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Cycling in the rain

i went on a cycling holiday in ireland over the summer. One day it absoultey heaved with rain and we cycled through it for about 50 miles. I realised then that all my so called 'waterproof' clothes weren't really waterproof atall, as i was completely soaked through by the end of the day.

God knows how much money you have to spend to get stuff that really is 100% waterproof, no matter how torrential the downpour :confused:
 
Hellsbells said:
i went on a cycling holiday in ireland over the summer. One day it absoultey heaved with rain and we cycled through it for about 50 miles. I realised then that all my so called 'waterproof' clothes weren't really waterproof atall, as i was completely soaked through by the end of the day.

God knows how much money you have to spend to get stuff that really is 100% waterproof, no matter how torrential the downpour :confused:
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that was probably just sweat. :(
 
I just wear what I cycle in when it's not raining . I always change clothes when I get to my destination anyway so it don't really matter . The only wet weather concession I make is to stick a towell in my bag to dry myself off .
 
nadia said:
Summer just wear shorts. Winter wear over trousers and helly hanson rain coat
Always take in spare socks
Never underestimate mudguards
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Yep, I'm going to take the rear rack off and put the mudguard back on. Ended up with a muddy back earlier on
 
I just wear my jacket normally, it's also a grey Altura one. I do have waterproof trousers but they are so hot and I don't like the squishy noises they make. My journey to work is quite short anyway and I can dry my clothes on the radiator when I get there.

I also have a rainhat that I put on under my helmet to keep my hair dry.
 
Altura high-vis jacket, Campagnolo vest, Assos gilet, Bicycle Line padded undershorts, Endura shorts, all weathers, except I lose the jacket and gilet in warm weather. Feet get wet, socks dry on the air vent of my PC unit. The rest dry over the back of my chair. Legs get wet but keep towel dry or have shower anyway
 
I don't get mind getting wet at all. The only thing that would stop me would be strong winds. Oh, hail stopped me once but that hurt
 
I always take sandals on cycle tours. If it's raining during the day I wear them so I can keep my other footware dry.

HellsBells -just one day it heaved with rain? I too went for a cycle tour this summer in Ireland too and it rained every day.
 
Orang Utan said:
I don't get mind getting wet at all. The only thing that would stop me would be strong winds. Oh, hail stopped me once but that hurt
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I think it's different if you're just going to and from work. You can get changed and let stuff dry out. But if you're going somewhere specific, like the library or a meeting, or meeting someone for a bite to eat, it's not nice to be stuck in wet clothes.
 
soulman said:
I think it's different if you're just going to and from work. You can get changed and let stuff dry out. But if you're going somewhere specific, like the library or a meeting, or meeting someone for a bite to eat, it's not nice to be stuck in wet clothes.
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True, I usually take the bus or go local for that kind of stuff. Cycling is mainly for work and supermarket.

Actually, I wear my cycling waterproofs walking around the neighbourhood when it's raining and windy and I have stuff I need to do. Sure beats walking around in wet jeans all day with a bent umbrella.
 
If I was just commuting to work I'd wear the usual stuff i.e. cycling shoes, normal socks (or maybe sealskins to keep the warmth in), lycra cycling shorts and polyester overshorts, a lycra base layer and a polyester jersey. Then get changed when I get to work, leave all the above to dry on a radiator if possible, or have another set of dry cycling clothes to go home in later :D

I don't see the point in wearing waterproofs unless you absolutely cannot get changed at work or have to wear the same clothes all day i.e. when couriering. In that case, once you stop riding you get very cold wearing wet clothes, so you need to stay dry.
 
Waterproof jacket and if it's raining - or likely to - lycra leggings - they dry out quickly for the return journey. Otherwise tracky bums (on the hybrid but not on the racer) and zip up cycling jersey in winter and t-shirt and 3/4 length trousers in summer (rain or shine) - in fact that's pretty much all I wear all summer :rolleyes: gaijinboy and I realised (after receiving almost exclusively cycling wear as gifts for Crimbo) that it makes up the majority of our wardrobe. This is good but I do LOVE pretty shoes... :(
 
Hellsbells said:
God knows how much money you have to spend to get stuff that really is 100% waterproof, no matter how torrential the downpour :confused:
Click to expand...

Decathlon do a rain cape for £9.99 that works very well...
 
BigPhil said:
I always take sandals on cycle tours. If it's raining during the day I wear them so I can keep my other footware dry.

HellsBells -just one day it heaved with rain? I too went for a cycle tour this summer in Ireland too and it rained every day.
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yeah, it was lovely and sunny the rest of the week. The tour guide was amazed.
 
I wear shorts all year and waterproof overtrousers if it's raining - but now they're not waterproof no more, cos I washed em with detergent too many times. How do I make them awesome again or shall I just buy some more?
 
Herbsman. said:
If I was just commuting to work I'd wear the usual stuff i.e. cycling shoes, normal socks (or maybe sealskins to keep the warmth in), lycra cycling shorts and polyester overshorts, a lycra base layer and a polyester jersey. Then get changed when I get to work, leave all the above to dry on a radiator if possible, or have another set of dry cycling clothes to go home in later :D

I don't see the point in wearing waterproofs unless you absolutely cannot get changed at work or have to wear the same clothes all day i.e. when couriering. In that case, once you stop riding you get very cold wearing wet clothes, so you need to stay dry.
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So you wear waterproofs, what ones?
 
soulman said:
So you wear waterproofs, what ones?
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At present I wear an Altura night vision jacket most of the time, even when it's not raining - extra visibility at night, keeps me warm, and comes in handy if it actually does start raining. Problem is with constantly wearing a synthetic coat like this is that the armpits absolutely reek after just 2 days of use. May treat them with antiseptic disinfectant before and after next wash...

I don't bother with waterproof overtrousers or overshoes unless it's absolutely f&king pissing it down heavy as f&k all day long, in which case I wear Endura overtrousers and overshoes. In light rain or short showers I just wear my usual clothes.
 
mauvais said:
I wear shorts all year and waterproof overtrousers if it's raining - but now they're not waterproof no more, cos I washed em with detergent too many times. How do I make them awesome again or shall I just buy some more?
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Buy some new ones and only wash them with non-bio, or even plain water. IME they don't get smelly at all so there's no need to wash them frequently.
 
Orang Utan said:
The only thing that would stop me would be strong winds.
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I didn't cycle on monday because the weather sauid there would be strong winds that day and then there wasn't ! bastard BBC :mad:
 
Herbsman. said:
Buy some new ones and only wash them with non-bio, or even plain water. IME they don't get smelly at all so there's no need to wash them frequently.
Click to expand...
Yeah, none of the clothes I wear get smelly - they get a weekly wash. The shorts even less often
 
Orang Utan said:
Yeah, none of the clothes I wear get smelly - they get a weekly wash. The shorts even less often
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I wish I could say that about my base layers and jerseys :( The only thing I don't wash often are my outer shorts.
 
i wore my lidl orange trews today with shorts underneath, with boots (they stayed dry) and my black waterproof jacket and a pink hi-viz vest
was dry enough
just changed into proper clothes when at work

I don't have a desk so no where to dry stuff - had to leave the outer layers hanging on someones pram
 
Maybe someone should make some. Wouldn't be that difficult with the size of batteries these days.

*wonders if motorcyclists have the same problem in pouring rain*
 
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