Cycling rain jacket and pants
 

I am gearing myself for a 3 week tour in Arizona and California this February and March. I am expecting to temperature range from below freezing to 70's to 80's and everything inbetween, I am expecting wet weather along with way and snow in places. I am looking for rain wear suggestions to deal with these extremes.

You are not going to find something that does it all. What you have to do is get yourself a waterproof breathable outer shell and as the weather gets colder add layers under that.

I use REI Crestrail rain pants and a Marmot Mica jacket. They will keep you dry and are not heavy. You can layer them with other items to keep warm.

look at Showerpass

yea a rain jacket is also a wind breaker ,, so then you add layers under that, as the temperature drops ..

I had a Patagonia Puff ball pull over as a mid layer . polar fleece works too, just wont stuff down as small ..


Anorak in yellow From LL Bean Kangaroo pouch and handwarmer tunnel pocket is handy ..

ust wish it had a separating Pit zip to the hem , to make it easier to take Off..

REI mesh lined 2 layer shell pants were a PIA to put on/off but were fine while On
diamond gusset crotch did not come un seam taped like all others since , have.

I like Outdoor Research's stuff. Kelley uses a jacket and I use their pants. I also found the EMS Helix Anorak to be a steal for Neoshell.

I like Marmot Precip pants. They are not cycling specific, but all you really need is some breathable light weight rain pants.

I am not suggesting a jacket because the one I would use is no longer made.

You might want some ski gloves that are gore tex or some other waterproof membrane, or if it really gets near zero, mittens. I also like to carry some thin full finger gloves so that when I get warmed up and my hands start to sweat, I can lose some of that heat with thinner gloves instead of sweating in my mittens.

I use a mountain bike helmet. I like the J&G helmet rain cover that is designed to go on a helmet that has a front visor. I got the waterproof one but they also make a breathable one. For really cold weather a thin skull cap type stocking cap under your helmet.

Waterproof Helmet Covers from People Who Really Know Waterproof Helmet Covers!

When it gets down to the 20s or colder, I switch to hiking boots or hiking shoes. But above freezing, bike shoes. I will let others comment on rainwear for footwear since I have not found the ideal solution yet. But if you use bike shoes with cleats, I will comment that you might want pedals that also have one side that is platform if you have to switch to other footwear.

Gore-tex socks over thin Merino wool socks, in my regular cycling shoes. Warm and dry until about 30ºF. Below freezing, my toes go numb and I need to switch to hiking boots and thick wool socks.

There's an awful time when the weather is below freezing, but the roads are full of wet slush. For this, I use waterproof snowboots.

I'm a fan of O2 Rainwear - O2 Rainwear | Waterproof. Breathable. Lightweight.

This is me with Nokomis jacket (& pants not in photo) after a sleet/snow commute at ~30F. I was very comfortable riding 10 miles home from work. I think you could get down to 0F with good layers under the jacket and pants; but I typically change jackets at temps below 20F.

http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...p;d=1417455983

Thanks for all the great feedback, checking out all the suggestions.

I have the sugoi zap and I like it alot. It's highly reflective, breathes well and has magnetic sleeves that quickly convert it to a vest. I also have a pair of showers pass pants, but I only use them if Temps are about 45 or below and raining, otherwise I'll just use my gore wear shoe covers and pearl izumi pro wxb gloves and let my legs get a little wet. As long as my feet and hands are dry I find it the most comfortable way to go.

I also have a pair of showers pass socks that I'll layer in if it gets really cold and nasty out.

I use gore bike wear element jacket and pants, gore tex, breathable and 100% waterproof/windproof

I have used showers pass and REI Novara) cycling rain jackets and pants. I actually like the REI gear better. It has held up longer and is a little less expensive. My first Showers Pass jacket, a low end style, only held up about 4 years before it started delaminating around the neck area. My wifes SP, "Touring", while a little older has also started delaminating in the collar area. The higher end "Elite" seems to hold up a little better;different fabric. If you go SP, get one of the higher end jackets.

This is my 11 year old REI rain jacket. It was used for commuting almost daily for 8 years. I used it this morning to ride down to the gym. I have a Showers Pass "Elite", but I only use it for serious rides. When the "Elite" wears out, I'll replace it with a Novara.

I've worn this REI rain jacket so much it has almost faded to white. However, It still sheds rain. I'm still using the REI pants, also 11 years old.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...bb321adaa7.jpg


I agree about the helmet cover. I also believe that quality raingear is a good investment. On a tour a few years ago we had 35 days of rain. On our tour this summer we wore our rain gear for about 20 out of the 60 days. However, a few of those days were for warmth. Good gear makes riding in the rain almost enjoyable:) I still ride almost every day, and in Oregon that means a lot of wet days. Our rain gear is used a lot!

Showers Pass Elite jacket, REI Novara pants, and J & G helmet cover. We had temps down to freezing on this trip, but no snow.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...p/DSCN1565.jpg

I suggest Arc'teryx, Beta AR. The only reason that I did not pull the pin and buy was because I had a rain jacket and rain pants from J&G. Never being on tour before, I thought that I should give what I had a fair try, even though I knew in my mind I was making the wrong choice. Fortunately, I had very little rain to deal with this past summer. But, I will get it before my next tour. So, I can also suggest not J&G cycle wear. It is not tour grade clothing.

I checked out all the above. All have mostly pros, and some cons. Depending on the following:
Pockets, For your hands. Or, hand warmers as they are called now, an internal one too. Some of the ones suggested do not have these. I bought a soft shell that did not have pockets and I regret it to this day! But i learned a lesson. Pit zips are another consideration, must have. Hood detachable? Helmut worthy? Longer tail, cut for a cyclist. Bight color? Dark blue, black, or any other dark color are not appropriate in my opinion. You just can't be seen far enough away. So its important to be visible. Even if you're wearing a blinkie. Drivers told me twice this past summer that they preferred seeing a solid red light as I have on my rack, opposed to a blinkie. Sorry I am off topic.

I like my Mountain Hardwear Seraction pants for wet weather cycling they are designed for ice climbing so they have a kickpatch right where you would also see your cranks and chainrings and chain so it keeps your pants from getting ruined if they get sucked in. Plus they are decently light and have good air permeability meaning you won't get too sweaty. My MHW Chinley 3L is a good jacket for layering and has pit zips and is comfortable but maybe not the ideal cycling jacket if you want something more form fitting.

I would most certainly second most any Arc'teryx stuff. I have a few of their pieces including one from the A2B line which I love. They make an A2B Commuter Hardshell Jacket which as you might tell is waterproof (Gore-Tex in this case) and has little reflective hits so you can be seen. If I was still working as a dealer I might consider that and maybe a pair of their A2B pants since I have problems finding decent non-waterproof cycling pants.

I lived in Prescott for several years. If you're going to be cycling much above 5000' in central or northern AZ, be prepared for several days of winter weather in March and early April. (Up on the Colorado Plateau, I was in a post-Easter storm with temps in the teens, extremely high winds, and several inches of snow--horrible cycling. Luckily I was on a hiking trip and could keep going.) Keep an eye on the forecast and head below 4000'--plenty of fine cycling down low.

I'm in the "forget about staying dry, get wet and stay warm" school. After a couple of decades of many hundreds of dollars spent on breathable rain gear, I no longer use it. The last ten years or so (five of those in Arizona) I've switched to silnylon, extremely lightweight (7 oz for anorak and pants), packs to the size of a fist, and cheap (homemade by a friend). I used bread bags for my feet the few hours I needed it over the years I lived in Arizona--free, extremely small and light. I pay more attention to the layers underneath, ventilating, and drying out as often and as soon as possible--trading off experience for expensive gear.

If you have the budget for it, the expensive stuff can be very nice in many conditions, but it's not absolutely necessary. (Keep in mind if the membrane gets wet, from inside or out, it stops breathing.) You will be in a southern desert after all and you might not need it at all with a little luck.

From my own experience, silnylon has zero breathability so you need to rely on pitzips (guy that bought a silnylon jacket says the same here at 4:55 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQAIrprzhdw)
And compared to other more breathable jackets that also have pitzips it would be no match. Maybe yours is better made, i don't know.
Check the latest air permeable jackets you could be surprised (mine is at 6.3oz) ;)

I use plastic shower caps to keep my head dry. They are super cheap, light and work well. I will only put on my rain pants if it's cold. Otherwise I just use my Mica rain jacket.

Lots of good info on rain pants and jackets, thanks!

What about non-neoprene booties? (I've never used neoprene booties, I just assume my socks will get soaked with sweat in warmer temperatures. Maybe it's not a big problem?)

I have an old pair of Louis Garneau booties, made of wind blocking fabric. These are breathable, so I can wear them for hours without getting sweat soggy socks. They are good down to at least 40F and aren't too warm to wear up to about 60F. They get wet through, but keep water out of my shoes quite well.

The bottom of the toes came apart right way, so I stitched on a layer of rubber membrane roofing (rubber sheet about as thick as an inner tube.) That's held up, but the heel elastic is all ripped, and has been patched many times.

Who else makes breathable wind blocking booties? I've only seen neoprene booties or racer aero booties when I looked this year.

I see Louis Garneau has some "wind dry" booties, but I've not had good luck with the quality of their outerwear in the past.

I have some Gore ones made from Windstopper fabric. I have not used them yet, so I can't comment, have only had them a week. Some at the store said they are not waterproof, only for the cold. I got the XL size, they just barely fit over my Serfas size 45 shoes and they are too small to fit over my size 10.5 Keen Commuter III Sandals because the Keen is too wide.

GORE BIKE WEAR ROAD SO Bike Overshoes - REI.com

In the past when it gets between about 35 and 45 (F), I often put a scrap of plastic from a shopping bag over my sock in the toe area before I put my shoe on, that is intended to block the wind that comes in thru the shoe mesh vents. But not a full plastic bag, I want them to breath, so only over the toe area. Below about 35 (F) I used hiking shoes, but I got these shoe covers to try to extend my cycling shoes to lower temperatures.

I'm looking for booties that can work both for rain resistance and for cool weather riding.

(In the past, for cold weather, I used to put a ziploc sandwich bag over my SPD shoes, held with a couple of rubber bands behind the cleat. Then clip in right through the bag. It helped with the cold air. But booties that cover the shoes and ankles are way better.)

Lots of good info!
Thanks

Thanks for your experiences, bookmarked.

Yes, that is precisely the direction I am going.

Any concern with the shower cap regarding overheating? I am looking at this rain jacket. Seems to fit the bill http://www.wiggle.co.uk/altura-mayhe...rproof-jacket/