Cold and wet weather cycling wear
- Thread starter ebikemom
- Start date
I have another Helly Hansen (sp?) pair, and they also work fine. They have a stretchier fabric.
ebikemom
Well-Known Member
Okay rainy day riders, I experienced rain gear failure for the first time. It was pouring rain, basically, and I decided to do my 12 mile commute anyway. Normally my rainy day cycling is on-and-off rain, and is "Seattle style" rain which is mostly of the veggie mister variety. But yesterday's rain was audible on the roof. The real thing. But, hey, I've got rain gear, right? I know how to manage this stuff.
After nearly an hour of riding in the the pouring rain. I discovered:
So, how does an ebikemom teach her classes and go to her meetings all sopping wet? Well, fortunately, in my office I just happened to have:
Yes, I was not a girl scout for nothing! (But, alas, I cannot take credit for the radiators!) My office is in an elderly building which has its perils in case of earthquake (if the big one comes while I'm at work, you'll find me and my seafoam green Pedego buried under many bricks), but has its benefits in the form of an ancient heating system that pumps out heat from radiators all winter. So, I decorated the radiator with all of my wet things, made good use of the towel and some paper towels, and went through my day in my back-up dry things.
By the time I was ready to go home from work, everything was dry and ready to wear home.
SO, the moral of this story is that I need gaters!!! So, I'm looking for some. Basically, I need coverage for my boot tops and jean bottoms under the rain pants. And, I am going to look for a more waterproof jacket. Maybe something made for construction workers. Yellow, with lots of reflective stuff on it. Harbor Freight, here I come! And the second moral is... even if rarely needed, having back-up clothing, etc., at work is a Very Good Idea.
Stay dry, everyone!!
After nearly an hour of riding in the the pouring rain. I discovered:
- My waterproof jacket... isn't. It wasn't a problem because I was wearing a synthetic polar fleece underneath that didn't absorb any water.
- My duckboot uppers leak. That should have been obvious (the uppers are cloth), but I hadn't experienced it before in the on-and-off rain and drizzle of my previous commutes. On this day of downpours, I arrived to work with my feet in sloshing puddles inside of my rubber boots.
- The bottoms of my jeans got soaking wet beneath my rain pants. Yes, well, when I ride, the rain pants ride up a bit due to the cycling motion, and I guess my jeans hems were exposed. They got soaked almost up to my knees by absorbing water over the hour of my commute.
So, how does an ebikemom teach her classes and go to her meetings all sopping wet? Well, fortunately, in my office I just happened to have:
- dry shoes
- dry socks
- a pair of dry slacks
- a towel
- a rain jacket
- radiators!
Yes, I was not a girl scout for nothing! (But, alas, I cannot take credit for the radiators!) My office is in an elderly building which has its perils in case of earthquake (if the big one comes while I'm at work, you'll find me and my seafoam green Pedego buried under many bricks), but has its benefits in the form of an ancient heating system that pumps out heat from radiators all winter. So, I decorated the radiator with all of my wet things, made good use of the towel and some paper towels, and went through my day in my back-up dry things.
By the time I was ready to go home from work, everything was dry and ready to wear home.
SO, the moral of this story is that I need gaters!!! So, I'm looking for some. Basically, I need coverage for my boot tops and jean bottoms under the rain pants. And, I am going to look for a more waterproof jacket. Maybe something made for construction workers. Yellow, with lots of reflective stuff on it. Harbor Freight, here I come! And the second moral is... even if rarely needed, having back-up clothing, etc., at work is a Very Good Idea.
Stay dry, everyone!!
Saratoga Dave
Well-Known Member
That’s a damn good idea about Harbor Freight! We’ve got one a couple miles up the road that I pass all the time, never thought of a rain jacket there.
ebikemom
Well-Known Member
I can't say that the Harbor Freight idea is original--I learned about Harbor Freight from this group--but after my "breathable" "waterproof" rain jacket proved itself to be only "breathable," I am ready for something that is truly water proof! Bring on the construction worker style!!! And, actually, street repair workers are some of the friendliest people I encounter on my commute, so I will now get even bigger smiles and thumbs ups, I think!
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
I have showerpass rain pants that work well. but the water proof gloves leave my hands wet and I spent 80.00 on them lets hope RIE will let me return them. I got their shoe covers as they were the only large ones but they let my shoes get wet too.
MadManMark
Member
I also bought these this year, to try to address one of the three weakest links in my winter commuting: my hands are often numb blocks of ice by the time I get to my destination when the weather is at it's coldest (see my post from a year ago, about 6 posts up, describing my biking situation and other gear). Though for my part my hands are fine down to about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, my hands would actually be too hot if I turned them on at 45! It's been a lot warmer here in Wisconsin this year than last, no "polar vortex" (knock on wood), and frankly I haven't encountered any temperatures below about 5 degrees yet, so I haven't even needed to turn these gloves on to "high" heating yet.
I also found something to address my second weak link: when it is very icy, even with my Schwalbe Winter Plus studded tires mounted, I can sometimes slip and fall, this happened twice to me last year, and one time it really did a number on my elbow, the slide ripped right through my coat and I had a bruise and scab on my elbow for a couple weeks. For this year I found the perfect jacket: a cheap, warm, tough, highly reflective, and ***armored*** motorcycle jacket: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QD9V9Z3 (I got the "hi-vis green" color). I cannot sing the praises (and price) of this jacket enough, for anyone "hardcore" like me who bikes even on icy roads. I haven't had to test the elbow armor out yet (thankfully), but I'm sure it's a least 10x better than my old "normal" coat.
MadManMark
Member
DId you actually try that? I tried this for biking in rain over the spring-summer-fall last year:
I personally found it too clammy, it does not vent at all when you sweat, and I was sometimes kinda gross when I got to work, felt like I needed to take a shower even though I did not get wet at all from the rain. A bright goretex rainsuit that can breath works 20x better for me, I returned the suit I bought to costco in the fall. But to each their own.
fooferdoggie
Well-Known Member
goretex with vents works well at least in winter.
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
Nah, old throttle fella here. I only wear my construction rain gear in fall and spring. No issue in chilly Minnesota.
I use my Vaude poncho designed for biking in the heat of summer. It has "handles" sewn inside to wrap around my hands on the handlebars. Shorts and flip flops and mostly dry. But advantage retired. No issues with being clammy at work. VBG
BTW there are Gore Tex HiVis jackets!
Ponchos
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