further PNW representation
I used to regularly commute through Eugenian winters, and had to buy my gear on a relatively tight budget. Bear in mind, I'm more a hobbyist mtn biker, so weight wasn't necessarily one of my concerns... :rolleyes:
Head to toe:
Helmet- relatively decent bell helmet with all-important visor. Onto this, at night, I would snap a little 2-LED light on, in addition to my waterproof cat-eye. Waterproof as in, I've submerged this puppy with no negative effects.
Under helmet, I had an REI-brand beanie carefully put on around my ears (unless it was warm, then it could be folded up) or if it was really cold, my microfleece balaclava.
Jacket- REI (again) riding jacket (guide yellow and grey, dunno the name of the model, though). Very, very nice and handy. It's never let me down.
Gloves- Just the norm. Wet hands don't bother me. In the winter, I use REI winter riding gloves or nitrile gloves under my normies.
Pants- I cheaped out here and got $10 colombia rainpants. They snap at the ankles and have never given me problems, though the crotch is a little low and likes to hang up on the saddle a little.
Boots- I just wear my well-oiled Doc Martins, or (more recently) my Danner police boots. Very waterproof, very stiff-soled.
ziplock baggies are your best friend for things that can't be wet!~:D
Special things for my bike- Shockboards are good fenders, I think... and my chain/cable/derailleur lube of choice is Prolink. I won't use anything else.