Prepping for rainy day commute

[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.