Originally Posted by Porteño

But what about those of us riding to work, or who have to go to work meetings (or in my case - I am a journalist- do interviews)? It is one thing to ride in civilian clothes and get a bit sweaty, nothing an inconspicuous spare shirt rolled into my bag and one minute in any toilet cannot handle, but arriving in a soaking, muddy, sweaty mess in conditions nothing short of a full bath and new change of clothes will repair is just not an option on a working day... Weekend/fitness rides are a different beast, sure, but I still haven't found clothes I can ride in on a rainy day that still make me look some kind of business casual without 15 minutes in a changing room.

Plus, I don't know about where you live, but biking in a busy, bike-unfriendly city in the rain (Buenos Aires, Argentina, in my case) can get pretty unsafe: most of my close calls with cars have been on rainy days, when they ride more dangerously, the traffic is heavier and my handling/braking on the bike is affected by more slippery streets, puddles and the like. I do most of my riding in busy/downtown areas without bike lanes, which only makes matters worse.

I don't own a car and hate buses/subways, but in those days I suck it up and ride public transport...