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.