What do you do if it starts raining on your way to work?
 

If you keep on going to work do you guys dry your chain off or do you just let it air dry? I'm a new commuter so I'm wondering about this. Also, do you think a poncho would be good to keep you dry if it was raining outside?

I keep my chain well lubed so I don't worry if it gets rained on occasionally (like it did on Monday's commute).

In my experience, Poncho's flap around too much (still, better than nothing!). I use (and recommend) a Showers Pass rain jacket. Light, effective, well ventilated and bright orange color.

Rick / OCRR

Just happened yesterday on the way in.

I just let it dry. I use it and put it away dirty but I know others feel different. Probably helps that it just doesn't rain that much around here, too. :)

It's usually raining even before I start my morning commute, this time of year. I put on my rain gear, and ride. :)

I don't usually bother wiping my chain down at work, but I will when I get home in the afternoon. If it is a dry ride home after a wet morning, I'll usually give the chain a light spritz of <insert your lube/wax of choice> and that's about it. I generally clean/lube my chain about once/month in the summer, and about twice that in the winter.

Depending on the cold/wet, it might be worth investing in some good rain gear. I commute on a recumbent, so a poncho wouldn't really work for me.

I wouldnt worry about it - maybe relube the chain when I get home, maybe not.

If it is raining somewhere on my commute, I just ride in. If it is a cold rain and cold outside I might add a layer. If it is raining hard and I am on the way to work, I might pull over and put Shower Pass Booties on.

If it is raining when I leave work or home, I will put on an extra layer if needed. Just depends.

I clean my bike on Wednesdays which includes a wipe down, chain love, tire love, and anything else that might need to be done. If it is raining hard, I usually will just wipe down the frame when I get to work or at home. That is on my commuter bike.

I am a little more picky on the long distance bike. If it rains, I clean down the frame and give chain love when I get home.... after every ride where their might be rain.

I'm in the same boat as Notsofast_Lane (not literally, though I'm sure it feels that way sometimes) but I only clean and lube my chain once per week. And my bike is generally parked in the rain all day anyway. It's been a year, maybe 3,000 miles, and the chain looks fine.

I probably don't do as much maintenance on my bike as i should. And i'm not too into the biking clothing.

for my bike i just wash it down when i get home. if anything i'll wipe down the rims and brake pads to get rid of the grime if they get too muddy.

As for gear. I picked up an alternative climbing shell which is light weight, doesn't have as long of a back skirt as i would like, but my backside is covered anyway. I got it on a huge discount at EMS. it is a RAB and made out of Event fabric.

If i see that it is going to rain, i'll either throw on my shell or invested in a castelli aero rain zip up. it is a water proof and windproof soft shell. This has been the best piece of gear i've picked up for those days it's too cold to go short sleeved and too hot to wear a shell. I also got hit by a car and got thrown to the ground a couple of weeks ago. i walked away with some burn on my arm, but the shell was unscathed.

Other than that, I just expect to get dirty and wet. I wish i had a better solution for feet, but i figure tennis shoes and a warm pair of socks that get soaked are the best option at this point.

unless it's a really cold rain, i just ride and get wet. i've found that in normal temps, rain gear just soaks me with sweat instead of with rain water, so given those two options, i'd rather be soaked with rain water than with sweat, unless, as i said before, it's a really cold rain.

if i get caught in an electrical storm, i'll duck under a viaduct to let the lightning pass.

as for the chain, i don't do much differently between wet or dry rides, i just stick to regular maintenance schedules. if i've been riding in the wet all week, i might give the chain some lube in between regular servicing.

I just get wet. If I have a couple heavy rain days in a row, I'll clean and lube the chain that weekend.

I'll do nothing special for the rain. If it's cold, another outer layer preferably water-resistant but with a warm rain why bother?

Usually I'll wait a couple of days to clean and lubricate the chain and wipe the bike down because it's still going to be wet and sloppy for a day or two at least.

I keep right on going. Not only that, now I keep oil along with a rag, spare tube at work. ;)

I used to have a job where riding to work was the only way to go. Driving my car took more time, and I had to pay for parking. So I rode even in downpours. I kept spare clothing to change into if I arrived wet. It worked out fine. The commute was only 1.5 miles, so I wasn't uncomfortable for long, and it was too short for any public transit to be viable.

I guess I could have walked, but riding is more fun.

If it starts to rain, I stop and pull out the rain poncho from my pannier and put it on along with some old gathers that cover the foot and up to the knee.

When it stops raining, I stop and put my safety vest back on.

Here is Seattle the rain poncho is pretty much always in the compute pannier, right next to the pump, spare tube & tire levers... Cheers

This is a great question.....one I had.

What do you more experienced riders think of the bike cape. I think I would like it with rain pants.

From my experience a cape is good if your pace is slow. If you go faster you will have a hard time keeping the cape in good position.
I tried a lot of things and the best is to get wet from the rain until the rain get very cold, then I'll put on a good waterproof jacket and a pair of rubber pants.

I don't use any rain gear, even in cold rain. Over the last few years I have tested many different clothing combinations. My favourite clothing is a combination of merrino wool, polartec fleece, and softshell. I don't like to wear "traditional rain gear".

It happen to me today, I don't have like a rain outfit so I just stop at the grocery store had some warm coffee and wait for the rain to go...was a little late but nothing that would harm my timing. Need a poncho though!

1. Put on a jacket. (I have an 02 jacket, sometimes I bother to wear rain pants, too)
2. If time permits, wipe bike down before bringing into building.
3. Put on dry clothes on arrival to office.
4. Leave wet cycling clothes in server room to dry.
5. If time permits, lube chain in the next day or so.

I smile and keep riding in. I might put on my jacket, but it's got to be raining hard. When I get to work, I put a plastic bag over my brooks saddle. The rest of the bike will be just fine.

If you're going to be riding in the rain, you're only limited by what you purchase. Myself, I have the full rain gear. Coat, pants, shoe covers, helmet cover. I like to be comfortable when riding in the rain.... and I never wipe my bike or chain after a rainy ride. I do normal chain maintenance. Which means it gets cleaned when I feel like cleaning it. I keep it lubed which is good enough protection from moisture. The frame I like to leave grungy looking to deter theft. But to be honest, I think that some of you folks over-do it on the cleaning the frame/chain every time it gets wet. In the short term, water will not hurt your bike.

I don't change anything. I'm a fish and fish like water :roflmao2:
My clothes are water resistant, the bike is rust proof and the chain too. Ah I forgot I add a waterproof helmet cover

I wear showerproof gear on all my cooler rides. If it rains I stay warm and mostly dry. As for the bike, well theres not much I can do about it so I just ride on and deal with the cables/chain when I get home. In summer if it rains I just get wet. Its not like I'm going to be cold and I don't melt. I still haven't figured out how to keep my shoes/socks dry. I really hate riding in wet shoes.

I check the weather before I leave so that I am prepared for what lies ahead and what they forecast for the way home. If it is going to rain I will wear my Shower Pass Elite rain jacket. I may also use a skull cap under my helmet in the fall when the rain is a little cooler. For the really cold November rain I will use a helmet cover. The rest of me gets wet but I really don't care. I keep extra clothes at work always. By the time I leave most things are dry, except maybe the shoes. I also wear gloves on the cold rainy days.

As for the bike I do nothing. It gets wet and it goes in my storage locker wet when I get home. My theory is, it is just a bike, nothing more. I clean it about every two months if I feel like it. I never let the weather dictate if I ride or not, I never make it a choice. I ride my bike everyday, that is it. Sometimes it is nice other days its miserable but at least I am riding.

Take the bus... Around here all the buses have bike racks on them so any bicyclist can take the bus and still take his bike with him for the return journey... :thumb: