newbojeff

I also generally just ride. Rain on its own will not keep me from riding. Come to think of it any of rain, snow, wind, lightning, dark, low temperatures, or other atmospheric phenomena -- on their own -- will not keep me from riding. Some combination of these might keep me from riding, though. Then I just take the T.

The main factor for me is the road surface. To now, icy roads have generally sent me to the T, BUT my rebuild with studded tires is almost done....

EDIT: and for riding in the rain below about 55F, I have a rain jacket, rain paints, booties, panniers with rain covers (and plastic bag wrapped stuff inside the panniers), fenders, and disc brakes. Riding in the rain is fun.

Artkansas 

Same thing I do on a sunny day. Swing my leg over my bike saddle and start pedaling.

In summer, I just get wet and pack dry clothes in plastic to put in my backpack. In winter I wear a raincoat. I keep a change of clothes at work as well and my bike is equipped with fenders.

dynaryder

And disc brakes. Better stopping,longer pad life,less mess.

kjmillig

Drive.

thdave

I used to just drive when it rained, as it makes the most sense. Rain creates a visibility problem, too, that you need to account for. Make sure, however, that you just worry about the rain on the ride in to work. If you don't ride because of projected rain on the ride home, you'll miss out on a good morning ride many times for no reason. Sure, the weathermen can say that it will rain in the afternoon, 100% certain, but that doesn't mean it will rain during your brief time you spend on the road. If it does rain on the ride home it isn't a big deal--you can change clothes then.

That said, lately I ride in to work when it's lightly raining quite often. That kind of rain is fairly easily manageable with water resistent coat/pants, assuming you have fenders, and blinkies.

mihlbach

When its raining I wear some or all of the following...

waterproof helmet cover
semi water resistant nylon shell
rainpants
some sort of semiwaterresistant glove
neoprene shoe covers (and somtimes put a plastic bag between the shoe and cover)

With that setup, I was once able to do a 70 mile ride in constant hard rain, temps in the 40s, and stayed comfortable for the whole ride.

Rain riding is surprisingly enjoyable if you are dressed right and have fenders. In hard rain, there is no real way to avoid getting wet, but getting damp is fine if you keep your heart rate up, and in warmer weather it feels great. The only time I find it to be intolerable is when its raining hard in near-freezing temperatures...thats a recipe for hypotherimia. Subfreezing temps and snow are much better because you stay dry.

spqla

when the rain is heavy i take the bus

light rain is fine for me and riding, i just put all my stuff in plastic bags and cram those into another bag

but when its heavy i stay off the bike and get on the bus. and that is more because drivers in LA suck in the rain.

if i'm already at work and it comes down hard i can lock my bike up in an available dog kennel. so my ride stays nice and dry till the rain goes away.

so far, this has not been an issue since 2005

Philatio

no, but I'd be interested too if anyone does. I had a great original idea (guess not ) last year to make something like this for when it's warm rain. I never got around to doing it, but I think if it were designed to not blow up from the wind then it would solve both overheating and being seen very well

rule

If it is lightning, I don't ride. If it is freezing into road ice I don't ride. Otherwise, I just put on my rain gear and head out on the fendered bike.

willawry'd

only if it's a headwind

newbojeff

Agreed. There are lots of rainy days that have breaks in the rain or periods of less intense rain or periods without lightning. To spot those, I'll keep an eye on the weather radar and try to time my ride. I'm lucky in that my job allows such flexibility.

JohnBrooking

Depends on the temperature. Generally, if it's above maybe 55 or 60, I'll just wear something that can get wet, and carry dry clothes in a double-plastic bag inside my backpack or pannier. Otherwise, I'll get as wet with sweat as I would with rain.

Below that, it's too cold to get wet, and the rain gear needs to be used. I have rain pants from L.L. Bean, and a transparent plastic rain jacket through which the yellow flourescent jacket can shine through, with mesh underarms for breathability. (Although that does tend to let the rain seep in if it's really coming down.)

For my feet, I have regular platform pedals, so I just wear boots, rubbed with mink oil for water resistance. Not that that does much, so extra socks are always called for! I keep an extra pair at work in case I forget. (I also keep work shoes here anyway.)

joejack951

During the summer here on the east coast, it's pretty common for every afternoon to have a thunderstorm forecasted and probably 75% of the time, the weather people are wrong. When it does storm, it's not exactly easy to ride in but it's better than missing out on all those days it was bright and sunny but forecasted to rain.

rs_woods

I just throw a plastic Trek waterproof jacket I got from my LBS for free. Put it over my backpack, and go. Granted, if it's raining hard my waist down will get soaked, but so long as my backpack is dry I'll have a spare set to change into. I could probably do with some wet weather pants.

How far you want to take the weather gear depends on your (or your boss's) tolerance for nastiness.

ViperZ

Is this a trick question....? Why we just ride of course...



Seriously, as others have said, fenders, rain jacket, pants, and a fresh change of clothes and your'e good to go!

beetes

I wear a rain cape when its really raining. I don't have a rain suit, so I can't compare directly, but I think it is probably cooler. But thats not to say its completely cool. It still gets warm under there, but you can lift up the front every now and then to let the cool air in (assuming its cool out), somethin you can't do with rain pants. Most bike capes have "thumb loops" that prevent it from blowing up in the wind, but you could just use a poncho and hold it down with your hands if need be.

RomSpaceKnight

I ride in all weather. If snow too deep i put on XC skis or snowshoes and hoof it in to work. There is an environmentally significant area between my house and work. Illegal to ride a bike through but other uses allowed. I do ride there but not in spring or fall when things are wet and I leave big scars.

joe v

Wet.

Jessica

on my bike

when the cagers say, "did you ride in that?"
I say,"I get wet every time I take a shower."

rain is fun, I use a poncho, and hold it in my hands on the handlebars. I have fenders.
WIND however, is a deal breaker... more than 15 MPH and I am a wuss.

Katzenjammer

Rain capes are good. I think they probably vary in how cool they are according to what they're made from. I have the one Campmor sell ($29 -- cheapest I could find). It's quite light, highly-visible yellow nylon taffeta and has the obligatory thumb loops and waist loop to keep from flapping up. It seems quite pleasant compared to the portable sauna I used to wear years ago. It has an integral hood that I've not used--I'd rather a helmet cover, but so far have done without.

Carusoswi

I ride without fenders or flaps - not certain why everyone feels they are so indispensable. I have a rubber rain suit (sporting goods section of any K/Wal-mart). The jacket has a hood that I wear over my head under my helmet. The pants fit down over the back of my "water-proof" shoe covers. The only time I ever got wet riding in the rain was when the water got so high in spots that the down stroke left my feet submerged. Even then, it was just my feet that were wet.

I try to alter my riding style to exert less energy when wearing my rain suit so that the tendency to get wet from the inside out is reduced.

As for the fenders/flaps, my riding is done on the road, so mud isn't a problem. As for water coming off the tires, not that much comes from the front tire, and my "trunk" bag and rack serve as a fender on the back. If i didn't have the rack/trunk bag, I would just let whatever water the rear wheel picks up hit me - it's just water, and I'm in waterproof gear.

Caruso

Michel Gagnon

Caruso,

I think your rain gear is great for "extreme weather" situations. But there are three drawbacks with your approach:

– Full rain gear is hot when it is warm outside. In fact, I love my raingear when the temperature hovers around 0-5 C.
– WHen riding in midst, I prefer to have little or no rain gear on me.
– The roads are dirtiest after rainstorm or at some other times when it's not raining.

These are probably some of the reasons why fenders are very popular in areas like the Pacific NorthWest or England, where there are lots of days with drizzle rather than downpours.

o-dog

in addition to everything that everyone else mentioned, a waterproof skull cap is good if your helmet has vents.

tedi k wardhana

I take my bike out, hop on the saddle and pedal.
that's how.......














seriously....since all my bikes have full fenders, I just have to put on rain jacket and rain pants.
and protect the stuff inside my backpack with plastic bags.

cooker

I don't ride to work if it is raining heavily but I do ride in light rain. I bought rain pants and I sweated like a porcine omnivore. So I usually ride with a rain jacket and ordinary pants. I bring a second set of pants and usually a shirt, and I have spare underwear, socks and shoes at the office just in case. (The spare underwear is not because it's a scary ride.)

I ride home in any weather.

I intend to get a rain cape as I'm sure it will offer more protection than the jacket, and hopefully will be cooler than rain pants.