Another pacific northwest guy (Seattle) who rides every day no matter the weather.

I like Showers Pass stuff. Expensive but well-built and well designed - I ride daily with a Showers Pass jacket, rainpants (on rainy days) and shoe covers (even on dry days, they keep my feet warm).

Fenders are a must.

Learn how to properly service your bike. If you are going to ride in the rain, your drivetrain especially is going to need regular love to keep it working smoothly.

Good luck. Riding in the rain is really not a big deal if you have the right clothes.

I'm planning to ride every day from April this year. I was riding almost every day last year and the only thing I can think of that would stop me would be a big storm that involves lightning/large hail. I did quite a few wet commutes. The main thing I found is that you are going to get wet. I didn't really care about my legs getting wet, and a light mostly-waterproof jacket works fine up top.

I myself am a 365 day a year bicycle commuter. If it is raining I simply wear a jacket and carry an umbrella. I have a more European style bike that is almost fully upright so carrying an umbrella just works. shoes will get wet and if that is really a problem you can always pack a second pair of socks and shoes as I do.

Fenders and mudflaps are a must if you want to stay as dry as possible. Otherwise even in a heavy mist you will get soaked.

For commute in all weather, I keep a little collection of gear.

- yellow bike jacket (currently an REI version, but any rain-proof breathable yellow long-tailed bike jacket is fine)
- an old fleece jacket that fits under my yellow bike jacket (when it's warm, I don't wear this)
- long water-proof pants (I use a cheap plastic version, but breathable is good too)
- gloves (fleece, I don't use these in summer)
- over-mitts (waterproof, these fit over my gloves for use on rainy or very cold days)
- hiking boots (waterproof, I use hiking boots since they are relatively cheap and also good for hiking)
- balaklava (fleece)
- helmet large enough to fit while wearing balaklava


I keep all these handy near the door, and put on what I need based on the season. I keep work clothes wrapped up in my pannier, and just change at work.

I also agree with the others that good fenders are great and keep your feet much dryer; and definitely pay attention to cleaning and lubing your chain and derailleurs.

A regular rainsuit, sealed off (rubber bands) and tied down for the flapping (sticky-back velcro) is enough to keep the rain off. But, I'm not sure it's possible to stay completely dry without cooking yourself. Towel and a clothes in a sealed plastic bag, change in the men's room worked best for me.

+1 on the pit vents. It's amazing how such a small feature makes a huge difference in warmth control and heat dissipation.
I admire you everyday riders. With a gortex shell and long sleeved underarmor tee, I'm good to about 10F. Most all weather is managable but I'll drive when wind gusts over 15, or temps drop below around 10.
I gave up trying to stay dry a long time ago. Now I just use a simple pullover rainjak that's oversized with a hood. Fenders are a must.

First of all you are not a failure as a commuter if you don't ride every day. But with all due respect the best way to be prepared to ride everyday is simple, just ride everyday. Learn from your experience and tweak your gear as you figure out what works for you and and what doesn't. All the advice in the world is not going to put your butt on the seat when it's cold or raining or whatever because that's on you. If you want to be a daily rider, be one. You might just find that riding in the rain or super cold and snow is awesome (because it is).

sincerely.
Mr. Daily Rider Pants.

You must be a workaholic. No time off for weekends, holidays and vacation?

For those who can read French, a good article about a woman who rides 27km to work and back, rain or shine:

http://sucyenbrie.blog.lemonde.fr/20...e-velotafeuse/

And another guy, about the same distance:

http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/portfo...4486_3224.html

Great that you're committed to all-weather biking. Here's what I've found that works well for me in the rain:

1. Top: Showers Pass jacket (or some equivalent). It's water/windproof, and the key is that it's vented so that it keeps out the rain without becoming a sweatbox. The underlayer(s) depend on the temp, but it has to be quite cold (below 30 F.) for me to need more than a midweight dri-fit underarmor sort of thing. Once you get that cold, you're talking snow, anyway.

2. Bottom: Cycling shorts under rain pants. Mine are from O2. They feel kinda weirdly slick at first, but the key here is that they breathe, just like the jacket, so I don't end up drenched either from the outside or in.

3. Feet: This depends on your pedals. If you have clip-in pedals, neoprene booties can help keep your feet dry, but from what I can tell from other threads, it's hard to keep them completely dry with the opening on the bottom for a cleat. My bad-weather commuter has toe-clips instead, and I settled on duck boots. They're not as clunky as hiking boots; they're wind and waterproof and mine are fleece-lined, so they're warm, especially with smartwool socks underneath (Costco has some great Smartwool knock-offs under their Kirkwood Label. Super-cheap and more than adequate for cycling). If you have some waterproof hiking boots and you just use flat pedals, they should do and you can probably work in 'em, too.

4. Head: The hood of my rain jacket under my helmet.

5. Hands: Cli-Mitts by Bratwear. These are handlebar covers, also known as bar-mitts or pogies. A good pair of waterproof gloves is fine, but I find that in cold rain, your hands'll still freeze. In freezing/cold rainy weather, I love these.

That's it. You can go cheaper if you just want to keep the rain out and aren't worried about breathability, but I figure if the point is not to get soaked, it doesn't much matter whether the soaking comes from outside or in. Soaked is soaked. The jacket+hood was in the neighborhood of $100. The pants were $70. The pogies were $35. All the other stuff isn't bike-specific, so I don't count it as a bike expense, directly (in other words, I use the boots for lots of stuff). So, in all, around $200 set me up okay.

Hope that helps.

'

I live in an area of Florida which gets thunderstorms most summer afternoons.My original rain gear setup was a Performance rain jacket, Rainlegs, and waterproof booties. The problem is, it's so hot in the summer that a rain jacket makes me sweat profusely, and the sweat can't get wicked away. Now, if it's warm, I just wear the Rainlegs and booties. I can handle a wet jersey. Wet feet and crotch I do not like.

Being a "daily" commuter, I have a way to chicken out of the bad weather. I look at the weather for the day and decide if I want to bike in or work from home. The only time I drive in to work is if I need to pick up the kids.

The only way I was able to commute every day was when I got rid of my car.

I dont mind warm rain, I dont bother trying to keep dry, I just get wet.

I am lucky that I have a shower at work, and my work clothes live there.

I am also very fortunate that my skin is waterproof ;)

z

I commute in all weathers, mainly because I don't own a car. I have a pair of fleece-lined hiking trousers for really cold days, several pairs of regular hiking trousers for most of the winter, and in the summer I just wear gym shorts. I also have several fleece jackets of different thicknesses, for different temperatures, and I can wear two if it gets ridiculously cold. We never get much lower than -5 Celsius, so I rarely have to break out the thermal underlayer. If it's seriously cold and/or raining hard, I wear waterproof hiking boots, sometimes with Sealskins socks (stupidly warm-I have to take them off when I get indoors or my feet overheat), and as for gloves, I have some thick winter cycling gloves which are so warm I tend to use them even when I'm not on the bike.

When it's raining, I just get wet, as the fleece stuff is still warm even when it's wet, and rainwater is preferable to sweat. I also have a full set of mudguards on my bike, and a front mudflap, and I use drum brakes, which are totally impervious to wet weather.

Mine isn't. It gets all puffy and soft and sloughs off. I never should have left Arizona when I was a baby.

I've found that it's not too hard and needn't be expensive. I've considered Gore-Tex and such, but I've avoided it. If I spent 150 to 200 bucks on a rainsuit, then I'd be worried about losing it or damaging it and I'd be bummed out when it eventually happened.

At the top I use a basic bicycle helmet. My winter helmet has a bill fastened onto it and vent holes filled with silicone. Warm and waterproof. Safety glasses with Turtle Wax coating keeps the raindrops (and particularly fine mist) from smearing and obscuring vision.

For my body, a cheap rainsuit with a reflective vest over it. In quite cold weather the pants will be a rainproof bib overalls. For warmer weather the pants are basic plastic rainpants cut-off at about the knees. (Easy to slip on and off while standing with no need to remove the boots. Also less hot and sweaty. The price I pay is that my calves might get wet, but I'm willing to live with that.) The cut-off rainpants are also good when the weather is dry but moderately cold. They add just a bit of warmth.

Bar mitts are a couple of pieces of carpet. First I slapped a coat of varnish on the backing, making it as waterproof as I need it to be. Fold over the handlebars and use a soldering iron to poke/cauterize holes and bolt together. Warm in deep winter and especially in those cold spring rains. This makes a huge difference in comfort for, perhaps, 3/4 of the year. Not very hard to get accustomed to at all.

On my feet are various waterproof/water-resistant boots depending on temperature. For heavy rain I have a couple of pieces of cheap plastic tarp material cut into shapes that allow me to fold them around my ankle and cover the top of the foot down to the toes. The back of the ankle and heel are exposed, but it doesn't matter.

If the rain is halfway heavy, then I put my duffle bags in plastic garbage bags before strapping them onto the cargo racks.

I carry a small spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol to spray on the underarms, feet, in the shoes, etc. That handles the sweaty issue as well as need be.

When the temp is above about 50 deg F, then I just allow myself to get wet and change into dry clothes at my destination. The rain gear is just too hot and sweaty at those temps. Above, say, 60 deg it's not uncomfortable at all. It often feels pretty refreshing.

A get-up like this allows me to face just about any weather at virtually no cost.

If it only rains once every two weeks, get a cheap rain suit that's light and stuffable like the O2 suit:

http://o2rainwear.com/2011/03/original-cycling-jacket/

http://o2rainwear.com/2011/03/original-pant/

The entire set weighs less than 8 oz. and can stuff into a pannier side-pouch.

Key things that make my commute doable in all conditions:
- proper lighting. I really like my dynamo system. I don't have to worry about forgetting to charge my light, etc. nor do I have my past battery dispasal (and cost) headaches.
- suitable bike - good tires, rack, fenders, lights, IGH - all of this contributes to a more feasible year round commute
- good layering system and waterproof/breathable outer shell.


That's about it for me, really. Those elements help me to stay on the bike rather than driving/taking the bus.


Above 65F I dispense with rain gear altogether unless I have to stop somewhere along the way for an errand.

My rain shell and pants serve as my outer wind shell for cooler/colder weather, so they see nearly daily use through the winter even if it is dry.

Wow, what great information. Thanks for all the responses. I was only commuting on nice days and we have had great weather for a very long time, but now it rains more and is getting colder. The time is now to get some gear. Thanks again for all this information. Does anyone thing REI is a good source?

I have a full rain suit, but it's not bike specific. As a result, it was much more affordable. My jacket is just a generic waterproof windbreaker and pants are just regular rain pants. About $50 for both. They are light and fold up very small. I guess the only downside is there are no vents.

Booties work well for the feet. $40 shower pass.

Why "just get wet" when you can stay dry? Sure, sweat can be a problem, but just slow it down and it's really not an issue. I don't know about you, but I'm not trying to break any land speed records in a downpour. In fact, I'm being more cautious, so I'm slowing down anyways.

I find it easy to kit up for most any weather here except for what we have been having so far this week - very warm (lows upper 50's), very rainy, very windy. I don't usually like to ride in the higher winds and rain, since stuff falls out of the trees - lots of branches littering the road in places, and I don't like it when I and the hurry-to-work-drivers have too many distractions. I really dislike the muggy weather - it takes me a couple of hours after my shower to cool off. Riding today, even though its 56 - just not so windy and I will slow down as to not get too sweaty.

I have a J&G vented/breathable rain jacket and pants. The jacket is $100, the pants $80. I also have a helmet cover. I ride with them all winter and either just the jacket or both if it's cold and raining (the pants depending on how cold it is). I have had the jacket something like 5 years now and it's still good after hundreds of commutes. I'd buy exactly the same thing again if they got lost/destroyed.

bicycleclothing.com

REI is alright for buying gear if you're a co-op member, otherwise you'd be better off shopping elsewhere if price is an issue. Heck, if price is an issue, even as a co-op member you're still paying more for most products than if you bought them elsewhere. The best thing about REI is that you can bring pretty much anything back and exchange it or get a full refund, no questions asked, even if you've worn it. The thing about being a member is that you get 10% back in the form of a dividend check as well as other things like discounted labor at their bike repair area, which is good if you don't do your own mechanical stuff. I think I've had my bike worked on once, since I pretty much do all of my own repair work and tune-up work as well as general bike building. I like REI and I am a co-op member, but frankly I'm on a tight budget and most of the time it's better for me financially to just look around on the web for the cheapest price on something and go that route.

T-shirt, Long sleeve T-shirt, Sweatshirt. Bike shorts and mesh shorts on top.

60-65 every day. Sometimes rain, often fog/mist. Central California.

I wear this year round.