View Full Version : Commuter Rain Gear
Blueberry
10-06-2015, 05:46 AM
Dear Wise Women of TE:
I'm looking for all weather bike rain gear (primarily for commuting) for both DH and myself. I purchased a Showers Pass commuter set for him a few years ago, and it is no longer waterproof (the coating is delaminating) despite gentle use and proper care. The hood was the first to delaminated, and they offered us a 20% discount on a new one. Not particularly interested in more Showers Pass stuff since it really should last longer for the cost/good care it has received. We have also liked Marmot Precip, but there seems to be an epidemic with those delaminating.
Any recommendations for us? He bikes in all weather (heavy rain, snow, ice storms, etc.), so we really need some good rain gear for him (and I'm trying to work my way up to the same).
Thanks in advance!!
ny biker
10-06-2015, 11:34 AM
No suggestions, unfortunately. My Gore waterproof jacket started to soak through during a ride in heavy rain last month, and my friend's Gore jacket was totally soaked as she rode longer in than me in the same storm. Another friend who commutes by bike year-round said that nothing is totally waterproof -- if you're out long enough anything will soak through.
I recently read Gore's care instructions for their jackets and was thinking of following their instructions for washing my jacket to see if it will boost the waterproof-ness.
I was chatting with someone about my jacket soaking through and he mentioned that a client of his has an Arcteryx jacket that's waterproof. Not cheap, though.
http://www.rei.com/b/arcteryx?r=b%3Bfeatures%3AWaterproof&ir=brand%3Aarcteryx
From wet and cold Norway: truly waterproof clothing does exist, but it is of course equally waterproof both ways. So unless you bike very slowly and genteelly you will get damp no matter what. It's also so stiff as to make biking uncomfortable. I have a decent softshell jacket for dry/damp riding and a more waterproof one for damp/wet riding, but I avoid downpours as much as possible. And if I get caught in one I ride as fast as humanly possible to avoid hypothermia.
ny biker
10-06-2015, 01:45 PM
And if I get caught in one I ride as fast as humanly possible to avoid hypothermia.
That was the other thing my year-round-bike-commuting friend said -- sometimes it's about staying warm, not staying dry.
Which leads me to quote yet another friend who commuted by bike year-round for many years before he retired, and now rides more than 10,000 per year just for fun: Wool. "Naturally breathable, warm when wet, automatically adjusting to a wide range of temperature conditions: we'd call it a miracle fiber if it hadn't been invented at the Dawn of Time." He swears by his Wabi Woolens jerseys.
Blueberry
10-06-2015, 01:55 PM
Yep - we know wool! Summer is hard - we've been investigating ponchos to try to minimize the sweat form of wet. We're talking more about rainy, cold winter days - and wanting to stay dry (or at least mostly dry) on those. I know everything will drip or leak *somewhere* - but I would like to avoid something where the waterproof coating just peels off in short order.
shootingstar
10-06-2015, 07:07 PM
Most definitely armpit zippers, even for some winter days. For winter cycling, I make sure my jackets have this because of multiple layering. All my winter jackets for cycling and (mountain) snowshoeing have armpit zippers. I need that flexibility when temperatures change within a few hrs. /become very active. I must admit that cycling in rain at near freezing temp. to me, is way more unpleasant than cycling in much colder winter temp. @-20 C., but no rain. At least one isn't wet
ny biker
10-07-2015, 11:00 AM
I have another rain jacket that I bought on advice from the friend who rides >10,000 miles per year. It's an O2 jacket.
http://o2rainwear.com/category/products/
The one I have is the Original, which is also the least expensive.
http://o2rainwear.com/2011/03/original-cycling-jacket/
I've only worn it once so I can't comment on the durability of their products, but I recall before I bought it I saw some reviews online that were positive.
The main reason I haven't worn my O2 jacket much is that I avoid riding in the rain, but another reason is that it's a men's cut and the fit is okay but not great for me. I got the small, and it is almost too narrow in the hips. So their products might work for your husband but the fit might be an issue for you. (I wasn't able to try on the medium for comparison because I special-ordered the one I bought from a small LBS, so I don't know if going up a size would have been okay or if the medium would have been too big in the torso.)
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