MEC cycling jacket (got on clearance for 40 bucks) and MEC semi water proof cycling tights/pants. Everything stays dry but my feet and i have to change at work anyways. I have rain covers for my panniers too.


I am lucky to have a locker room and space to hang stuff to dry.

Warm weather, I just get wet with my regular cycling clothes. Feels good actually. When it's colder, say in the 40's, I'll generally wear a water resistant windbreaker and shorts, possibly with water resistant warmup sweats. Forget about aero, I'm just making the trip in those conditions.

Now I have my windshield fairing, so I was bone-dry after the rain on Friday . It doesn't matter what I wear in that case.

I carry stuffs daily in a vinyl messenger bag, regardless of the weather. The vinyl shields my books from elements. My belongs never get wet in the bag.
In winter, I install a pair of strap-on fenders. Pretty much that's it. I always let the bottom part of my jeans and shoes get wet. There aren't much that i can do. A pair of good quality rainpants are too pricey. Typically, my legs are soaked for 8 or 10 hours until I arrive home. Oh, I do wear a weather-proof jacket, though. In sub-zero weather, I even put on two jackets.

I'm used to getting wet in countryside.

So far, I drive. But I now have a bike with fenders, and thus far it has not really been raining when it has been time to ride. Wet roads and perhaps some drizzle, but no downpours. I always think the reduced visibility and more opportunities for me and the vehicles to slide makes riding in a downpour sketchy from a safety point of view. I guess missing four or five days a year because of rain is not that big a deal. Living in So Cal sure is rough.

This is why a cycling cap is the most useful piece of rain gear.

+1 - I was mentally composing a response to the OP, but this pretty much sums it up for me.

in warm weather i don't mind getting wet, and if i'm going to work i stick my work clothes in my (waterproof) messenger bag.

in the cold/spring/fall i have a light rain jacket and a water-resistant cold weather jacket.

Option one is simple. I wear either a O2 rain jacket or shower pass for the top. A skull cap and a bacalava on colder days. The bottom is a little bit different. I use a Rain Leg for the upper half, a gaitor for the calves and fenders to help keep my shoe dry along with the gaitors.

Otion two: Call in sick on those days where it is pouring and build a nice lovely warm fire in my fireplace at home.

cold and heavy rain.. A cyclists rain cape.. & Rain hat or helmet cover over the helmet.

Sealskinz socks or Wellington boots (not for the clip-less crew, I guess), rain jacket and pants, sealskinz all-weather gloves... Dry bag and change of clothes - condensation and sweat 'll get you in the end.

If I get too warm I roll my sleeves and pant legs up, but this means the waterproof socks and gloves quickly get soaked inside by water running down legs and arms. Any solutions to that out there? I've been wondering if wearing tennis sweat bands just above the gloves and socks would help somewhat, but haven't experimented yet....

If it's warm I'll just smile and sing in the rain

I don't ride my road bike to work in the rain, it doesn't have fenders yet, my mtb does. So i ride the mtb, wear a hoodie as usual, bought a rain proof backpack, don't care about my pants getting wet.

They only thing that bugged me before the fenders was that mud would splash up on me and that irritated me. I'm too cheap to buy pain pants and jacket, but if I had the money I would.

All depends on temp. I have Craft Bulit rain pants, a showers pass jacket for cold and/or cold&wet. For less cold or less wet, REI Headwind pants and jacket. Also use a PI convertable lightweight jacket. Banjo Bros waterproof panniers (simple and cheap).

Fogging glasses is a big deal at stoplights, or if it is warm. Still haven't overcome that.

Over 60F degrees, I just get wet. Under 60F; Illuminite jacket,
winter gloves, Marmot rain pants and Lake winter boots.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9-KvGdYfps

Interceptor - what bike path is that in the video?

Warm rain, over 60, I usually just get wet.

A helmet cover is a big plus -- get one that's bright yellow, not black, if you're riding in traffic. Motorists have a harder time seeing in the rain, might as well stay visible.

On my feet, SPD sandals stay much warmer than wet shoes, no mass of wet fabric sucking the heat out of your feet.

Backpack is a Seattle Sports AquaKnot drybag in bright yellow.

Cool rain, over mid-30s, I wear knee-length rain pants and layer my upper body so I stay warm but damp.


Rainy Day Conspicuity - Rear by joshua_putnam, on Flickr



Rainy Day Conspicuity - Front by joshua_putnam, on Flickr


Below mid-30s, I'll add socks, full-length thermal tights, and a rain jacket.

Take a clean, soft cloth, cotton or microfiber.

Fill a sink with warm water, and lather up a bar of soap in the sink until the water looks a bit milky.

Dip the cloth, let it dry.

Keep it in a dry pocket when riding. If your glasses start to fog, clean them with the cloth.

The soap residue breaks the surface tension of condensation, so instead of fog you'll get a thin, uniform film of water on the lens. A little bit bleary, but much better than fog. (A tip I borrowed from a North Pacific sea captain who used these on his glasses and his pilot house windows. If you're dealing with salt spray cold enough to freeze, add just a dab of kerosene to the mix and the ice won't stick to the glass.)


If you commute in cold rain for several months of the year, you might want to prepare a dozen or so eyeglass rags at a time, and swap them out when they get dirty or de-soaped.

A helmet with a visor or a cycling cap will keep runoff away from the inside face of your glasses, making the defogging last longer before it needs to be reapplied.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=r...&z=18&lci=bike

Thanks. Thought so but wasn't sure how to get on from the GWB. A while back I crossed the bridge from Ft. Lee looking for it and ended up riding down to 145th and taking an elevator from the park.

Wow, awesome tips jputnam! Thanks for sharing.

It can be tricky the 1st time, you'll usually see some riders - just ask for directions.
I have even asked unfamiliar riders to follow me, even if I'm going the opposite way.

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=f...&z=16&lci=bike

I keep on reminding myself to make a video showing a turn by turn tutorial, but I keep on procrastinating

In hot weather I do sweat under the rain gear, but the trade-off still favors wearing the gear versus getting wet from the rain (for me). One must ride more slowly.

I used to have some yellow pants and jacket, a lightweight material, $25 each. They worked, but they would tear and I would have to repair them with yellow duct tape. Now I have Columbia rain pants that cost around $90 as I recall, and they are better BUT, at one point about a year after I got them they seemed to lose their waterproof-ness. I washed them with some cleaner made for that type of fabric, and washed them again with some waterproofing substance (got both at REI) and that seemed to restore them. The jacket is Showers Pass and I am happy with it.

I will say that if I had a day of 90 degree temperatures plus a heavy rain, things would not be so nice.

If it's raining in the morning, I don't ride. I could, but it's just a comfort thing that I don't. Here on the Colorado front range, most of our precipitation is summer afternoon thunderstorms or snow. If it's raining and warm, I just ride home. I don't ride in the snow either, but that's out of safety concern.

We get a small number of days a year with constant gentle, usually cool, rain. A very small number. Being rare, those days are really nice around here, but I don't ride on such days.

I usually don't ride to work in the rain. I don't mind riding home in the rain though. The biggest issue with riding to work in the rain is bringing my wet bike in through the building. I guess I could keep it outside on the bike rack (it is covered and from what I can tell rather safe) but I think it might be asking for trouble of I bring it into work when it is wet and dripping. No one seems to care about my bike being brought into my office, but if I start making a mess that might change. Do others have this worry?

Lots of great stuff so I won't repeat. One addition, my panniers are going old and not totally waterproof so I put my clothes in plastic grocery bags before loading into panniers. It also makes unloading easier. I also ride with my phone on handlebars - quart zip locs keeps it dry

+2
I start to think of a response, then notice if TSL has posted there's usually no reason to....