Prepping for rainy day commute

[pardes]

Okay, this feels like a REALLY dumb question.....

So I now have a waterproof jacket with a hood for rain. Ummmm.....how does one orchestrate a helmet and a hood. Either way, hood over helmet, hood under helmet just seems weird.

I also have a waterproof poncho. Do ponchos flap in the breeze and get in the way on a bike? (Remember, I'm a slow paced pedaller so I don't go at supersonic speeds.)

[divingbiker]

When I have worn the hood that goes with my rain jacket, which isn't very often, I put it under my helmet. It's fairly tight-fitting and doesn't get in the way.

Most of the time I wear a helmet cover in the rain, and a buff if needed for warmth.

I've got no experience with ponchos, but it seems they'd flap too much for my taste.

(Pardes, I've been wanting to tell you how much I enjoy your posts. Your writing is very fun to read.)

[pardes]

Thanks, Divingbiker!

I thought of a helmet cover but then wondered how that configuration would keep rain from running down the back of my neck! Fortunately with bike/bus comnmuting there is always the "next" bus if the rain is heavy or I can wait it out in a bus shelter and would never be in rain for long like the hardcorers here.

I'm looking forward to cooler weather but notice that even in the summer if I'm going fast (up to 15 mph....my version of fast) the wind factor is significant and add COLD air to that.....well you see why I'm shopping for jackets/coats/gloves/etc.

[lph]

2nd on the fun writing :)

I try not to bike for long in heavy rain if I can avoid it, but I get hot just thinking about using a hood... I wear a jacket with no hood (very seldom a true waterproof, actually), a Buff or a wool neck gaiter to stop the dribbles, and a windproof skull cap underneath my helmet. I haven't tried a helmet cover though.

Feet are my biggest problem. I wear neoprene shoe covers and get all hot and clammy, but I just HATE getting water in my shoes.

[uk elephant]

Depends on what kind of riding I'm doing. If it's just the short commute to work (2 miles from the train station) and it's raining hard, I'll wear rain pants, rain jacket with the hood under the helmet, and neoprene shoe covers. If it's just a little rain and otherwise quite warm out, I'll wear a rain jacket without hood and my rainpants and I'll change to dry socks when I get to work. For longer training rides when I want to be a little less encumbered by bulky clothing, I'll wear my cycling rain jacket (snugger fit) without a hood, a buff to keep dribbles out of my neck, rain pants if it's coming down hard and its cold, and neoprene shoe covers to avoid that squelchy feeling when pedalling. the problem with raingear is it makes you very clammy, even in cold weather, which can make you cold as soon as you stop. I've got under-arm zipps on my rain jacket with I keep open, and I quite often open the zips along the side of my rain pants too and just keep them velcroed at the ancles and waist. That way the sweaty damp air has somewhere to go, but the majority of the wet rain doesn't get in and the the cold wind is kept at bay.

[Becky]

I guess it depends a little on how the hood is cut. Some jackets have a hood that's big enough to go over a helmet. I have a ski shell that will probably start doing double duty as a a commute jacket once it gets colder. The hood is cut to accomodate a ski helmet, but I need to experiment with this. If the helmet doesn't work, I'll probably go with a helmet cover, or maybe one of those cute Gore-tex cycling caps that Terry sells :)

I highly recommend fenders if you don't have them already and your bike has eyelets for them. Even during the summer, fenders keep a lot of spray from standing water and road muck off of your legs and bike.

[pardes]

Oh my.....I forgot about fenders.....I must invest in those which is why I was so adamant about getting the lightest bike I could for the price. By the time I've finished outfitting it with plunder, I'll just barely be able to hoist it up onto the bus rack.

Thanks for the variety of answers. The thing I'll worry about more than my feet and hands in cold weather are my ears. I'm already stocked up on thermal head bands, one for my head and one for my neck.

Once you've had frostbite on your ears, even someone exhaling a breath into your ear after eating a mint, will make my ears red and throb and wish they were dead.

ummmm....does anyone have a york peppermint patty on them??????

[Becky]

Oh my.....I forgot about fenders.....I must invest in those which is why I was so adamant about getting the lightest bike I could for the price. By the time I've finished outfitting it with plunder, I'll just barely be able to hoist it up onto the bus rack.

I know what you mean- I need to find a shipping scale or the like, but I'm pretty sure that my commuter is 35 lbs fully loaded. Fortunately, the newer fenders are polycarbonate, durable, and very lightweight.

What about lights? If you're commuting in rainy weather, lights are imperative.

[mimitabby]

yes, lights!
i never wear extra head gear for rain, but i do wear a cap under my helmet
(I have several) when it is cold.

Do you not have a choice about driving when the weather truly stinks?

where I live, (seattle) we rarely get a hard rain, so we just put our raincoats (and booties) on and go.

if it's REALLY cold i also have rain pants; but beware, you get really hot in these waterproof clothing, so you end up getting sweaty wet underneath.

[pardes]

Yes, I already have lights on the front and back and use them frequently just to let people know I'm there.

As for REALLY bad weather....we don't have such a thing in Delaware (I say crossing myself to appease the lightning gods.) The storms pass quickly so I can usually wait it out for mild rain. I'd wait out anything worse.

Plus the commute to the bus stop is only 1.5 miles. I rack up the other miles at lunch time and after work pleasure riding or errand riding. I've cut the automobile cord completely!

Hey Becky, here's a macabre scene. I manage a drug lab at the medical examiner's office. They do autopsies downstairs. And weigh the bodies on stretchers on this big mama scale. There I was waiting in line behind two bodies to weigh myself and weigh my loaded bike.

It seems I've lost twenty pounds in the last month but it all went onto the bike in the panniers which now weighs fifteen pounds more.

[Becky]

Hey Becky, here's a macabre scene. I manage a drug lab at the medical examiner's office. They do autopsies downstairs. And weigh the bodies on stretchers on this big mama scale. There I was waiting in line behind two bodies to weigh myself and weigh my loaded bike.



You're tougher than I am- I don't think I could hang out with bodies! I need to find one of those scales though! My buddy works over at the air base- I may ask him if I can "borrow" a pallet scale someday ;)

(As an aside, since you mentioned Delaware and the OCME - do you use the Riverfront Trail to commute? DH and I have been seeing a new bike commuter down there recently :D)

[pardes]

Good GRIEF, are you in Delaware?????

I bike at lunch time every day at the Riverfront. The Riverfront Market is superb for a quick healthy lunch. You nearly need to take out a second mortgage to buy from the fruit stand there but it's the best fruit I've every eaten.

It's getting to be very beautiful at the Riverfront with all the new very upscale construction and it's only 2 minutes from the lab. Today I happened to see many more bikers than ever before. And they were all extremely friendly.

The "paved path" running next to the river is really considered a multi-use trail and will eventually be connected to the greenway north area at concord pike and connected to the greenway south in the Newark area that hasn't even been started yet except for the Hall Rail to Trail which is only 1.5 miles long.

I live in Newark and take a bus with the bike to Wilmington on I-95. Eventually it would be possible to bike the Greenway trail all the way to work but I'd be 90 before it was completed.

[Becky]

Sure am! There are at least a couple of us Delawareans on this forum.

I have high hopes for what the Riverfront MUT and the Greenway could be someday....I guess that it really hinges on the political climate and the budget situation (as always!).

I love the Riverfront Market but, alas, it's too far from the office to visit for lunch most days. (But think of the money that I'm saving!) So I have to be content with stopping occasionally on the way home.

Such a small world, isn't it? :)

[NadiaMac]

when i used to bike commute in boston, i used a fleece balaclava to deal with the cold/wet ear/neck issue. It was thin enough to fit under the helmet, but completely sealed off my head, neck and ears from the cold, wind, rain. Then, I wore a rain jacket (with thick wool sweater underneath if cold), rain pants and rubber duck shoes if raining or snowing. It was a fairly short commute-- around 6 miles, so no problems with the footwear.

if you don't have fender mounts on your bike, race blades work really well (they robustly rubber band onto the frame area). They are also very light.

[pardes]

Race blades? That sounds like a better alternative than full regular fenders. Thanks!

[Grog]

I have had race blades on my road bike (700C X 23, and a tiny bike) and didn't like them that much. They were not really stable and I often had to stop to fix some fender rub. Someone taller (with a bigger bike) might have more luck with them. For me another problem was that while riding with a pack they are not sufficient, as there will be a lot of spray on anyone sitting on your wheel, but that may not be a problem for you Pardes.

Frankly, full fenders are a blessing when it's really raining. I think it's worth it if you're going to stick to it in the rainy days...

[Eden]

I have had race blades on my road bike (700C X 23, and a tiny bike) and didn't like them that much. They were not really stable and I often had to stop to fix some fender rub. Someone taller (with a bigger bike) might have more luck with them. For me another problem was that while riding with a pack they are not sufficient, as there will be a lot of spray on anyone sitting on your wheel, but that may not be a problem for you Pardes.

Frankly, full fenders are a blessing when it's really raining. I think it's worth it if you're going to stick to it in the rainy days...

I don't have eyelets on my rain bike and have seen the full fender kludge jobs on my teammates bikes break so often that I've gone with race blades (also on on a tiny bike, a 47cm 650 x 23's actually.) Once I got them set up I've never had a problem with them. If the bike really gets knocked around for some reason (put in the car on its side kind of thing) I might have to readjust, but they don't move around when I'm riding. I have wrapped all the frame contact points with electrical tape to protect the it from scratching, so that may be holding them in place better too.

If you are riding with others you *must* extend them, but it is not difficult to do. They just are not long enough to do more than prevent the stripe up the back. I have a nice long flap made from milk jug plastic (1/2 of an old water bottle works well too) attached to my rear to protect my teammates and a shorter one attached to the front to protect my own feet. I think the only thing I miss is the coverage out in front of my front wheel. I probably do get a little more spray from my own front wheel than I'd get if I had some fender out there.

One thing that make a huge difference is actually your tires. Some tend to spray a lot more junk than others..... I went from Kendas to Gatorskins (the Kendas were no longer available in 650 :( ) and the amount of grit and water sprayed up onto my legs and feet quadrupled...

Oh - and if you want to save some money Planet Freddy now makes some fenders that are pretty much identical to Race Blades for about $20 less!

[pardes]

My commute would be very short in foul weather and I wouldn't venture out in monsoon weather (I can wait it out till it's a light rain) so would the Planet Bike Freddy Fenders Clip-Ons (Hybrid/Road) (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000WXBK36/ref=ord_cart_shr?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A3SNLLVFZ6ABAC&v=glance) be sufficient?