Showers Pass Portland Jacket for Commuting
 

Hello,

I found the following deal on the stylish portland jacket here:

http://www.treefortbikes.com/#navbar...22355556___188

I am seriously thinking about getting it, but am concerned because I am accustomed to wearing a hood in the rain and don't know how good it will be without a hood in a good rain downpour. I only ride about 3 miles, but want to find the best rain gear. I guess that this also won't be great for the summer, but there's plenty of cold here in MI. Any thoughts on commuting without a hood, does the rain trickle under your helmet down your neck?

Unless the style is a huge concern with you, go for the Touring jacket and you can get a detachable hood. Both will cost you about the same as that Portland on its sale price.

I like the Touring for its durability, lots of reflective piping and striping, and great ventilation. You can really beat the snot out of it without doing it any harm. I crumple and pack mine in a Carradice bag, and sleep on the ground (concrete and gravel!) during brevets. It's dirty, but there's no damage to it at all.

Hey Clifton...... What do you think of the Touring jacket as a winter shell? I tried one on at REI. It seems like it would be a great winter jacket with a base layer.

I use the Touring for a winter shell and really love it.

Well, I was drawn in by the style since I figured I might wear it more than just biking in the rain. I currently wear a cheap drab gray rainsuit that split in seams, so I don't feel compelled to have a bright yellow jacket... But, I need a jacket that will keep the rain out and I am concerned about not having a hood.

How cold can you use the jacket as a "shell" and what kinds of jackets are you layering? I have an old virtually non-wind/waterproof pearl izumi jacket that I feel fine in with a fleece jacket underneath to about 40 degrees. Any colder and I use a large and bulky winter jacket.

Thanks for the thoughts.

I don't have a hood and only on really wet days my helmet gets wet. Like only after my shorts are soaked. Often thought it would be nice to have a hood to protect the little helmet. Tends to get tossed around a bit while riding.

Instead of a hood you can just use one of those covers for your helmet.

I have a Bell Metro helmet with the factory rain cover. If all helmet covers work like this one, then I think a hood may be optional. There may have been water running down my neck, though. LOL

The Touring jacket would be ideal for commuting as is the Elite.. The Touring is cut much looser and layers well. The Elite is a snugger fit and some of us prefer that. The arms on my Elite are cut a bit higher than normal and the sleeves are long but that's because it's cut to fit right while riding. . . .it fits perfectly when I'm stretched out a bit on my LHT.
As for temperatures, you can wear them as a winter shell into the teens and 20's but just need the right layers underneath- - -a base plus a thermal layer.

Get the Portland..because really that is what you want. Im sure the other jackets are just as good, but if you buy one, you'll still regret not getting the portland...besides its a fashionable jacket.

As for the rain...just buy one of these and you'll be fine. (comes in black and yellow)

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...34374302885010

I want that jacket too. Or I did...somewhere along the line I stopped caring about how I look, and bought this reflective monstrosity from Taiga.

Maybe I still want it.

Anyways, I agree. You should get it, it works great and looks awesome. There's nothing wrong with not wanting to look like a dork.

If buying for rain use, Yellow or the equivalent. Consider MEC Derecho jacket also
 

If you are buying the jacket for use in the rain, consider that the on-sale jackets are only available in beige and brown. Good for camouflage; not-so-good for being seen on a bike, particularly when it is raining.

In addition to the Showers Pass jackets (I have one), MEC's Derecho jackets (which I do not have) have some very favorable reviews on MEC's site with one reviewer greatly preferring it to the Showers Pass jacket. I would give that jacket very serious consideration. It costs less than the Showers Pass (at least at MEC) and it too is available in yellow.

p.s. The MEC Derecho is made of 3-layer Entrant® polyester, has pit zips, dual way zipper, etc. MEC's page comparing waterproof jackets classifies the Derecho as a "relaxed" fit vs. the Showers Pass "regular" fit, it that is important to you.

It was down into the lower 40s and raining on my 400k. I was wearing a short sleeve wool jersey, arm warmers, and the SP Touring jacket. The only time I was chilly was after a 30 minute nap on the concrete; but after 5 minutes of riding I was warmed up again.
I just bought the Touring this summer, but for the winter I'd feel comfortable using it as a shell over a Smartwool base and shortsleeve wool for anything down to 30 degrees. The windstopper fabric at the front of the jacket keeps things pretty warm. If it was really cold (around here, that means around 20F) I'd wear a Smartwool base and a longsleeve wool or lightweight fleece.

Well, after deliberating for about a month and going back and forth with the comments here, I decided to go with the Portland for the style. The tour and mountain elite were very tempting, but I don't normally ride in the rain unless I'm heading to work. I think I'll be happier when I get to work with this jacket when I have to walk around with it on. I have the feeling I will be able to wear it more than just when biking, and depending on how I layer it we'll see how cold I can go with it. Since none of the SP jackets come with a hood, I just decided to see how much rain bugs me without one and I'll get a helmet cover if I need it. And with two people giving links to MEC, I'll surely be paying attention to their gear.

Thanks for all the posts. I never heard of a brevet before, it sounds awesome. I've done the hotter'n'hell 100 and my favorite ride I've done several times is the 100K Flint Hills Death Ride. I think I should try something that takes a few days. A multi-day mountain bike ride would be really great. Of course, then I'll wish I had the mountain elite. If I was doing 400K and sleeping in mud, I probably would go with a different jacket, maybe when I do that I'll have to think about another one.

I have more questions about gloves in the rain, layering with actual work clothes and not specialized bike gear, shoe covers, etc. Maybe I'll start a new thread for all of that?

For me:
Summer gloves = Nashbar $9.00 crochet specials
Fall/winter gloves = PI Cyclones, until the snow/sleet starts
Snow/sleet = Ibex Knitty Gritty gloves, PI Lobster Mitts when it's really cold

That sounds really cool but it is back-ordered. Also, even the one review that said it was better than e-vent (but worse than gore-tex) reinforces my suspicion that there's no such thing as a breathable rain jacket for biking past a Danish pathway kind of pace.

Although the MEC coat sounds like it has the serious mechanical ventilation to make up for that deficiency.

The SP jackets do a pretty good job at mech. venting, too. The touring jacket has a full back vent, long pit zips, and scoop cuffs so you get a draft up the sleeves, too.
Where the touring falls short on ventilation is in the oversized cut of the jacket. It's pretty big, so it does trap a lot of air and even fully vented open you can generate a good amount of humidity inside there.

My 'craft commuter' has pretty sad mechanical ventilation, but it has hi-viz out the wazoo. It's pretty much a sub 50F coat as laid out. I have a burley coat (long not made) w/ outstanding mech vent but it is blue and I just don't want to deal w/ that on the road any more.

There's a matching hat to wear under your helmet.

I wear a similar rain jacket. I've been through some heavy downpours and the rain doesn't go down my back. I do wear a baseball hat under my helmet when it rains to keep my eyes protected.

Well, fortunately it is raining today so I got to test out the new rain gear. (I don't remember ever saying that about a rain day).

The jacket was fine, one of the reasons I finally pulled the trigger on it was I noticed that if I tucked my chin behind the collar, it fit really close to my neck and was comfortable. It wasn't raining very hard and I forgot my helmet at work, so I rode with a baseball cap. My ears were a bit cool at 50F but otherwise it worked great. Although the swanky matching portland cap would be nice, I think I'll keep my 40 bucks and use caps I already have.

Unfortunately, my hopes for my new Trek Galway pants aren't as high. The material inside the pants looks like it got bent out of shape after the first ride, and it felt like it was getting wet. I was glad to find these at $40, but now I wonder if I wasted my money. Anyone with experience, what is the best rain pant? Perhaps I should return these before I'm stuck with them.

The only time I've ever been warm in my Accelero jacket was when I've stopped at the end of a ride. I can hammer at 28 mph on the flats without sweating in the thing. I wish they made pants out of the same fabric!

". . .Anyone with experience, what is the best rain pant?. . ."

Like many things, this is a matter of preference, riding distance, temperatures, riding pace, budget, etc. . .

I have some Craft rain pants that are excellent, but perhaps not in warm rains. . they are superb in cold rain (like steady rain with temps in the 30's or 40's. When it's warm, I just get wet (too bad sox are excellent wicks!)

completely waterproof pants won't breathe and you'll sweat profusely inside them. Well designed and constructed breathable, cycling specific pants (like with articulated knees and adjustable cuffs) aren't cheap. There are always tradeoffs. . . .

Go with J&G. Made in the USA unlike Showers Pass, which is made in China:

http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Water...ain-Pants.html

http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Water...et-Covers.html