Preparing for Rain

[alex plumb]

Thanks to whoever posted this link a couple years ago. I found it useful the first time I prepared to ride a rainy brevet.   http://www.ultracycling.com/equipment/ridinginrain.html   At the least, it's a good place to start the discussion.   The long term forecast is for showers next Saturday.   Alex

[Rob Hawks]

One of the  best things about this article is the reminder that what  you are attempting  to accomplish is mitigation, not prevention. If you expect to  prevent getting wet and getting  cold, you'll just be disappointed. The goal is to be as happy and comfortable as you can under the circumstances.

rob

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[Ken Wronkiewicz]

I took an experimental ride through the rain this morning. I have my
commuter raingear well characterized because I do ride rain-or-shine to
work, but I was wondering about my long distance riding gear. And I can't
do the allegedly optimal retro-grouch thing and wear wool because I'm
alergic.

I ended up underneath my space blanket at Joseph D. Grant park for a bit
because I made a few errors in riding. Better to make them now instead of
next weekend. :)

Overall, I think that you can view raingear in terms of two basic qualities:
First, how much downpour it can handle before being saturated. Cotton
T-shirts rank very low. Technical fabrics are in the middle. Plastic
sheeting is on top. Second, how breathable it is. Plastic sheeting is on
the bottom. Other materials are distributed.

Thus, I found myself in a heavy downpour with a cycling jacket that was
making the water bead up nicely on top... but that rapidly became saturated
and caused me to get awful chilly. That's why I was under a space blanket,
warming up because I was showing the symptoms of the first stage of
hypothermia.

I think, at a certain level of downpour, you emit less water from sweat than
the rain. Therefore you might as well go for something that's plastic and
doesn't claim to breathe. I left my plastic rain jacket at home, which was
my biggest mistake.

Also, as was already said... mitigation not prevention. My problem was not
getting wet, my problem was getting cold and getting the shivers.

[Aaron Little]

MODELS ARE HINTING AT THE POSSIBILITY OF A BREAK IN
THE RAIN ON SATURDAY...BEFORE ANOTHER STRONG SYSTEM MOVES TO THE
COAST ON SUNDAY.

I'll take a hint at this point....

Aaron

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From: Ken Wronkiewicz <w...@wirewd.com>
To: sfra...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sun, January 17, 2010 6:03:29 PM
Subject: RE: [SFRandon] Preparing for Rain

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[Charles Schroyer]

The last few years on our bike tours in the alps we always have a few days of rain  combined with hight altitude it is not the rain that is the problem it always is the cold. no matter what rain gear you use you end up wet from the rain or from sweating.

I find that having extra base layers under light rain gear works well. it is worth the money to purchase hight quality base layers such as Craft ProWARM or the ProZERO. I find that even if I am wet I can stay warm and staying warm is staying comfortable., riding with rain gear is not the most pleasant way to ride so the lightest gear that will keep you warm is the key.

Chuck

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[Old5ten]

On Sun, Jan 17, 2010 at 6:03 PM, Ken Wronkiewicz <w...@wirewd.com> wrote:

I took an experimental ride through the rain this morning.  I have my
commuter raingear well characterized because I do ride rain-or-shine to
work, but I was wondering about my long distance riding gear.  And I can't
do the allegedly optimal retro-grouch thing and wear wool because I'm
alergic.

I ended up underneath my space blanket at Joseph D. Grant park for a bit
because I made a few errors in riding.  Better to make them now instead of
next weekend. :)

kudos for bringing a space blanket.  having bivied (voluntarily and involuntarily) under one of those (or space bags) many times, i've always wondered why it isn't one of the ten essentials for the sierra club or boy scouts.

Overall, I think that you can view raingear in terms of two basic qualities:
First, how much downpour it can handle before being saturated.  Cotton
T-shirts rank very low.  Technical fabrics are in the middle.  Plastic
sheeting is on top.  Second, how breathable it is.  Plastic sheeting is on
the bottom.  Other materials are distributed. 

well said.

Thus, I found myself in a heavy downpour with a cycling jacket that was
making the water bead up nicely on top... but that rapidly became saturated
and caused me to get awful chilly.  That's why I was under a space blanket,
warming up because I was showing the symptoms of the first stage of
hypothermia.

something that helps a situation like this (and takes some experimentation to see how well it works) is 'waterproofing' (a bit of a fallacy, since in the end abraision, UV, and water always win).  there are many products (nikwax, etc.) out on the market that provide this sort of temporary protection for the 'technical' fabrics (gtex, etc.) mentioned above.  most of that stuff helps bead the water a bit better, extending the period of time until the fabric becomes soaked.  it may help to spray/wash in some of that stuff in the days before the ride.

I think, at a certain level of downpour, you emit less water from sweat than
the rain.  Therefore you might as well go for something that's plastic and
doesn't claim to breathe.  I left my plastic rain jacket at home, which was
my biggest mistake.

the amount of sweat one generates depends on several factors: the amount of time sweating, your personal sweat rate, and your exertion level.  how much you feel that sweat really depends on how much humidity you generate with it.  if there is ample convection (let's say a plastic poncho that fits rider and bike, but is open toward the bottom, in conjunction with a bit of wind and cooler ambient temperature) the feeling is not that bad (although ride quality and speed are compromised).  on the other end of the spectrum would be a plastic jacket and plastic pants that are impervious to water and have tight cuffs - nothing from the outside, but nowhere to go from the inside.

Also, as was already said... mitigation not prevention.  My problem was not
getting wet, my problem was getting cold and getting the shivers.

that is really the crux of the whole matter: most people try to stay dry.  we - the GTEX generation - have been sold on the idea that you can go out and exercise in a high humidity environment and stay dry.  imho, a much better approach (especially for relatively shorter events, the type where there are other people around and you go home in a few hours) is temperature control - staying warm/cool enough for what you are doing, regardless of dry/wetness.  non-cotton clothing and layering go a long way toward that goal, but other factors are equally important.  in particular, i'm thinking of the ability to ventilate or button down the hatches for the sake of temperature control, NOT staying dry, and (IN terms of staying LESS wet) minimizing soaking/pooling/excessive entry spots of external water.  a good example would be pulling booties up INSIDE of rain shell pants, having jacket sleeves OVER the gloves, wearing a jacket that covers the backside down far enough, etc.  btw, jacket and pant cuffs with somewhat of a stiffener and velcro tabs are a great way to quickly and easily adjust ventilation....

elmar 'i'd rather be wet on a bike than on a rock!'
 

[Kitty]

I agree with just about everything in this article.
Some things that have also worked for me are: Rainlegs... just be
aware that they are cheaply made and will delaminate. I'm on my 2nd
pair. I only keep using them as there is no better substitute for now.
Headsweats makes a hat with a big bill that goes on under a helmet and
will keep the rain out of your eyes and mostly off of your glasses. A
hotel shower cap can cover the helmet. I also like Sealskins
"waterproof" socks, they don't absorb buckets of water the way wool
socks do. Coat the bottoms of your feet with lantiseptic or other
heavy duty lanolin ointment to waterproof the skin and help prevent
trenchfoot. Been there, done that at PBP.
I have never tried putting newspaper under my jersey in the rain and
don't like the idea of washing off newpaper ink, but when you're cold
and full of hurt, stuff the Times up your shirt.
Sometimes I try to ride in such a way (going easy!) so that I don't
sweat up a storm. Be ready to ventilate if the rain lets up. The Inuit
knew that to sweat and soak their clothing was a very bad idea. Last
of all, I have carried along spare pairs of gloves to go on under my
OR waterproof mitts. Spare socks too. You might have seen me wring out
my wet socks and gloves at the Marshall Store which did not win me any
popularity contests that day. Just in case, locate any landromats
along the route and carry lots of coins for the dryers.

http://www.ultracycling.com/equipment/ridinginrain.html

[Mark]

I'm a plastic jacket advocate. Really cuts the wind, and staying warm
is a lot more important that staying dry. A quality Wool or fleece
underlayer to go with a good baselayer and jersey, neoprene socks, a
billed cap under the helmet, lined gloves with nikwax treatment--that
combo's gotten me through a lot of wet rides.

Mark