Rain Cape Musings...
06-22-19, 03:40 PM
#51
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The more you ride in the rain, the more tolerable it becomes. You end up coming up with a bunch of tricks, each tailored to the situation.
When heading out into the rain or into a chance of rain, you have to estimate how heavy it will be and how long you'll be in it. Consider the temperature. If it's not too cold, you want to wear as little as possible. Clothing made of wool or synthetic can help, as those materials tend not to lose their warming properties as much as cotton does. Wet cotton makes you cold. If you are warm (from exercise) and are wearing wool and the wool gets wet, there is a chance you'll stay warm. But that depends on how wet, how fast you're going, how strong the wind is, etc.
Sometimes it's better not to ride, especially if you have an alternative. If it's raining very hard and it's a 30 minute ride, you'll get soaked. If you're meeting friends for dinner, it will make dinner less enjoyable. But that's an extreme example.
Sometimes the forecast tells me there's a chance of showers and I head out and I get lucky. It's hard to know when the showers come and how long they'll last. I've been rewarded for taking chances occasionally.
I happen to have a warm body type. I can tolerate wearing cold, wet clothes more than some other people can. Everyone's tolerance is different. It may take some experimentation to determine how tolerant you are, and you can push your tolerance to a degree, if you're interested. Sometimes riding in the rain is unpleasant, but it reminds me of that bumper sticker that says a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. Sometimes a bad ride on the bike is better than a good drive in a car.
When heading out into the rain or into a chance of rain, you have to estimate how heavy it will be and how long you'll be in it. Consider the temperature. If it's not too cold, you want to wear as little as possible. Clothing made of wool or synthetic can help, as those materials tend not to lose their warming properties as much as cotton does. Wet cotton makes you cold. If you are warm (from exercise) and are wearing wool and the wool gets wet, there is a chance you'll stay warm. But that depends on how wet, how fast you're going, how strong the wind is, etc.
Sometimes it's better not to ride, especially if you have an alternative. If it's raining very hard and it's a 30 minute ride, you'll get soaked. If you're meeting friends for dinner, it will make dinner less enjoyable. But that's an extreme example.
Sometimes the forecast tells me there's a chance of showers and I head out and I get lucky. It's hard to know when the showers come and how long they'll last. I've been rewarded for taking chances occasionally.
I happen to have a warm body type. I can tolerate wearing cold, wet clothes more than some other people can. Everyone's tolerance is different. It may take some experimentation to determine how tolerant you are, and you can push your tolerance to a degree, if you're interested. Sometimes riding in the rain is unpleasant, but it reminds me of that bumper sticker that says a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work. Sometimes a bad ride on the bike is better than a good drive in a car.
06-23-19, 05:26 AM
#52
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I'm going to try a rain poncho even though it's less Aerodynamic.
https://www.harborfreight.com/emerge...psugg_q=poncho
https://www.harborfreight.com/emerge...psugg_q=poncho
06-23-19, 07:04 AM
#53
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I tried a cape and gave up on it:
1. On my urban commute I use too many hand signals and the cape interfered
2. The leggings were too tight on my somewhat massive calves
It’s a nice Carradice set (L). Happy to sell for short $
1. On my urban commute I use too many hand signals and the cape interfered
2. The leggings were too tight on my somewhat massive calves
It’s a nice Carradice set (L). Happy to sell for short $
06-23-19, 07:11 AM
#54
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I have a new development in my rain cape story. Stay tuned...
Likes For BobbyG:
06-24-19, 08:51 AM
#55
aka Tom Reingold
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@southpier, I think I'll add a sheet of tyvek to my tool kit. Excellent idea.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
06-24-19, 08:55 AM
#56
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I'm going to try a rain poncho even though it's less Aerodynamic.
https://www.harborfreight.com/emerge...psugg_q=poncho
https://www.harborfreight.com/emerge...psugg_q=poncho
Check that, googling for a link, it's not listed at ikea.com/ms/en_US, although if you want to travel to Japan...
06-25-19, 05:45 AM
#57
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@southpier, I think I'll add a sheet of tyvek to my tool kit. Excellent idea.
