tetonrider

i don't know much about those. are they warm?

i have a bunch of shoe covers but reach for the diluvios whenever it is wet and <50F.

hack

I found the diluvio gloves to be too thick. I liked the thinner neoprene in the nrs gloves. They're a paddling glove, but have good dexterity and grip.

mattm

thanks - i'll check those out too.

mattm

https://www.velotoze.com

i don't think they insulate at all - just waterproof. I thought @Ygduf was crazy when he first wore them, but i'm sick of wet socks/shoes.

hack

While they don't let anything in, they also don't let anything out. I used them a lot for TT's and my feet would end up soaked after the effort from sweat. So, you may still end up less than dry.

tetonrider

the 2 problems with shoe covers i've found:
1) if it is REALLY raining hard, water drips down the legs and enough little drops will eventually soak one's feet. super tight fits help, but we're talking water here; it finds a way in given enough time.

2) spray from the ground. all shoe covers have to have cut-outs for cleats, and that's a point of entry. many shoes now have vents on the bottom. taping these up for winter and/or rainy season helps, but it can't fully eliminate the issue.

again, i haven't tried velotoze and am genuinely curious, but every other shoe cover i've tried eventually lets water in (heavy rain and/or rides 2-3h).

vapor barrier socks or a plastic shopping bag around your foot can help, but it will get clammy.

tetonrider

so they're essentially a vapor barrier, then?

i've used those for high-altitude climbing (20k+) in snow and sub-zero conditions .... but if you aren't careful to dry them out you get trench-foot. that would suck.

for 2-3h, that's not an issue, but it could get pretty clammy and uncomfortable in that sort of time.

like @hack said, if nothing gets in, nothing gets out.

you use fenders @mattm? i use a ghetto rear fender that goes on my saddle (ass saver), but i always think about using a true front and rear fender. the front seems key to prevent spray on the feet from the front wheel. i own a set of race blades but never get around to putting them on. it's usually pretty nice/dry here, and when it gets wet we're often into a snowy season--which means i'm skiing or riding indoors, so i forget about it until the next year.

i think you're from (or lived in) seattle, so you probably know a ton about this.

curious for what you think about fenders, recommendations, etc.

mattm

velotoze are like condoms for your shoes, it seems. well, condoms with holes?

i have a rear fender yeah (sks race blade?). in seattle i had bikes with REAL fenders (flaps front & back, almost to the ground), and the feet still get wet.. rear fender is mostly for your buddies; it's got to have the "buddy flap" though or you'll get yelled at (in seattle).

although if your fenders are really real, they'll protect your bike from some spray too.

i cut a water bottle up for a crappy buddy flap; but now that i'm in CA and nobody cares about spraying each other in the face, i might not use it anymore.

mattm

so, wet but still warm maybe?

i can live with that.. we'll see.

anyway this rain outside has me on a shopping spree for some wet-weather gear. it's been too long since i've bought new rain gear.

globecanvas

Fenders are the best. IMO it's worth having a separate rain/winter bike that can take full fenders. Components can be total crap even, it's just a rain bike. I have an old cross bike with entirely hand me down components/wheels (bonus: excuse to get new stuff because "I can put the old stuff on the rain bike") and full fenders. Second bonus: feels so nice to ride your A bike again in the spring.

globecanvas

We don't get many refund requests at work but I have to admire this one:

"i wish to be refunded on the software, i bought it not realising it costs money"

Ygduf

it was a good joke, then it got explained twice.

smh.

mattm

I had a Surly Pacer with full Honjo fenders, it was nice.

Now I just use my race bike as my rain bike, with a crappy rear fender.

PepeM

PDW full metal fenders. I slapped mine on the second the race season was over.

hack

Pretty much ... it's like a nitrile glove for your shoes with holes for the cleat and heal pad.
Definitely warmer.

I also stocked up on rain stuff, but with it raining today i haven't been able to convince myself to get out and ride.

beatlebee 

Altitude adaptations:

Just 2 weeks in the mountains can change your blood for months - ScienceAlert

Doge

And loss of muscle mass.

topflightpro

There's a very strange noise at my desk. It sounds almost like someone is snoring. But I cannot figure out from where the sound is coming. It seems like it is coming from under my desk, but there is nothing under my desk.

caloso

I wore Velotoze for the Turlock Lake Monsoon/Road Race. After 3 hours in a driving rain my feet were wet, but I think it was mostly sweat and some spray that entered through the little vents in the sole that I forgot about.

carpediemracing 

carpediemracing 

Close to time for my Pops as he's down to about 2-3 oz of fluid a day. I thought I'd assimilated this but I felt the need for a pretty stout drink (Missus:"That's a lot of tequila!") about 30 minutes ago so maybe not. At least I'm efficient. I started hospice care yesterday. I'm not wasting anyone's Medicare money. I don't think it'll be tomorrow per se but I'm thinking November is a stretch.

On the positive side. Guy delivering the hospital bed. I ask him about how it must be depressing to deliver "death beds". He looks at me.

"How old is your father?"
"81"
"Well he's lived a long life. He has a family that cares for him so he did something right. This is how it should be. The other week I delivered a bed for an 18 year old."
"18?"
"18. He was at a party and his buddy says to him, 'hey, try this.' And now he's brain dead."
"What?!"
"His mom is looking after him. He's never going to wake up. Your father, he lived a good life. This is okay."

If you've ever used Lexan or a polycarbonate (think CDs or DVDs), my dad made those chemical plants possible (designed, with 3 other guys), and in fact he devoted probably 30 years to developing and honing those plants (originally spec'ed to produce 100k lbs/day, now after his tweaks they'll do 600-900k lbs/day). Ever used thermal fax paper or curse at the receipts that turn black when they got hot like when you copy them? Before polycarbonate work my dad helped his employer hone the formula for thermally sensitive paper.

Although this is probably the tequila helping I'm very proud of my dad.

A note also. He also spent his whole life in the Western world (US, Europe) trying to get transferred back to Japan. He came here because my mom came here for college and he thought she was the schnizzle (they met because her family hired him to tutor her brother). Well, my mom came here when her dad was sort of forced to come here to teach all he knew at Caltech, MIT, and UChicago (he was a war scientist and to the victors go the spoils so various innovations he invented ended up in US hands; still he died with something like 87 patents to his name because he never stopped developing). When my dad finally got back to Japan, after about 40 years of trying (and he had visited Japan somewhat regularly during that time), he came home from work on the first day and told my mom in no uncertain terms that as soon as his 3 year commitment in Japan expired they'd be moving back to the US, the best country he's ever lived in. So he's where he wants to be. He's done good. To be certain, he's still fighting, but realistically it's about that time.

Jean3n16

Im sorry about your dad.

caloso

I'm glad for your dad that you are there.

mattm

Sorry to hear, man.

big john

I only wish I had some of what you have with your pops. I did go to see him once before he passed, (for less than an hour, iirc).