet and shoes. It has been a worth while investment.

009jim

I'll assume you know what thongs are. Problem solved.

RI_Swamp_Yankee

Waterproof walkers, AKA mailman shoes, or low-top hikers. For extra dry, combine with wool socks and maybe gaiters from the outdoor sports store. My feet stay dry and toasty, even in a bad rain.

Amheirchion

Somehow I think thongs and British winter are two things that should remain separate at all times. I'll also never get over the fact that Aussies wear thongs on their feet, that was an awkward silence the first time someone said that to me.
I'll look into more water resistant / fast drying footwear, and maybe resign myself to my combats for wet weather riding for the time being until more money is forthcoming, even though they really don't go with shorts.. Cheers for the suggestions, and please, keep 'em coming.

azesty

I rode to Uni for three years barefoot whenever it was raining, kept my shoes in my bag. It was sort of cold, and the walk to the showers wasnt that nice, but I had nice dry shoes all day.

I can understand that others might not like this solution, as they are afraid of riding barefoot, but I never had a problem.

z

LeeG

cold wet weather, get goretex or sealskin socks with thin wool socks underneath. After a few hours your shoes will dry off but your feet will stay dry. Otherwise plastic bags over medium thick wool socks then take off the plastic bags before class and live with warm damp feet as your shoes hopefully dry off while wearing them.

ratell

I've always wondered about using old school galoshes
https://www.shoebuy.com/mens-galoshes.htm

I use the showers pass booties. They work well and fit over all kinds of shoes
https://www.showerspass.com/catalog/a...ub-shoe-covers

jayr

X2 on the gortex socks. I just use my normal cycling shoes and they dry out most of the way after an 8 hr day. I do have the luxury of a spare pair at work though. A friend uses bike sandals and swears by them. He just uses gortex and wool when it's wet or cold.

fietsbob

Rubber Boots or the L.L. Bean boots , rubber bottom Leather uppers..

https://www.llbean.com/?nav=gn they are including shipping (free) these days.

shouldberiding

When your shoes get wet, take the insoles out and stuff them full of newspaper. Set them in front of a fan if need be.

Neoprene covers work great but the water will soak through eventually. They do at the very least keep your feet warm even when they do let a bit of water through.

yarb

I use these for my 10 mile, often very wet commute - if you can get something like them they'll be good for all but the heaviest downpours, and even then they'll keep your shoes dry enough to allow a good airing during the day, stuffed with paper towel or whatever. Also good vs. cold.

gbcb

Yup. I also have these, and they work very well.

slcbob

Fenders will help some, a good deal more than you might think, reducing the splash up to the front / bottom of the boot.

Whatever bootie-ish solution you pick, it's important to make sure the bootie runs up high enough so that the rain pants run down over the top and not steer the water into the boot. I'm tired of my booties acting like buckets.

Different booties are VERY different as to how easily they go on/off and what they'll go over. If you go to a larger size, you can get over bigger shoes but you may have more room for splashing up & in. To some degree on some / most of the designs, a good fit around the sole / welt is important.

If times are tough, some cheap wellies and change shoes.

Booger1

If it rains long and hard,your going to get wet,no matter what you have on.
Your either going to get wet from the inside or the outside,take your pick,I prefer outside.

MNBikeguy

I think you meant flip flops.
Thongs are only discussed over in A&S.....

LesterOfPuppets

+1 for neoprene booties. Try to find a shop that has them so you can get the right size. If you're wearing running shoes or other styles with a large sole you might need to size up. Slimmer skate or tennis styles usually fit in the sizes advertised.

From what I understand most of England has primarily drizzly rain like here in the Pacific Northwest, but if you're in an area with torrential downpours and have a longer commute pack a pair of gaiters just in case.

Amheirchion

Cheers everyone. I'll look into buying something suitable when my loan comes through and resign myself to old Army issue combats for now. I have some waterproof overtrousers to go over them, and I know the boots are as good as wellies in the wet. They're just huge and heavy for riding in.

I have fenders already, my main problem comes from standing water and the sheer amount of rain we had*, in particular one bit of my commute where the road floods, oddly, it's also one of the highest points of my commute, so the drainage must suck.

Given the puddle problem I'm thinking I may be best with a wool sock, sealskin type and fast drying shoe combo, or overshoes that don't have the cleat holes in the bottom. So I'll take a closer look at your suggestions in the coming weeks til 'payday'. Thongs and bare feet are out though, it's getting chillier in the mornings here.



*Not mentioning *******s in 4x4's that can't grasp the concept of going slowly through a large puddle to avoid soaking the already wet cyclist making him even wetter and colder..