suncruiser

It's apparently getting into rainy season here in Seattle, and I'm not wanting to give up commuting to work by bike. Normally being soaked when I get to work wouldn't be an issue, but it's getting colder and I don't think it'd be wise to be allowing myself to be drenched in 38-42 degree weather.

Anyone have any suggestions? The bike is already fairly well outfitted for rain, I just don't have any gear for me

caloso

Fenders and wool.

pdlamb

Fenders, definitely.


How long is your commute? For 30 minutes or less a decent rain jacket (Showers Pass Transit, for instance) and polypro tights might work. Much longer than that, and you might look at Rainlegs or water resistant tights.


Jackets usually need to have good vents to keep you from getting soaked in sweat. That'll also be a problem with waterproof tights or pants. Wind and hard rain (say, 1"/hour) will push you to waterproof; light rain and little wind are easier to handle.

suncruiser

Current layout: 2015 Trek District 8, added fenders from Steel District, bontrager rear disc rack, race blade buddyflaps, front tire Continental Contact II, rear tire Continental TourRide. (Both 700x32) bontrager ion 700 headlight, performance bicycle special as a backup lamp. Rear lamp is a performance bicycle thing that's proven to be halfway decent, though it's being replaced with a bolt-on type

Edit: commute is 15.5 miles each way (25km) with hills

ItsJustMe

I bought a decent set of rain gear about 8 years ago, for about $180 for the jacket and pants. I have worn them at least 100 days a year since (I use them as a winter top layer also) and they're still going fine.

I have fenders but I don't think they're as important as good rain gear.

I bought mine from Bicycle Clothing At Its Best--and Our Bicycle Clothing Is MADE IN OREGON! - waterproof breathable jacket and pants.

Looks like they've gone up a bit - $110 (on sale now) and $95. Worth it.

Abe_Froman

I need to upgrade my gear as well...bike is fine with full fenders, but I don't really have anything practical for a normal wetish fall day. Sub freezing or snowy I do ski pants, but fall temperatures I dont have anything good.

Jean3n16

Layers.

allan6344

Fenders are a must in sunny Seattle. Keeps you drier and bicycle cleaner. While we have big rainstorms (like the next couple of days) most of the time it's the water left on the road from constant light rain that's the issue.

I wear Shimano MW-81 "winter" shoes during the rainy/cold season and a Showers Pass Elite jacket. If you want to stand out from the crowd, don't get the Goldenrod color. I only wear rain pants for hard cold rain near freezing but I usually carry them after November. I have some Pearl Izumi "so called" waterproof gloves that always leak but they do slow the cold water onto your hands.

Post number 3 in this thread matches my experience:

https://www.bikeforums.net/pacific-no...uter-bike.html

Leisesturm

J&G jacket and pants <$45 each. Jacket has the longest armpit zippers possible and still be a jacket. Doesn't matter. I have put that jacket on on a dry day, and after one trip around the block it will have a thin sheen of water on the inside! So... for Pacific Northwest soaking rain and >20 feet commute: wool or wicking base layer, wool or fleece insulation layer (two layers if you are cold blooded), Outer layer of windstop softshell or coated nylon or High tec fabric (Gore Tex, etc. High tech won't keep you any drier, but there might be a placebo effect for some riders). Today was soaking rain and I couldn't find my helmet cover (plastic showercap). I wore a wool cap under the helmet and was fine. I never felt the rain. I've used plastic grocery bags under my helmet and my head is soaking at the rides end but I was comfortable. Warmth is much more important (to me) than dryness. Rainlegs don't keep your shins dry. I have shin covers and Rainlegs. The waterproofing of Rainlegs is a lot less durable than most other rain products. Should be easy enough to re-condition with spray urethane from an outdoor equipment store. I'm not there yet but I can see the need soon. I hate wet feet but only if the wet is from the outside. I own booties but find them a pain. I just put grocery bags over my feet. Works for me.

InTheRain

Many have mentioned rainwear. It's a must. Even with great rain gear it's pretty normal to get wet from the inside - nothing is breathable enough AND waterproof.

My commuter has platform pedals so now I use waterproof hiking boots.

Andy_K 

With 38-42 degrees the biggest challenge is keeping yourself warm during the start of your commute while not overheating later on. An important part of this is getting out in the transitional temperatures now. When it's been 70-80 degrees for a while 50 degrees feels very cold. If you ride through the winter, you'll find that 50 degrees feels pretty warm in early spring. You just need to let your body adapt.

I have a bunch of fleece lined bib knickers that get me through the winter. I wear gym shorts over them so I don't go all Polish cycling team on my coworkers (only do a Google image search on "Polish cycling team" if you're resilient with regard to disturbing images). The fleece knickers are enough to keep my legs warm in anything above freezing temps, regardless of rain.

A good rain jacket is an important investment. Anything that retails for less than $100 is likely to be about as water resistant as a paper bag. Arm pit zippers are nice to avoid building up too much heat, but with my current jacket (Sugoi Zap) I've sacrificed temperature control for visibility. Under the jacket I usually just wear a "wicking" polyester T-shirt. When the temps get much below 40 I'll add a thermal undershirt. In all cases avoid cotton.

I wear thick wool socks through the winter. They feel great even when soaked. I haven't found anything that will keep my feet dry in a solid downpour. Shoe covers keep the road grit off my shoes and will repel enough water in a light rain. They also add a bit of warmth. I keep old newspapers in a drawer by my desk to dry my shoes during the work day.

I like head bands for keeping my ears warm. Something thin is usually sufficient. Mostly it's about protecting your ears from the wind. Growing a beard really helps with facial warmth.

Gloves are the real trick for me. I'm constantly on the search for the right balance of dexterity and warmth. I've got a big pile of gloves that I choose from based on expected temps. Down to about 45 degrees Fox Sidewinders are great (though they soak up water). When it's near freezing I like a pair of wool glove liners and loose fitting ski gloves. Between 35 and 45 I'll use Seirus All Weather gloves. You can usually get them cheap at REI garage sales because people have unrealistic expectations about how warm and water proof they'll be.

If you find yourself getting really cold, try a helmet cover -- even when it isn't raining. Those things are like wearing a space heater on your head. They don't keep your head dry because you sweat like crazy, but they will keep you warm.

jade408

Fenders aren't just for you, they are for the people behind you! Also, protects your drivetrain if they are long enough!

1nterceptor

Baseball cap under helmet, Illuminte jacket, dishwashing gloves, Novarra pants, waterproof boots:

Andy_K 

True! One year I was riding with some fenders that didn't quite come halfway down my rear tire. They left a bit of a racing stripe on my back, but I was willing to live with it. Then one day there happened to be another bike commuter behind me for a few miles. Eventually we came to a stop light and he very politely informed me that my fenders weren't doing their job. His face was covered with road grime, and he hadn't even been riding particularly close to me. Since then, full rear coverage has been more of a priority for me.

osco53

One Piece Rain Suit For Your Bike Commute | The GearCaster

Just sayin' ~~

Amigo_Frio

Wear warm waterproof poncho and pants. Change into your work pants when your get to work!

suncruiser

this reason right here is why I got the buddy flaps. Noticed the back of my trunk bag was getting a stripe during wet weather. If it's throwing water there, it's throwing water well higher and further behind me. I've been caught behind someone with half fenders and I know it's kinda annoying, so I figure why do it to someone else?

CliffordK

I wore a boating paddle jacket one day... WHEW, that was a HUGE mistake!!!

Good cycling specific rain wear will have good ventilation, and it helps a lot.

InTheRain

I have used cycling specific rain wear and I don't find it to be any better than good quality outdoor rain wear. The jacket that I use in really wet conditions is a hooded patagonia jacket with some fairly good sized side vents. It works fine if I'm just standing in the rain or walking slowly. I've also used stuff that does not have good ventilation or breathability - I sweat just looking at it.

A wool layer underneath keeps me from getting cold even if I'm wet on the inside of the jacket. I have about 4 different thicknesses of wool under layers. On longer rides, I find myself changing around once or twice an hour... but on my commute of 7 miles... I don't bother changing until I reach my destination. My ebike is my main commuter, it helps a lot in decreasing the level of effort and sweating in really wet but relatively warm conditions. Rain won't ever keep me from bicycle commuting. Ice a little sketchy. High winds?... I'm out, my route has a lot of trees.

What I would really love to find... waterproof gloves that really are breathable. My hands are the hardest thing to keep dry and warm. The rain runs down the sleeves of my jacket onto my gloves. Above 50 degrees, no big deal... I just let the gloves and hands get wet. It's those days where it's 35 and raining where it's uncomfortable... we don't have many of those, and I guess I can get by for a 7 mile ride without too much to complain about.

CliffordK

I didn't know they made cycling specific stuff.

The Showers Pass jackets and Novara cycling jackets are designed for cycling and have really good ventilation.

Unzipping underarm, ventilation through back, and I often open up the front.

ItsJustMe

What people behind me? I've never ever ridden anywhere near another person.

On my route, nothing protects the drivetrain. On my winter bike I have mudflaps down to 2 inches from the road and the drivetrain is entirely caked in mud after one ride.

I absolutely will put fenders on the winter bike. Probably will never on the road bike.

Just saying that if I had to choose, I'd get rain gear before fenders.

Insidious C. 

I commute year round in Seattle and I don't even have a rain jacket. But then again I'm wet and cold alot of the time. Seattle is pretty mild (in general). You probably won't need as much gear as you might imagine.

Stadjer

For the longer rides I prefer a rain poncho that goes over the handlebars, it's much less sweaty than rain jacket and pants. It allows to adjust the zip or buttons of the clothes underneath for ventilation. A mud flap will help to keep the shoes and pants dry and when there's a deep puddle, just lift your feet.

Leebo

Looked at Showers Pass for clothes?

johnnyace 

I'm just going to repeat this and change where appropriate for me:

I commute year round in Salem and I don't even have a (bicycling) rain jacket. But even still I stay dry most of the time. Salem is pretty mild (in general). You probably won't need as much gear as you might imagine.

I do draw the line at commuting when there's black ice on the road. Too many spills in the past. I have a generic-ish Storm Hide waterproof jacket for when it's really coming down, and sometimes bring a full change of clothes, when appropriate.

Interesting note: when I was a fair-weather cyclist, I found that the PNW winters tended to bring me down. Now that I commute year-round, I'm a pretty happy camper. I find that I'm much happier when I ride every day, regardless of the weather. Bring it!