Re: [RBW] Rain Gear?

[Bruce Herbitter]

I've been pleased with a Shower's Pass touring jacket and some rain pants. You'll need a helmet cover and waterproof rain booties or splats for your shoes if you want to keep them dry as well. Depends on the kind of ride you're doing, as you can get soaked from sweat too.

On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 1:55 PM, tragicallyaverage <daba...@gmail.com> wrote:

As the rainy season approaches, I've been motivated to keep myself dry. My former method of riding in the rain was to ride a fendered bike, and then simply get soaked on my commutes.
I'd like to attempt to stay as dry and comfy as the fall season approaches. Any suggestions or products that have worked well for anyone?

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[Jay in Tel Aviv]

I'm quite happy with the $20 O2 jackets. They are extremely light
weight, breathable and 100% waterproof, and come either with or
without a hood. No pockets at all unfortunately.

Jay

On Sep 15, 1:11 pm, Bruce Herbitter <bruce.herbit...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've been pleased with a Shower's Pass touring jacket and some rain pants.
> You'll need a helmet cover and waterproof rain booties or splats for your
> shoes if you want to keep them dry as well. Depends on the kind of ride
> you're doing, as you can get soaked from sweat too.
>

[Matthew J]

Mission Work shop makes a very nice if expensive rain jacket. The regular is very light. They make one ultra-light for extra dollars. The jacket is made out of a water proof fabric that moves well with the body. Three pockets in front, one well hidden pocket inback. It has vent zips. MUSAtoo.

[Michael Hechmer]

This is a tricky question; it's all temperature dependent.  If its 80+ I usually just ignore the rain.  Below that I have a light weight pearl izumi rain jacket, but it doesn't breath all that well.  If it's cool enough for arm warmers before it starts raining I really like an older Ibex shak jacket.  The wool breathes well and is pretty water resistant.  I think mine is lighter than the newer ones though.  Colder still and I switch to a Showers Pass, Elite 2.0.  But it definitely needs to be below 50 for that option.  If you read their fine print they say 65 and raining, and I suppose it would be OK at 60 or so, but I prefer the wool  However the Showers pass is nicely vented in the pits.  I find the Ibex & Showers pass together can take me down well below freezing.  I usually subtract 10 degrees from the actual temperature when I'm dressing for rain.  One other good option is simply a double layer of wool shirts and a pair of tights.

The real challenge as the temperature drops turns out to be head and feet.  How to keep them warm without overheating?  Tricky.

Michael  

[jimD]

+1 on Shower's Pass.

Even then there's the problem of getting 'damp' from the inside out.

Splats are good too.

Fenders are must have.

My goal is to keep from getting soaked and/or cold.

I surrender when it comes to total 'dryness'.

-JimD

[Beth H]

What kind of rain gear depends greatly on where you live and how much you ride.

I'm a daily rider in Portland, OR and I ride all winter long.

I have been somewhat disappointed by Showers Pass, especially since they moved their manufacturing from Vietnam to China a few years ago. Quality control became inconsistent and the warranty policies became more unbending. I understand that a lot of their entry-level-priced items have undergone a redesign for 2013 but have not yet seen the new versions.

I am hanging onto my Burley Rock Point jacket for dear life. It's a better design than the SP touring jacket (which was basically a copy of the Burley) and the fabric and waterproofing have held upfor far longer. 

My friend's SP Touring jacket had issues six months in; by eight months in the waterproof zipper had frayed to failure and the seams were quite leaky. When he called SP to resolve the issues they said the jacket had to be washed every 4 to 6 weeks with a special soultion from NikWax -- something the hang tag hadn't made clear. They were willing to take the jacket in for inspection but could guarantee that they'd actually offer replacement, leaving my friend without a rain jacket in the meantime. In the end, my friend bought a J & G Breathable rain jacket online -- heavy-duty, comfortable and water-proof enough for daily riding in PDX. Also a bargain at $100 plus s+h. (J & G admits they purposely underprice this product to remain competitive, and they only sell it direct online.) He's had it for two years and it's still going strong.

For rainpants: On light-rain days where I'm jus dashing short spurts around town, I like Rainlegs. Easy on-off and very stowable, and plenty warterproof in light rain. For heavy rain, the water will drip down around the backside of the legs and get your pants wet. In that case, I switch to either my old Burley rain pants OR to my heavier-duty J & G Cyclewear Breathable rain pant. The former is okay for short commutes but so old that it eventually fails in a downpour. When I know it's going to rain bucketfuls I use the latter -- a little hot but plenty durable.

For foot coverage I'm fond of the RBW Splats for most city riding. They fit over most street shoes and are stowable; though the heavy waxed cotton takes more time to dry out between uses. SP shoe covers do seem to work pretty well, but you MUST take them off at your destination; if you walk around in them they will wear out much more quickly.

I don't use a helmet cover, preferring to wear a thin cycling cap under my helmet (cotton in summer, thin wool in fall/winter).

Ultimately, I think it's ideal to have rain wear that is SO good that you mostly enjoy riding in the rain. Even by February.

Beth in PDX

[charlie]

I use the Showers Pass touring jacket and some rain paints I purchased at REI on sale for $80 (reg. $130). I use outdoor wear rubber "duck boots" when I know it will rain hard but admit that I try to avoid those days. 

http://www.llbean.com/llb/search?freeText=Duck+Boots&qs=3006414_pmd_google 

Your visibility is reduced in heavy rain and at night, two bad combos for survival. I usually use a long sleeve wool shirt from Riv and when its really cold and the same "tights" go under the rain pants. I'll put on my short sleeve wool shirt over the long one if its super cold. These allow good moisture management under the rain jacket. I have a thin wool cap I use for under my helmet when I ride in the dark. Socks (wool), gloves (wool) but they get wet in heavy rain......fortunately I haven't been caught in a real hard rain for more than a few minutes and haven't tested my set up in that way. I live in Washington State so it rains but usually its more of a constant drizzle or lighter rain rather than a monsoon. Heat control is more of an issue for me since I have quite a few hills to contend with making me want to unzip and remove layers one minute and the next minute put them back on......... live and learn. I like the Schwalbe Supreme tires in the rain too by the way and have switched to Kool Stop brake pads because of the same wet climate. And my front flap goes to maybe one inch off the ground.....this really helps keep my feet dry.

[Scot Brooks]

Nothing like riding in Bean boots, Charlie! Maybe it's my Downeast upbringing talking, but it's the best!

[Liesl]

I do like my Carradice Poncho even though several miles in hard rain will give me damp shoulders.  The cape is like a bike tent keeping everything under it, bags and all,  relatively dry.  And you can wear anything at all under it.  I particularly like it in sleet and slushy snow.

liesl

[Lyle Bogart]

I really like the rain jacket from these folks:

http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Waterproof-Breathable-Rain-Jackets.html

I've an old pair of rain pants (REI maybe?) but am replacing those this autumn with their rain pants:

http://www.bicycleclothing.com/Waterproof-Breathable-Rain-Pants.html

Cheers!

lyle

On 17 September 2012 14:08, Liesl <li...@smm.org> wrote:

I do like my Carradice Poncho even though several miles in hard rain will give me damp shoulders.  The cape is like a bike tent keeping everything under it, bags and all,  relatively dry.  And you can wear anything at all under it.  I particularly like it in sleet and slushy snow.

liesl

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lyle f bogart dpt

156 bradford rd

wiscasset, me 04578

207.882.6494

206.794.6937

[charlie]

Thanks for the link Lyle......this looks like a great place for me to get proper sized shorts and pants for bicycling too.....

[Stonehog]

I have and like both, as well as the helmet cover. They are built well, MUSA, and rely on large hidden vents instead of "breathable" fabric. I've worn the combo on a rain/snow 35 degree 200k this spring and only had wet hands.   

For light Seattle rain for my 10mile commute, I just use a shell vest or wool. And fenders...

Brian Hanson

Seattle, WA 

[fug...@gmail.com]

I use Sealskinz socks over wool socks in Shimano clipless sandals here in rainy Vancouver; Showers pass and Rivendell's luxurious bright orange rainpants ( have been told " You look just like Kraft Macaroni and Cheese"); layers of merino wool and merino tights under MUSA shorts; a dick hat under the hood or helmet to keep my glasses kinda dry.

[Michael Hechmer]

Looks really interesting.  What is the upper range of temperature you can wear this without quickly overheating?

[Lyle Bogart]

That's a good question, Michael! I don't have numeric temperature feedback to give but: when I was living in Tacoma, Washington I would wear the jacket while riding during heavy downpours in the summer and, of course, all winter long. Out here in mid-coast Maine, I can't really wear any jacket in the middle of summer and still ride "vigorously;" it's just too humid for that. That said, I feel that the J&G jackets vent very well.  

 

I hope this helps,

 

lyle

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[Ron MH]

I too live and ride in Portland all year and I second Beth's recommendation of Rain Legs; great outside the body water protection, they pack up very small, and great protection from over heating, so no "internal" moisture problems.

Ron

[René Sterental]

I'm trying the Brooks rain cap this year. Got it as a present... and am hoping to ride it with tail winds!!!

 

René

On Tue, Sep 18, 2012 at 8:38 AM, Ron MH <visi...@gmail.com> wrote:

I too live and ride in Portland all year and I second Beth's recommendation of Rain Legs; great outside the body water protection, they pack up very small, and great protection from over heating, so no "internal" moisture problems.

Ron

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[pam]

I like the 02 jacket.  I like the one with the hood.  My old one got stolen out of my pannier then I got a North Face jacket with DWR but I sweat too much and I'm just wet from the inside even with pit zips.  Now I'm going to wear my husband's 02 jacket.  Light, cheap and it works.  

[Tony]

Me too Liesl for the Carradice poncho. I bought mine at RBW a few years ago, before they designed their own. I was using the Carradice spats with it, but never liked the way the tops would keep moving below my knees as I rode. So, this winter it'll be Splats and ShinShields. One thing about capes/ponchos is that they cover handlebar-mounted lights. I have a generator light now mounted in front of my Nitto Mini rack and all is right with the world.

Tony