Do I need rain pants? Ireland in June....

[ny biker]

From my friend who lived in Dublin and cycled in various parts of Ireland:

It depends. If she is touring (as opposed to a one-day event), probably. If it were a one-day event and it rained, she could just get wet and get dry later. Occasionally there is crazy summer weather where it is sunny for day on end, and there is likely to be a lot of sun in June, but that means it might only rain for half of the days. It will be wetter on the west coast. It will probably be in the 60s. If she ever wears rain pants in the US, she probably would want to wear rain pants when it's a high of 63 and raining at the start of her ride. My husband never wore rain pants, but didn't mind getting wet. I didn't wear rain pants on long rides, but I did wear them commuting.



I will add -- I did a ride in October 2013 that had temps in the low 60s with light-moderate rain. I wore Sugoi Midzero tights with Pearl Izumi mid-weight booties, and I was comfortable. And the tights dried fast after the ride.

Also I should add that her husband is a randonneur. He rides in all kinds of weather, for days on end.

[BikeDutchess]

How about some Rainlegs? We bought some for our son recently, and he loves them. I think you can get them on Amazon too.

[Crankin]

It's well known I am a weather wimp. I had a bad experience in rain/50 degree temperatures about 10 years ago and it left a huge impression. I'd rather sweat a bit then be wet.
Oak, my Terry Bella's do not dry overnight. Maybe something to do with the high Lycra content? My Sugois do.

[Blueberry]

There are also these (rain knickers) right here on TE and highly recommended by Susan (who does lots of riding in wet conditions!).

[ny biker]

Btw you will also want to put fenders on your bike if it doesn't already have them. They can make quite a difference.

[azfiddle]

Thanks- we are renting the bikes- I assume they will come with fenders ....since we're in Ireland.....

Those suggestions are good. I guess the rain legs don't actually keep you dry, based on the reviews. I also saw these advertised: Tenn Driven Cycling Waterproof Breathable 5K Cycle Trousers Black http://www.amazon.com/Driven-Cycling...ustomerReviews

I guess we will invest a little more in clothes to stay comfortable. When I rode in Ireland before, I dodged the rain except for a little drizzle because I just rode 3 times- this will be daily rides for most of 8-9 days.

[khg]

Btw you will also want to put fenders on your bike if it doesn't already have them. They can make quite a difference.

This a thousand times over!

Here in the Pacific NorthWet, I sometimes wear a rain jacket, but I've never worn rain pants. I find that it's much more important for me to stay warm than dry (since I work up a sweat anyway), and to that end, windbreak layers and wool are my go-to for wet weather. The Ibex wool knicker, though not my favorite chamois, has kept me cosy and warm on some pretty wet and cold rides. Though not wool, I really like the Rapha winter cycling tights/bibs too. They are somewhat wind resistant, and have a fleece inside that is super soft, causing me to call them my "Rapha jammies".

[salsabike]

Yep! I LOVE my Rapha tights--both tights and chamois. Been wearing the tights all winter this year; wore the shorts all last summer. They're damn expensive, but seriously worth it for me. And they now have regular (non-bib) tights. For the 6-7 hour tandem rides we do, in rain and temps in the 40s, they work really well. We live on windbreak layers and wool.
The only things I want to keep as dry as possible--my feet and hands.