alan s 

If it's really coming down in the morning or I'm sick and it's raining, I'll usually opt for driving. I'm already in the car anyway with a multimodal commute. Sometimes I'll make a last minute call based on weather radar if it looks like the rain will end soon. If severe weather is highly likely during the evening commute, I may skip riding, but that is exceedingly rare.

langa

I ride in the rain. I like that there are less bikes on the roads and MUP that I commute on. I've found that the right gear makes it much more enjoyable. I used to have a big bulky rain jacket that would fit over me and also cover my backpack. I used that for years until finally buying a nice rain jacket. Made a world of difference.

I commute on the same bike year-round, but I'd like to get a single speed winter bike with a rack and fenders. A garage would be nice, too. Coming home dripping wet and having to bring my bike into my apartment living room is the worst part of the commute.

Giant Doofus

I'm a relatively new bike commuter - just been doing it six weeks. My work is very flexible, which means I can usually avoid rain just by waiting in the morning or leaving early in the afternoon. I've ridden in the rain twice, both times just a light drizzle. Changed clothes at work. Today it was really coming down, so I didn't ride (and I feel grumpy about that). I don't yet feel confident enough with my bike handling skills to ride in a serious rain, but I hope that as I gain confidence and find the right equipment, I'll find myself doing it soon. In the two drizzle commutes, I did find the fenders really great! I also just added waterproof panniers.

RFEngineer

My house got less than an inch last weekend. The rain seemed to appear just north of us and move north from there. I'm pretty used to the rain going around my house.

walrus1

Depends on a few things for me.

1. How far I'm going. My commute varies in length based on the day. A couple miles? No worries. 10 miles? Subway time I think.
2. When the last time it rained. It can be dangerous to ride in a downpour after a drought due to oil on the road.
3. The time of year it is. If there is chance of ice I won't risk it. Also i refuse to ride on wet leaves.
4. Is there lightning or strong chance of it? I won't ride in a thunderstorm if I can help it.
5. Time of day. Rain and night seems like a bad time to ride to me.
6. How hard it's raining. If it's just a little sprinkle then no problem. However a heavy downpour where my visibility is significantly reduced is not a safe time to ride.

Top tip: Carry a little ziplock baggie for your phone in your bag for those unexpected downpours. When it starts to rain put your phone in the baggie and put the baggie in a waterproof pocket of your backpack, messenger bag, saddle bag ect. I learned this the hard way.

jrickards

My old panniers probably weren't waterproof when I bought them, certainly aren't now so for much less money than waterproof panniers, I purchased a couple of dry bags from eBarf for about $7ea (2x10L, 2x20L). I put my clothes in these and they arrive dry. Because of the fact that when they're buckled together, they make a nice handle so they're easy to take from the bike lockup-cage to my office.

devianb

Light rain maybe.

ThermionicScott 

Is a bear Catholic?
Does the Pope **** in the woods?

Sharpshin

Well I rode in the rain this morning for the first time in years

OK, wake up to rain, I thought it quit raining here (San Antonio TX) a long time ago.

Search for rain gear....... left in wife's car. Find old waterproof liner from motorcycle jacket, wear that.

Decide on old jeans and sneakers to ride in, pack dry dress pants and shoes and socks in trash bags in saddlebags.

At the last minute, decide to take wheels off of old (elastomer fork) Stumpjumper and put on other, less-old (rigid fork) Stumpjumper hanging on garage wall on account of that one is already dirty. Both have mtn. racks so bags just switched right over.

Leave for work in the rain in the dark, descend first hill. Discover that the rims on these wheels are apparently quite a bit narrower than last wheels that were on this bike. Neither brake works, at all, not even a little bit. My life flashes before my eyes.

Perform longest slide-my-right-foot-on-the-asphalt stop ever. Fish around in dark in rain for multitool in bottom of a saddlebag (search the wrong one first natch....) so as to readjust brake cables. Take out multi-tool, hear pretty tinkling sounds from the pavement as it comes apart due to a loose pivot.

Pick up the pieces I can find. Turn around and ride (slowly) back to house. Take down Schwinn Passage touring bike on wall, tranfer bags (mtn. rack on that one too). Ride to work.

Worked pretty well, my dress shirt stayed fairly dry. Dripping bike and bags did make a fairly large grimy puddle indoors at work.


Mike

acidfast7

no bike in UK = no rain (n=32 days)

1 bike in UK = everyday rain (n=10 days)

2 bikes in UK = ?

ill.clyde

I've yet to deliberately set off to work when it's raining.

I've ridden to work with the threat of rain, and when that threat played out, I rode home in the rain.

My main thing is I don't want to "clean up" the bike from the water/grime/uck before I bring it indoors for the day while I'm working.

spare_wheel

My favorite commuting weather is 40-55 F (4-13 C) in moderate rain. It's refreshing and I can power up hills without getting sweaty! I even prefer heavy rain to a warm dry day.

I typically wear a light shell, a jersey, and tights. I really do not understand why people prefer rain-specific clothing. I've always found it to be uncomfortable and smelly.

spare_wheel

It takes me ~1 minute to to spray the muck off my bike and then wipe it down with one of my bike towels.

cat

I don't care if it rains on me on the way home...usually it's a nice relief from the heat. If it's raining in the morning, I'll just drive in. That being said, it rarely rains in the mornings here (like less than 5 days/year).

ill.clyde

I didn't say it was a particularly compelling reason

MattFoley

I don't mind rain if it's cold, since I don't need to worry about sweating in my rain gear. If it's warm and raining, I'll take transit because I'll get as wet from sweat in my rain gear as I would from the rain. I find that my bike clothes don't dry particularly well in my office, so if they get really wet, I'll probably be riding home in damp clothes, which is miserable. Also, my garment bag pannier isn't totally waterproof, so I have to be careful about riding in when it's raining really hard, lest my work clothes get soaked.

mustang1

Yup. In all weather except ice on roads. But one day i will experiment with spike tires.

rumrunn6

it's a progressive thing. meaning when some folks start out they do it during fair weather, then one day they get stuck riding in a sprinkle, then maybe a shower, then they get used to commuting in general or are looking forward to a specific day they planned to ride but there's a chance for a sprinkle or a shower and they decide well, this is my day to bike so I'm gonna, then seasons change and clothing evolves, and the addiction worsens ... before you know it, there are 50mpg gusts, driving rain, studded tires on black ice, schools are closed and there are blackouts, no car traffic cuz the governor says "shelter-in-place" but the old die-hard bike commuters are out there having a ball in 4" of snow

babaluey

Lots of rainy days here in the PNW so yes, I ride in it. My workplace does have a nice locker/shower room, so that helps. I agree with some others here, it's enjoyable to ride in the rain.

1nterceptor

Do you bike commute in the rain? Yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PHgafMCE7I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLeZhBw3cjI

acidfast7

does that really pass for rain in NYC?

caloso

Yes. One exception: we have long dry seasons (March - November) in NorCal so the first good rain of the season brings up all the oil to the surface of the asphalt and all the drivers forget everything they knew last winter about driving in the rain. I take light rail or drive on that day each fall.

walrus1

That passes for a state of emergency in NYC. Expect to see your local council man in wading boots giving a press conference about how the city failed to prepare.

acidfast7

That's a chippy/pub run here

enigmaT120

I do (80+ inches per year where I live), but unlike some others here, I hate it. But I can't make it stop raining. Sometimes I wimp out and ride my motorcycle.