Positron400

Heya,

I recently aquired a "proper" rainjacket to keep me dry and allow me to go riding if the weather is sub-par. However, this doesn't keep my pants dry. How do you guys go about this? To me, having a wet bum/crotch area is the worst when cycling.
I haven't really found something in the shorts-section for to keep my dry. And what's the point of bib shorts? Quick drying is fine, once you get out of the rain, but i presume you get soaked thru pretty quickly and have to deal with the aforementioned issue.

BR
P!

genejockey 

I got an SKS S-blade fender that clamps onto the seatpost. It does an amazing job, since most of what was getting my shorts wet was spray off the back wheel.

But the other thing would be a rain jacket with a long tail.

Positron400

Sorry, i should mention that i already use fenders and the jacket i have has a long tail. But when riding in the rain, i feel quite a lot of it gets accumulated in the middle/crotch section from the front.

rsbob 

You can buy waterproof rain pants (don’t think waterproof shorts exist) or my old trick was to wear a poncho and drape it over the bars. Or you could buy rain pants and cut them down into shorts.

Iride01 

If you are covering up with rain gear, remember that it's harder for your sweat to be carried away and evaporated. So some of your wet down there in the middle might be just sweat with no where else to go. And that includes everywhere above that rolled down your body since it too had nowhere else to go.

cyccommute 

+1. Even “breathable” rainwear is quickly overwhelmed. Breathable rainwear is designed mostly for low aerobic activities. I’ve had many rides where I’m just as wet inside as outside including one ride in North Carolina where I had a river of sweat pouring out of my “breathable” jacket’s coat sleeves. I also did 60 miles in the rain 2 years ago in Wisconsin without wearing a rain jacket because it just wasn’t worth the heat being trapped by the jacket and the sweat being generated. I’d never do that here in Colorado…temperatures tend to drop into dangerous levels during rain storms here…but the temperature in Wisconsin was in the upper 60s for the whole ride. It wasn’t “pleasant” but it was endurable.

wolfchild

Anything that's advertised as waterproof and breathable is going to make you soaked with your own sweat, even the most expensive Gore-Tex jackets... Personally I don't use any rain specific clothing. In warm weather I don't care about getting wet with rain and if I am riding in cold rain I just try to stay warm by wearing insulating layers and a lightweight wind resistant shell only on my upper body. My lower body doesn't seem to get cold as much so I don't overdress below my waist.

epnnf

IMHO you cant ride a bicycle & be dry at the same time
YMMV

delbiker1 

I do not know that there is a way to the whole body dry when riding in rain/wet. I do have water resistant apparel that that does keep one from getting wet for a relatively short amount of time. I have full fenders on the bike I ride when I know it is going to be wet, but that is to keep the road gunk getting on the drivetrain to a minimum more than to protect myself. They do a very good job of that, and, again, help keep me drier for a bit of time. If one is going to ride a bike in the rain or wet conditions, for more than a short ride, one is going to get wet.

genejockey 

Yeah, after this winter in NorCal, I have to agree. I was pretty happy with the wet weather gear I had, but essentially what it does is slow down the saturation, and it keeps you warm while wet, and I figure that's about the best you can hope for. Mind you, it only rains when it's cold (well, cold-ISH) here, so jackets and tights and booties all make sense. We don't have to worry about warm and rainy.

Jedneck

is my method also. I don’t do anything extra for rain till it gets under 50*f. Wind proof outer layer below 50. The worst is down near freezing n rain. I still feel the effects of forgetting the barmitts one day last winter on right hand when gloves got wet.

I commute year round from September to june 6days per week. 30miles per day

_ForceD_

As others have indicated above…unless you’re just riding along at a leisurely snail’s pace, it’s really impossible to stay dry regardless if there’s precipitation or not. The wetness factor comes down to making a choice between being warm or cold. In warm weather…if I really want to ride…I don’t really concern myself with being wet with either sweat or rain. Yes…being wet isn’t the most comfortable situation for riding. But if you really want to ride, you have to deal with it. On cold days…I choose clothing that will keep me warm once I do get wet.

Dan

staehpj1

That typically means a windproof shell on top if it is chilly or cold. For cold weather I have some tights that are windproof in the front.

Personally I don't mind riding in the rain. Being wet isn't a big deal.

rsbob 

When it rains, I wear a base layer under my bibs to keep me warmer. Then I use either pull on legs or knee warmers. I am just resigned I will be wet, but warm wet is preferred.

Kapusta

Full coverage front fender keeps me very dry from road spray.

If you can’t do full coverage, try adding a down tube fender.

BlazingPedals

That's what I used to do. Nowadays I ride in the rain so little that I just put up with the wet.

Bib shorts: IMHO they are mostly to keep the shorts from riding down if you have some extra ballast in the middle.

rollagain

Don't know how much this will help; I'm mostly surprised the page is still up after ten years, and some of the links don't work any more, but check out all the 'clothing' options on the zPacks website ... they have gaiters and even rain kilts.

https://popupbackpacker.com/the-sear...ble-rain-gear/

https://zpacks.com/collections/clothing

retswerb

The rain kilt looks great but how do I keep my bagpipes dry??