An umbrella is a safety hazard...a cyclist needs to have both hands on the handlebars, when riding on busy roads with a lot of traffic, riding with an umbrella would also be way too slow. I just don't see how an umbrella would work for a 15-20 mile commute when it's windy.

Are they black? Bad visibility especially in rain?

I try not to sweat on the way to work. Rain pants are too sweaty for me. For very heavy rain, I have a rain cape, but if it is windy you do get buffeted around a bit.

Mostly I just use a jacket and helmet cover. However the front of your thighs tend to get soaked.

What I'd like to see is something between an apron, and cowboys' chaps, that cover your thighs but don't completely enclose them.

well here in central florida im thinking you may live down here,
talking about daily storms.
But i got a nice rain suit at harbor frieght,10 bux, comparable
to the 25 dollar one at walmart.
has the pants with suspenders and jacket also hood.
great deal.

used it a few times now, and keeps me dry
when the storms come in it goes from 95 to 75
so with the wind im cold when i get wet

of course im a reptile anyways love heat.
just keep it on my rack on days i know its gonna rain
in my back pack carry extra shoes, for early rain
but here its mostly afternoon rain....

One line short of a sonnet

All depends on your circumstances I guess. An umbrella has never been a problem for me. When it rains in Amsterdam (or Copenhagen, Utrecht, Stockholm, Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Berlin, or Munich, or ...) you'll see half or more of the bicycle riders, just like the women above, using umbrella's with few if any problems. In most cases it's much easier and more comfortable than a cape/poncho/rainsuit/garbagebag.

There are also holders though my preference is to just carry mine with one hand.


I tried one of these once and found it worked surprisingly well

Image: 4 Ways to Stay Dry While you Bike in Rain | Eleanor's | Stylish Bicycle Accessories for Ladies

Sorry, sonnet form requires pentameter lines.

Marc

I like the showers pass jackets.

I'm in the "I only wear them when it's cold/chilly out" camp.

I have a marmot rain jacket that I use when I'm backpacking/camping. Has pit zips for a little ventilation, but when it's warm it's still like a sauna in there. I'd rather ride and be wet in warmer weather.

I agree with the no rain gear group, but obviously temperature dependent. OP seems to be talking about upcoming summer afternoon storms. I don't know what the temperature would be during an afternoon storm in Endicott.

And then it obviously depends on how you ride and how much body heat you are generating. If it is cool enough and you aren't working hard enough to break a sweat, you may try a light jacket. But even "breathable" jackets aren't really. So if you do work up some body heat, it will just be trapped and make you hotter and hotter.

The only other issue I've had is rain in the eyes. I have a visor on my helmet, which helps. And I usually wear sunglasses. But depending on how much rain is coming down, I have to turn up my wiper frequency (i.e., blink more often).

I have a jacket from J&G (bicycleclothing.com) - I've had it for about 6 or 7 years, I wear it as a top layer all winter and when it's raining hard and is < 70*F or so, so probably 100+ days a year. It's still basically like new, I haven't noticed any tears or anything.

I have pants from them as well, they're only about 4 years old and they took a rip from the chainring a couple of years ago, but I patched that with REI tent repair tape and they're holding up well.

As far as I am concerned, you're on a bike, you're not in an enclosed, sealed space so you're going to get wet. However, wet can also mean cold so I say yes to raingear (jacket only when it is mild or warmer). I agree with another poster that wet shoes are a real annoyance so shoe covers are nice too (to prevent, or at least reduce, rain from running down my leg into the opening of my shoe covers, I wrap a reflective leg band around the top of the bootie to tighten it up against my leg which will help but in torrential rain, may not be sufficient).

Another consideration is that rain reduces visibility so I would not invest in a dark rain shell but a brightly coloured one with lots of reflectivity.

Finally, I don't like rain running down my head into my eyes or down my neck into my jacket and down my back so I wear a helmet cover.

Finally, on rainy days, I pack a second set of gloves, socks, shorts and jersey so I can put on a dry set for the ride home.

Recently purchased a Showers Pass Elite 2.1 jacket that I like so far. It was somewhat expensive and like others have stated it gets too warm if above 60F.

Try out different combinations and find what is best for you. That is ultimately what all of us have done.

Umbrellas would be fun if we can get some lift to decrease weight! But not too much to lose grip.

Showers pass Elite is my rain jacket. I can tolerate it up to about 60-65ish, then its too hot. In winter/fall/spring I pair it with some generic cycling rain pants and Lake winter boots. In summer, my larger issue is keeping my feet dry in summer rain. I'm okay with a wet torso head and legs in the summer heat, but wet feet = disaster on any kind of trip longer than a short jaunt.

I used to live in Binghamton and commuted year round there for over 2 years. From my experience the weathermen up there were wrong about 80% of the time regarding rain and I lost a lot of good days riding (before I stopped caring and just rode anyway).

I did purchase a Walter Hagen Rain Golf Jacket from Dick's Sporting Goods at the Town Square Mall for about $30 at the time. While it will keep most of the rain out, it doesn't vent well so you will sweat on the inside (which defeats the purpose).

Without knowing the distance you will be riding and the clothing you will be wearing it's hard to say what to do as far as clothing. At the time I was living there my commute was about 5 miles each way and I could wear shorts and a t-shirt. On my way home it really didn't matter if I was wet or not.

Sonnet by I don't buy gas, cooker and irwin7638:

well here in central florida im thinking
you may live down here, talk of daily storms.
But i got nice rain gear at harbor frieght,
10 bux, much less than Walmarts, dry and warm,
with pants, suspenders, jacket, hood, it’s great,
when storms come in and get temperatures sinking

for with the wind im cold when i get wet
(insert one extra line to make sonnet)
of course im reptile anyways love heat.
just keep it on my rack on days i know
its gonna rain, and in my back pack find
along with one more penta-meter line,
extra shoes, for early rain (not snow)
when afternoon rain often falls on street.

Alright, that is pretty neat.

I used Speiwak rain gear for a while. Bit large for me these days, but it is pretty tough stuff with oversized pockets and super secure seals. Meant for military use. However, I've come to enjoy sweating less than getting soaked, so I only use a light water resistant jacket - holds up well enough in moderate rain. Really, a change of clothes is more useful than a rain jacket in any case.

I also carry two of something like this: Amazon.com : Emergency Poncho, Emergency Rain Gear, Weather Protection, Emergency Zone® Brand : Camping First Aid And Safety Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

Mostly as a just in case; a pair fits perfectly in one smaller pocket of my trunk bag and they weigh nothing. I presume I'll likely end up giving them away to someone caught in a rain more than I'll use them, though.

M.

Has anybody ever tried one of these?

Waterwear Guide - Waterwear - Ponchos - Rain Capes

I could see me using something like this before a jacket that traps the heat.

I followed the link and laughed when I saw, "Not suitable for swimming". Well, rain capes are no good for me then!!!

A good base layer that is anything but cotton. If it's warm out then nothing extra. If it's cold, then i'll layer up in stuff that will keep me warm. The only time I ever wear a rain jacket while riding is if I need a wind break. Doesn't matter what time of year or outdoor temperature, you're going to be wet (either the rain or your sweat).

That's how I see it.


Too hot when it's warm, low 60's on up for me but that point varies for people.

I'm not even sure about the "waterproof" part - even if you're wet underneath if it breaks the wind that's OK. Unless I ride my upright fairing I resign myself to being wet, and that simplifies the whole rain-gear question.

Just a simple poncho.

A cape , yes, that exact blue and black one made in Eugene Oregon , JIT, to order? no.

Its true , a light weight high tech fabric of waxed cotton is also available..