Rain Gear Advice
 

Hello, I am just beginning to commute to school on bike. For the most part, rain is not an issue, but sometimes I still need to ride when it is raining. What would you recommend for rain gear? Keeping my clothes and shoes dry...
Thanks!

I usually pack different clothes to wear, and keep spare shoes in my office (maybe your campus has student lockers available? both the school I attended and the one I work for do, in an "off campus student lounge" type area), and wrap anything that needs to stay dry in an old Target bag in my panniers. Much nicer to get a little wet than it is to ride in a raincoat.

Fenders for the bike. It will help keep you dry by preventing spray from the tires coming up your back or on on to your shoes and pants.

For rain gear it all depends. My commutes are usually no more than a few miles so breathe-ability is not a huge concern. I have some $25 Field & Stream rain jacket I got from a sporting good store and the $30 matching pair of pants. The jacket has vents but I still get condensation build up. I only wear it when it is really pouring outside. In a gentle rain a regular old wind breaker works well for me.

If it's raining, your feet are going to be wet. Period. Carry extra shoes (and socks) in a dry bag of some sort. I go back and forth on when to put my rain jacket on. For light rain I can ride damp as long as the temperature is bearable. If I put on my jacket, the sweat will make me just as wet as the rain. For heavier rain it's nice to have raingear. Mine is an EMS jacket I got on closeout a few years ago. It's a little bigger than I would normally wear, but it allows me to put on more insulating layers underneath and the hood is big enough to go OVER my helmet. I don't bother with rain pants. Fenders are probably the single best raingear you can have on a commuter bike.

Cool, tonight I will just bring some spare clothes. Unfortunately the number of lockers available for student use is minimal. Fenders are on my list for commuting and rain gear might follow after that. It seems like big bulky rain gear would be annoying on a bike though...

wear thin wool socks, put plastic bag over them then take the bags off at school after wearing them for an hour or so for the shoes to dry out a little.

campmor.com is one source for a nylon coated cloth shoe cover for fairly cheap.
if you have mudguards then you can use the 'Log House' Made Cape for cycling they sell there , too ..

I use rubber boots over walking shoes; rain pants; cycling specific rain jacket w/ reflective tape; motel style clear shower cap over the helment; racquetball glasses and I rotate the gloves cuz they take so long to dry. I'm also sure to use strobes front and rear cuz rain disrupts car drivers visibility