Wet weather & personal preference

beans

So it's begun again. In Dublin anyway, a lovely soft day soaking everything and anything.

In view of the cold and potentially the rain to come, what are everyone's best methods of continuing to commute or train in the rain?

Personally for my commute I go for light socks, 0 undies, light and long trousers, t-shirt and windproof Altura jacket, and a full change of clothes in the bag. Two pairs of gloves, long-fingered with short-fingered grippy gloves over them. Lightweight balaclava for when the cold really sets in.

To improve this; I'm going to look for 'sealskin' type socks rather than overshoes. Need to get a cover for my Brooks leather saddle too.

joker77

Wet weather:

Sealskin waterproof socks, ordinary runners.
Aldi running leggings, Altura shorts
Long sleeved t-shirt, fluorescent cycling jacket.
Full finger gloves, helmet.

The leggings/shorts are wet when I get in, leave them both on a radiator all day, dry for the cycle home.

I always bring a spare long sleeved t-shirt to wear home.

I was cycling along at my usual pace this morning, which is fast enough, and had to stop suddenly for a car. I was caught a little off guard at how much further my stopping distance was in the wet... something to be aware of in this weather

Raam

I saw a lot of people withs smocks today.

delta_bravo

Wet weather:
T-Shirt
Gloves
Shorts

Warm Weather:
T-Shirt
Gloves
Shorts

Danbo!

Raam wrote: »

I saw a lot of people withs smocks today.

I saw a lot of people in cars today. Maybe about 8 cyclists, id generally see about 50.

anywho.. wet weather =shorts, ankle high socks, polyester tee and agu windproof jacket, and topped off with a high viz vest. very important as drivers visibility in this weather is very poor.

cunnins4

Have to admit, the Lidl (or are they Aldi? - meh, who cares!) rain bottoms worked a treat today and I wasn't a sweaty ball in them when I got into college either. It wasn't belting rain when i was out so I didn't wear my fancy schmancy Gul raincoat - just the Lidl/Aldi cycling jacket & long fingered gloves. Got a pair of those Altura Neoprene Overshoes - absolutely bone dry when I arrived in college. Quick change of trousers and I was laughing. Used my bro's bag cover over my rugsack - something I have to invest in cos loads of my notes got soaked last year.

Raingear's really worth it. Looking out in the morning and seeing the wet road isn't nearly as awful when you've got the gear. Dry feet are soooo good!

Pherekydes

Wet weather:

base layer, light T
bib short
bib tight
long sleeve jersey
altura rain jacket
gloves depending on temp, wear mitts if it's above about 10, gloves for colder weather
helmet
hybrid shoes (cleated, but can still walk around in)


One thing that bugs me (in cold weather) is the ventilation on my helmet. My head gets too cold. I picked up a beanie yesterday and will try it out tomorrow if it's cold enough. It's thin and light enough to wear under the helmet.

Oh yeah and glasses. Agu sportsglasses with changeable lenses. Keeps the sh!t out of your eyes.

I don't commute, only train, so I've no changing into wet clothes to worry about at the end of the day.

blorg

I use overshoes, find them very good. BBB Waterflex in particular, €23 in Joe Dalys. That's around the cost of one pair of sealskins if I'm right and with the overshoes you don't have to change them every day! Bear in mind with sealskins your shoes will still get soaked/wrecked.

Apart from that, bib tights, long sleeve jersey and a very light Polaris Aqualight waterproof. Would consider shorts depending on the temperature, I think water is less likely to make its way in the top of the overshoe in shorts than it is with tights.

Have a shower and all my clothes at the other end, thank God.

ruprect

I have a large size of this

from here http://www.safetysupplies.co.uk/trolleyed/22/
It is nice & baggy. I wear a t-shirt underneath so it is not too warm. As it is baggy you dont sweat so much. Keeps you warm too. It is so big I can put my bag on my front "spanish student style", and zip up the front to completely cover it.

I have sealskinz socks, but as blorg said your shoes get wet. I was thinking of getting a pair of diving booties, some have decent soles. Put them on with no socks and bring shoes & socks in a bag. I also thought of just wearing sandles, commute is only 20mins, I saw a girl in sandles the other day. I do not mind my head hand or feet being exposed. My body is fully covered so I am warm and could do with some exposure, except extreme cold.

I also have sealzskinz winter gloves which are great.

Ghost Rider

For legwear, I use a pair of Goretex golfing pants over my trousers. These are pretty breathable and largely waterproof (except for the knees, for reasons unclear to me). On top, I wear a t-shirt, light jumper and a Polaris Aqualite fluorescent jacket. It's light, showerproof (which gets me through a 15-minute commute even in heavy rain) and mildly breathable (if the temperature is below about 15 degrees).

I bought a pair of overshoes last "summer" but I find them pretty awkward with the toe clips on my commuting bike, so I'll only wear them if it's bucketing down.

beans

Heh, I have a pair of Palm watershoes for Kayaking that I suppose I could try... feel they'd be too bulky under the shoes but nothing ventured and all that

Anyone ever try ladies tights as leggings?

blorg

ruprect wrote: »

I also thought of just wearing sandles, commute is only 20mins, I saw a girl in sandles the other day.

I have Shimano SPD sandals myself and am still wearing them (with socks now) when its dry; they are very comfortable. Shoes work better with the overshoes when it's wet. They also work great for rain during the warmer months- they dry out very quickly.

rubadub

Ghost Rider wrote: »

These are pretty breathable and largely waterproof (except for the knees, for reasons unclear to me

Your knees push right up against the fabric, this stresses it and lets water wick through easier. To mop up a spill on your shirt you squeeze tissue against it. Also most shower proof jackets have ratings, like forces of rain it can withstand. It it is baggy, the rain impacts and the force is dispersed, like a car bumper or crash helmet. If your knee is taut on the fabric the force is greater.

Baggy gear is best, though it can get caught on the chain.

Anyone ever try ladies tights as leggings?

I get enough abuse from the lads in work for having tesco bags on my feet, arriving in a pair of fishnets would leave them with broken ribs from laughing.

daymobrew

beans wrote: »

Anyone ever try ladies tights as leggings?

These days I wear a pair of adidas running tights over my cycling shorts. Something like these Ronill tights. They're not high fashion but they are light, comfortable and keep my legs warm.

Ghost Rider wrote: »

I bought a pair of overshoes last "summer" but I find them pretty awkward with the toe clips on my commuting bike, so I'll only wear them if it's bucketing down.

My Altura overshoes work great with my clipless SPD pedals.

Ghost Rider

Mine would too but that whole problem of using clipless shoes on your commuting bike rears its head again (i.e. having to bring a pair of non-cycling shoes in your bag).

daymobrew wrote: »

My Altura overshoes work great with my clipless SPD pedals.

Raam

Ghost Rider wrote: »

Mine would too but that whole problem of using clipless shoes on your commuting bike rears its head again (i.e. having to bring a pair of non-cycling shoes in your bag).

I leave a pair of shoes in work.

unionman

Raam wrote: »

I leave a pair of shoes in work.

Ditto. I have one suit, one jacket, one trousers, two pairs of shoes and a couple of ties permanently stored at the office. All I bring in the bag is a fresh shirt and fresh socks. Works a charm, and leaves room in the bag for lights, raingear, tools, pump and spare tube.

Helps that I have my own office (and a bit of privacy for changing), my last job was in an open plan office, so I carted everything in panniers to and fro every day, and had to change in the jacks. Pain in the ar5e.

Wore overshoes yesterday for the first time ever. Warm dry feet when I got home...bliss.

High&Low

Slightly off topic, but related to yesterdays weather.

I'm in Dublin and I've only been commuting to work on my bike since September and I've been blessed with the weather (it hasn't rained once). As a former public transport commuter it is hard for me to compare yesterday's weather compared to other wet days, but I found yesterday do-able, but tough enough, for the veteran cyclist commuters out there, would yesterday be considered a "bad" wet day or just an average run of the mill wet day?

Raam

High&Low wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but related to yesterdays weather.

I'm in Dublin and I've only been commuting to work on my bike since September and I've been blessed with the weather (it hasn't rained once). As a former public transport commuter it is hard for me to compare yesterday's weather compared to other wet days, but I found yesterday do-able, but tough enough, for the veteran cyclist commuters out there, would yesterday be considered a "bad" wet day or just an average run of the mill wet day?

That was quite a soft day. Sometimes the rain can be much heavier and come at an angle, so it can be quite sore on the face. But that doesn't happen too often.

Bicyclegadabout

High&Low wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but related to yesterdays weather.

I'm in Dublin and I've only been commuting to work on my bike since September and I've been blessed with the weather (it hasn't rained once). As a former public transport commuter it is hard for me to compare yesterday's weather compared to other wet days, but I found yesterday do-able, but tough enough, for the veteran cyclist commuters out there, would yesterday be considered a "bad" wet day or just an average run of the mill wet day?

I thought it was bad in the morning, grand in the evening. It's all those puddles. Wasn't *that* cold though.

The thing is, if you cycle in the rain you get wet. Eventually you get soaked. Once you're soaked completely, you can't, by definition, get any wetter, y'see? So, it's not really about how rainy it is, it's about the weather being above or below the threshold for saturation.

unionman

High&Low wrote: »

Slightly off topic, but related to yesterdays weather.

I'm in Dublin and I've only been commuting to work on my bike since September and I've been blessed with the weather (it hasn't rained once). As a former public transport commuter it is hard for me to compare yesterday's weather compared to other wet days, but I found yesterday do-able, but tough enough, for the veteran cyclist commuters out there, would yesterday be considered a "bad" wet day or just an average run of the mill wet day?

This year has been unusually wet, especially the summer. Dublin City Council did some research a few years ago (I'll post a link if I can find it), which found that the number of days in the year that it rained at peak time (ie when commuters are cycling) was very low, only about 6 I think it was. This summer blew that average to bits.

Yesterday was about as bad as it gets in terms of 'wetness', but as Raam says, there are the few days where it's cold, blustery and almost horizontal. few and far between though.

Gavin

Just bought some clear glasses for cycling with after last night. Difficult to keep watching ahead with water spraying into my eyes.

beans

It's pretty tough when your glasses are wet too. And you can't wipe them dry when you're soaked to the skin.

Hailstones would be my personal least-favourite, followed by cars & puddles on non-rainy but puddly days (today grrrr)

blorg

As others have said, it actually isn't that wet in Dublin at all, on average. Yesterday morning was indeed bad, more from the amount of water on the ground than anything else. I have seen _far_ worse but again, it doesn't happen that often. Just plough on.

Disagree that baggy clothes are better though, tight shorts/leggings may get wet but it is not as annoying as wet stuff that sort of sticks to you in one place, etc.

I would doubt that glasses could possibly help in the rain, I wear them myself as practically blind and often find myself peering over them as they are ruined by the rain. Have considered contacts just for this reason.

unionman

blorg wrote: »

I would doubt that glasses could possibly help in the rain, I wear them myself as practically blind and often find myself peering over them as they are ruined by the rain. Have considered contacts just for this reason.

Agreed. Gave up on clear glasses couple of years ago (though good for keeping grit / flies etc out of your eyes in very dry conditions) - discovered that the peak on the cycle helmet very effective for shielding eyes from rain.

milod

Wet or Dry in winter, I just wear my Lidl long cycling trousers, Lidl top and jacket. The top is one of those high-wicking factor jobbies and the jacket/trousers are also artificial fibre so they dry out in no time, and don't absorb much water in the first place.

I keep a change of clothes at work and a few of those deodorant wipes in case things get sweaty on the commute...

And to answer Beans, I've worn the g/f's discarded tights (only black ones!) but I would only wear them underneath my long cycling pants, and only in January when it's freezing cold :eek:

daymobrew

blorg wrote: »

I would doubt that glasses could possibly help in the rain, I wear them myself as practically blind and often find myself peering over them as they are ruined by the rain. Have considered contacts just for this reason.

When I bought a new helmet a few months back I made a point of getting one with a peak/visor as a sun shade and a rain shade.
Prior to this I used a baseball cap under the helmet to keep the rain off my glasses. It worked well but it was uncomfortable because my helmet is quite snug as is.

beans

Hmm, my peak was discarded when the helmet was bought, never saw the need for it. Never struck me that it might be effective in the rain

unionman

beans wrote: »

Hmm, my peak was discarded when the helmet was bought, never saw the need for it. Never struck me that it might be effective in the rain

Yep, rain and winter sunshine, when the sun doesn't climb high enough to be out of your sightline. A small but very useful piece of plastic.

Raam

Whatever about clothes, what really gets me is when you spend an hour cleaning your bike and then it buckets down the next day. All that effort gone in a flash.

beans

Frustrating, but there ain't no way around it. Must get all that gunk off the aul drivetrain myself this weekend. I have a layer of silt all over everything right now, just asking to grind away my bits and bobs