I leave my bike outside - I use an evil plastic grocery bag to cover my computer and headlight on the bars, and a garbage bag on the seat. Riding it in the rain is harder on it than sitting outside in the rain - don't get road grime just setting there.

If I took the bike inside, I'd have to negotiate stairs and two doorways. Just doesn't make sense, as well, to have my employer cleaning the carpet for my dirty bicycle tires. YMMV

I would not even ride in the rain unless it was an organized rife and was caught in the rain.

Drivers have enough trouble seeing us in the dry without rained on windows and bad wipers being involved.

I understand your concerns and I'm sure some riders feel the same way. But some cyclists feel that riders should also do
their part in helping other road users see them; lights, bright colored clothes, defensive riding, etc. Same strategy for night
riding. Actually I have adopted this strategy for all of my riding; commuting, centuries, late night grocery run, Sunday
morning group ride, etc. Bright colored clothing, lights on always, reflective bits everywhere, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hheUc-zlfiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGpBHbEYqeo

(See location)

If you have the gear, riding in the rain is no problem. I have an Endura jacket and Altura Night Vision everything else (over-trousers, over-shoes, gloves). I wear a skull cap under my helmet with extra material to cover my forehead and ears. If I'm zipped up right, I can ride in anything. I have an Ortleib pannier to carry it all plus my work shirt and lunch. Only thing more to say is you'll need lights / hi-viz and watch out for motorists rushing to work with reduced visibility.

I take the long silver limousine in the rain, it just isn't worth it to me to ride in the rain.

I bought a Showers Pass jacket when I took a vacation in Seattle with my bike for a week. I used it there almost every day, got caught in two downpours along with the everyday non-stop rain, and stayed dry. This was two+ years ago. I've only once used it since, when I took a walk outside during the height of Hurricane Sandy. I stayed dry.

Easy! Just ride in your best birthday suit and carry your clothes & a towel in a waterproof bag! :p

What do you have from Foxwear?

I prefer not to ride in the rain, but it's hard not to do so if you are a regular bike commuter. Forecasts are too unreliable around here to depend on, so you roll the dice and take your chances with the weather -- and that means you sometimes end up riding home in the rain. My commute is pretty long, about an hour each way, so I get pretty soaked if it's really raining. However, my main concern about riding in the rain is visibility. My route is entirely on streets, some heavily traveled, with no bike paths, and I don't feel as safe when it's raining. It's also a lot harder for me to see since I need glasses and they always get spotted or fogged up in the rain.

What is hardest for me are the iffy days when the forecasters are calling for 50-70% chance of rain. That was the situation this morning, and I decided to drive. A cold front is moving through today and the most likely time for rain is right during the afternoon rush hour, so I decided not to risk it. That plus the fact that it is really warm here for January and my rain jacket is just too hot for temps in the 60s-70s.

I don't know if it's just our forecasters or NC weather, but the weather guys have a poor track record at forecasting rain around here. More often than not, they are wrong. They call for rain and we get nothing, or it rains on days when it's supposed to be clear.

TSL usually is right on, with his advice and info.

heavy-weight powershield rain pants and e-vap jacket, both only for very cold temps, wet or dry (below 25F).

My cold threshold is a bit higher than a lot of folks here, but anything above 70F, I just get wet (and rather enjoy it). Below that, it depends. In this area, it's usually a light mist or drizzle, in which case I have a Novara Jacket and tights that are water resistant enough to get by for up to a couple hours ride. If it's really coming down, I will wear a lighter under layer, and get the actual waterproof jacket and overpants. By the time it's cold enough that I would need the really waterproof stuff, and the heavier insulation, there's ice on the roads, and I drive the car. :p

For me it involves bigger, softer tires, full coverage fenders with mudflaps, improving the lighting situation, and just accepting on some level that I'm gonna get wet.

If my commute gets longer I might pick up some Rainlegs, and maybe a boot dryer.

Thanks, guys. I'm not sure I agree with you, though. :eek: We may be kindred spirits, or whacked in the head the same way--whichever you prefer. :)

If anything, I've learned there's more than one way to skin the proverbial cat WRT to cycling in general and commuting in particular. As much as I like it when people agree with me, I learn more when they don't. For the most part, there's no real right or wrong, only what works best for each of us most often.

And that depends on exactly what way one is whacked in the head. ;)

I take the car. If I am forced to ride I put on a ball cap, rain jacket, rain paints, and waterproof boots over my work clothes.

SF Bay Area daily commuter. Fixed gear with strap on fenders. Showers pass jacket over lightweight thermal and mid layer. Novara rain pants over lightweight thermal pants. Clipless with shoe covers. Carry my work clothes (and extra socks) in an Ortleib backpack. I try to stay a day ahead with the clothes when it's gonna be a longer storm. Has worked so far this season!

Longboard P-45 Fenders, poncho with reflective strip on back with hood on under helmet, street clothes and shoes, Minewt 600 headlight and Spanninga Pixeo fender tailight, Cateye tailight hanging from Carradice saddle bag (haven't had bag in rain yet). Shower cap over the Brooks saddle.

Depends on how heavily it's raining and the temperature.

Light sprinkle and warmer weather (not by California standards - I spent most of my adult life in Colorado with real cold; this means 55-60ish) implies shorts, jersey, and an Arkel Commuter pannier.

Heavy rain and/or cooler temperatures progressively add a rain cover for the Arkel (it does a fine job keeping moisture out, although I love my carpet and would like to leave the road dirt at the door when I come inside), jacket, shoe covers (I hate soggy socks and wet feet), rain jacket replacing the jacket (I used to have a nice performance brand Gortex jacket with mesh lining, pit zips, and a vent in back in which I stayed dry and did not roast; although the current unlined Gortex jacket with only pit zips isn't as nice)/pants, and gloves. When I lived someplace cold I sometimes used a helmet cover.

The bike goes inside regardless.

When I was young I lived in an alpine dessert where fenders rarely mattered and I didn't care otherwise; approaching middle age with wetter winters I want some fenders and will probably build a titanium or stainless frame with clearance and longer chain stays once cash flow is better with the kids moving past their odyssey years.

Highlighting something Notso_fastLane mentioned, there are a lot of water "resistant" fabrics that work quite well. I don't actually have any waterproof pants just my Novara pants and have used them in some pretty heavy downpours. At the end of my 1 hours commute I've yet to have them soaked all the way through and water resistant still has ability to breath