CastIron

I wear enough of the super hero costume on the bike. I draw the line at a cape.

wahoonc

MKahrl,
Glad to see another cape lover on here I have been using them off and on for about 20 years. There are several sources but I usually buy mine from Campmor well worth the price. I never used spats, on the old commuter I have the extra mud flap at the bottom of the fender and during rainy season I would use fender spray covers to help keep the spray down. (they cover the rear quarter of the front fender and the front quarter of the rear fender).

Aaron

wahoonc

I have no clue what is going on...I responded with what should have been the post after MKahrl...but it ended up #2 in the que

Aaron

Gotte

Other than dracula, that is?

I never thought very much about cycling capes, I imagined them to be hot, sweaty and quite difficult in the wind. I have of course never tried one, so would be interested to know if I'm wrong.

mlts22 

Maybe with fenders, but without fenders, I fear a cap getting caught in the rear wheel or the drivetrain, getting the rider an appointment with Dr. Pain and Nurse Road Rash.

C Law

frank costanza's lawyer uses a cape. I am not sure this helps you out though.....

Little Darwin

You ask about capes, and the first thing you come up with is Dracula? Is that because it is October?

The first one that came to mind for me was different...

You don't tug on _______'s cape,
you don't spit into the wind,
you don't pull the mask on the ol' lone ranger,
and you don't mess around with Jim.

But, no I don't wear a cape. At least not as Little Darwin.

MKahrl

I wore a cape for commuting in wet weather for about ten years straight. It's big advantage is the you don't have to wear rain pants, the cape keeps water off your thighs, and the increased air circulation means you don't get nearly as sweaty as jackets do. They also do a good job of keeping your saddle dry. If you're on a long ride and the showers are on and off, which is common, when it's not raining you can throw the front part of the cape up over your shoulders and enjoy fresh air to dry off.

Cape use is enhanced when you wear spats that cover just the front of your feet and shins. Also use fenders with mudflap, that keeps A LOT of water off your shoes, legs, drivetrain, headset, etc.

They are a little trickier in the wind and may slow you down in a good headwind. I prefer to go a little slower in the rain anyway for comfort, braking and lower visibility considerations anyway.

When it's cold and rainy it helps to have nice warm soft wool over your arms and hands as the wet fabric of the cape will be resting right on them.

The one weird aspect of capes is that you can't see your shift levers chainwheel or rear cluster. You must be very in tune with which gear you're in. Not too difficult with downtube shifters, you just reach down, feel where each one is, and shift.

My cape wore out after 20 years and nothing I've used since works as well. Time to look for a new cape.

MotoMan

Like MKahrl, I have used capes, my latest from Campmor. As mentioned, need to use fenders with mudflap. When I rode across Euope on my bike years ago, I used a cape, fenders, wools, and kept snug/dry. The main hassle sometimes can be the wind. I remeber in Ireland (rains there most of the time...) I got stuck in a major rain driven headwind. Need I say that the milage was not great that day..I have some new fangle rain coat, and it doesn,t work half as well as a cape. That is why there are all these high tech rain stuff for bkies, since most road bikes made today are not fender friendly. In fact, on my fenderless bike, I tend to use a wool shirt alone in the rain...

MotoMan

cooker

The server accidentally placed some posts out of order yesterday.

aikigreg

umm, superman - a little Jim Croce never hurt nobody!

Gotte

Thanks for that, chaps.
So, is it true they are less sweaty because of the air irculation. THat's my main interest in them. I get awefully hot and sweaty in even breathable rainwear.

slowandsteady

Now this is a cape. What you describe is a poncho. At least that is what we call 'em in dees der parts.

Gotte

Ahhh, you see, I'm from merree olde England, and I suppose that's the difference. Ponchos are for the new world, all very cool and casual, slung over a shoulder even like Clint Eastwood in the dusty desert, whereas over here we like a cape to keep the cold and damp out when we're out on the moors solving bicycling mysteries like Sherlock holmes.

grolby

Nope. A rain cape and a poncho are similar but distinctly different garments. A rain cape is designed for cycling use, so it doesn't flap too much in the wind behind you, and also covers your legs (often by hooking onto your thumbs or some similar method). Ever try wearing a poncho on a bike? It kinda sucks. I haven't tried a cape yet, but I hear they work great!

slowandsteady

Okay, maybe this isn't high tech enough, but how about a jacket? The whole cape thing looks like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. It would be better than a poncho...but wearing a poncho on a bike would be stupid.

Gotte

Well, my problem is that I get very hot and sweaty very quickly, and find even breathable jackets uncomfortable after a while. I was wondering, hopefully, with all that open space at the bottom, that it would vent well. Of course, I have a suspicion that the hot air would simply rise and get trapped in the cape, thus creating discomfort. But I can;t help thinking that the fact that the air moves across the opeing would drag the hot, moiste air out.

I just rather like the look of them, as well. I think it would go marvelously with my old Raleigh sit up an beg.