Riding in Wet Weather

[KnottedYet]

what's the difference between a hardshell rain jacket and a soft shell?

In the general sense (and I'm sure someone will come along to correct me and give specifics) a hardshell is the good ol' rain jacket, often either a coating or a membrane to keep the wet out. A softshell is a dense weave that is more along the lines of water-resistant.

example of a hardshell: http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=29971

I think this is an example of a softshell: http://www.teamestrogen.com/products.asp?pID=28496 but I could be wrong. The ones I've fondled at REI are a very tight, almost rubbery feeling weave. Reminds me of boiled wool.

I like wearing my dense wool weaves in the rain, with a rain jacket if it's really dumping. Fenders are my friends, and buddy flaps really do help keep the bike cleaner. www.buddyflaps.com (even with full fenders I was still spraying crud onto my bottom bracket)

[Eden]

That sounds like a pretty good description. I love my softshell, even for the hardest rain. Its very good at letting sweat out and I find I stay drier in it, than I would in a fully waterproof rain jacket.

I tend to generate a lot of heat when I ride..... (which is funny because when I am not moving I'm one of those people who is ALWAYS cold), so I boil in a standard waterproof/breathable jacket. I tried it out again the other day - went on an errand ride, which means no team kit, which is what I normally wear. It was probably a little over 50 out, overcast, but not raining any more than a few drops here and there. I wore only a camisol top underneath the rain jacket (started out with a sweater on, but only made it a few blocks before that was way to hot!). Even with the pit zips wide open I was frying.

Other things to love about softshells - no crunchy noises when ever you move. They can fit nice and close - so no flapping. They are not usually clammy when you are not riding. A little more fashionable when you are not on the bike.
The drawback - they are fairly bulky so rolling one up and sticking it in your back pocket can be hard.

One caveat about the buddyflap.com flaps - if you are putting them on because you are riding with other people, unless you have very long fenders, they tend to not be big enough. A bunch of our new gals put those on their bikes and they perfectly direct spray up into my face. I think they are unhappy that I've told them they need bigger/longer flaps, but I tend to be a mouth breather on the bike and I dislike eating road grit....

[elk]

LOve2Ride
Knot and Eden (me too) are Pacific Northwest riders...they KNOW about riding on wet roads!