RIDER IN THE RAIN: Keeping dry, but is it not for everybody...?

[CmdrBiggles]

There was a time, long ago when touring cyclists were not so much concerned about getting drenched in a sudden downpour. Camp was but only a couple of kilometres distant (or so sayeth the leader...). Alas, the pace was plodding, the daylight was dying, the corrugated road shaking everything to bits, and the rain was coming down in buckets interspersed with hail. Gimme shelter!!

And so, finding the nearest verandah, large tree or better still, a Youth Hostel with a roaring fire took priority of putting any rain protection on. But still history records that we continued to be the riders in the rain shunning the idea of keeping dry.

And roadies?
Well, today there were a few on the very ordinary Torquay coffee run, and amazingly, they were all getting very wet!
NO jackets to be seen at all (but plenty with gloves (as I had) and over-booties. And head-down grimmaces.

Item? I was the only one on the forward and back ride wearing a spray jacket!
I bought it yesterday afternoon, a kind of foretelling that it 'might just come in handy one day'. Ah, you don't say...

That day was today.
From stepping out the door squeaky clean and shiny to ... coming home splattered with mud and gunk, front and rear, all over helmet, arms, face and glasses. The noyce Castelli spray jacket, once peeled off needed a double-strength wash, along with the Castelli Rosa Corsa Infinium vest beneath — the rear wheel had gleefully targeted my bum and the centreline of my back, continuing its march north up and over the top of my helmet, at which point it was met by the spray coming off the front wheel. With roadworks elsewhere screwing my usual safe route (and will continue so until 25th August). I rode through a patently filthy construction zone, the road a ghastly mess of thin, slimy mud and dirt whipped and dumped by the passage of hundreds of trucks (the spray thrown up by their many wheels adding to my general appearance of looking like a yellow-tinted turd on wheels). The road was only wet on the final approach to Torquay, but my hour of glamour and gloss in the (very brief) sun was nowt but a vanished memory.

"You're filthy today!", glowered the barista through his aureole of steam, as Burberry-cosseted customers beside me gave me epically scornful side-eyes. "Wee bit o' rising damp...". I sat outside. In the rain.

Here is the question. Do roadies consider it somehow unfashionable — dare I say it, even daggy, to ride in the rain, without any protection? Is there a secret society code of "get wet no matter what!"? Or is there a spray jacket (or a poncho?) tucked into some tiny inconspicuous place, in the event that a shower turns into a downpour and the Show.Must.Stop?

It might read as a story in search of a headline. But really, I'm curious to know why rain protection appears so skint among roadies, even those in peletons, in very drack conditions.

[brumby33]

Hahahahaha Great post biggles, I could just picture it and you worded it well......but all I can say in my reply is
" Mudguards are great"!!

[g-boaf]

I have a Le Col jacket that is quite good at keeping water out.

For mudguards, my S5 has a kind of built-in mudguard for the rear wheel, part of the aero frame:


(Col de la Croix de Fer)

I can put a proper mudguard in saddle rails if things get really bad but it's really okay.

Here is the question. Do roadies consider it somehow unfashionable — dare I say it, even daggy, to ride in the rain, without any protection? Is there a secret society code of "get wet no matter what!"? Or is there a spray jacket (or a poncho?) tucked into some tiny inconspicuous place, in the event that a shower turns into a downpour and the Show.Must.Stop?

The answer to that.

By the way, it wasn't only raining heavy, it was 1ºC at that point and then later on it was snowing. It was damn cold!

I had thermal jersey, thermal arm warmers, leg warmers, winter socks, covers over the shoes, thermal jacket, base layer. The day before was 29ºC and beautiful, next day 1ºC or less.

[Mr Purple]

I sweat a lot and live in the subtropics.

I do have a very good Castelli lightweight jacket but honestly it’s just a choice of whether I want to be soaked in salt water or fresh water.

[robbo mcs]

I live in the snowy mountains in winter. If you rode in the wet here without some form of protection you would risk getting hypothermia for sure. In Sydney, there does seem to be some sort of secret dress code forbidding use of wet weather gear. I was even castigated once by a passing rider. I was stopped, pulling on my light rain jacket as it was starting to rain, and a roadie felt the need to comment "ffs just get wet" as he went by.

[blizzard]

In Brisbane, my rule is cold or wet but not both. Summer rain is fine, I would rather not wear a rain jacket and just get wet because wearing a jacket means you just get drenched in sweat instead.

Although I recently got a Castelli Gabba lite rain jersey for commuting in wet weather because I dislike taking the bus even more.

[g-boaf]

I live in the snowy mountains in winter. If you rode in the wet here without some form of protection you would risk getting hypothermia for sure. In Sydney, there does seem to be some sort of secret dress code forbidding use of wet weather gear. I was even castigated once by a passing rider. I was stopped, pulling on my light rain jacket as it was starting to rain, and a roadie felt the need to comment "ffs just get wet" as he went by.

Some people just need to focus on riding rather than worry about things that don’t concern them.

There is no secret code, it’s just one rider being a jerk. I could guess the location as well…

[bychosis]

Ypure pretty much gonna get wet and muddy anyway, rain gear just delays the process!

When I commuted full time and has no other option I bought spray jacket, boot covers, better gloves and some mudguards. But I still got wet, just not quite as wet. My boot covers protected parts of my shoes but they still needed drying. My spray jacket often became a sauna due to sweat. Gloves weren't much help either so i usually stashed them in the pack so they didnt need drying. Mudguards helped, but not super effective because they weren't full length fixed to bike.

Really, the rain gear just helped keep me warmer in the rain while in winter. Rest of the time getting wet wasnt terrible. I concentrated on not getting my backpack too wet.

[foo on patrol]

Jebus, we didn't have wet weather gear when I was training and racing in the 70's but we would not go out in the wet in winter time, summer was fine and a welcome relief from the heat and humidity.

I have no need to be riding in the rain now but if it rains when already out in the hot months, that's okay but I've always found that the rain brings the dropkicks out onto that roads so that they can do foolysick slides and spin the tyres off the mark.

Foo

[g-boaf]

Jebus, we didn't have wet weather gear when I was training and racing in the 70's but we would not go out in the wet in winter time, summer was fine and a welcome relief from the heat and humidity.

Jebus, too soft.

Jokes aside, when it's near freezing and very wet - that's just miserable. You warm up on the climbs (8% gradients or more) and then freeze something terrible on the big descents.

[foo on patrol]

Jebus, we didn't have wet weather gear when I was training and racing in the 70's but we would not go out in the wet in winter time, summer was fine and a welcome relief from the heat and humidity.

Jebus, too soft.

Jokes aside, when it's near freezing and very wet - that's just miserable. You warm up on the climbs (8% gradients or more) and then freeze something terrible on the big descents.

I rode in the 1st Gold Coast Hinterland Tour back around 76 I think it was and on the Sunday it was bitterly cold and belting down rain so hard, that there was water flowing down the sides of the road. On one climb heading to Beaudesert I had both legs crap at the same time and couldn't get off the bike and just fell sideways and ended up laying in the gutter area with water washing over me till a young girl jumped out of a car and stood with an umbrella over me. I got back on the bike and finished but that last 1hr to the finish was hell.

Foo

[Thoglette]

Jebus, we didn't have wet weather gear when I was training and racing in the 70's

I have never raced or trained but my bikes in the ‘70s were full fendered and one used long raincoats or raincapes, depending on what you had.
Or you caught the bus.

P.s. puddles were, and are, the enemy!

[CmdrBiggles]

Hahahahaha Great post biggles, I could just picture it and you worded it well......but all I can say in my reply is
" Mudguards are great"!!

Yes indeed. We had mudguards on all our touring bikes way-back-when, without fail. They (thin or full-width ESGEs) were mostly compromised in some way from mangling them a third of the way up from the junction of the bottom bracket to allow the roller of Sanyo DynaPowers to contact the tyre through the large cut in the mudguard!

The revoltingly rough-as-guts Asses Ears Road in the Northern Grampians of Victoria comes to mind when recalling the events beginning my story!

[CmdrBiggles]

Jebus, we didn't have wet weather gear when I was training and racing in the 70's

I have never raced or trained but my bikes in the ‘70s were full fendered and one used long raincoats or raincapes, depending on what you had.
Or you caught the bus.

P.s. puddles were, and are, the enemy!

I mistakenly thought puddles of just rain water would clean up my filthy behind.
No such luck.

Having said that, everything has been cleaned up, the vest and spray jacket gently washed and dried in today's sublime sunny winter weather and stashed ready for the next ride.

And that next ride will be in dry weather, I can assure you!

[zebee]

I used to wear a sprayjacket thing but found it sweaty so these days I have a water resistant vest to help keep my core warm and wear woollen clothes so I stay warm when wet.

I do have a cycling cape for use on the Brompton which does a reasonable job of keeping most of me dry but lower legs get damp if not really wet. Haven't found a way to keep legs dry on the recumbents either! All my bikes have full mudguards so I don't mind puddles.

When I was commuting I would be showering and changing at work anyway so wet was no problem.

These days I don't want to be wandering around the destination while dripping so I don't ride in heavy rain if I can avoid it. If I have to be somewhere and so will be getting wet (not just damp) I take spare kit to change in to.

[Dodgy-Knee]

I deliberately skipped my usual Sat morning ride as it was pelting down and rode Sunday instead… the roads were mostly dry as was I. Riding in the rain usually doesn’t faze me but I just wasn’t in the mood for a post-wet ride cleanup this time.

I can highly recommend getting an Ass Saver mudguard for your bike. They’re fantastic and stop the spray from the rear wheel water blasting under your seat, up your knicks, across your back and into your helmet. It’s a tie as to which is more essential for a wet day, a spray jacket or the Ass Saver?

[foo on patrol]

Hahahahaha Great post biggles, I could just picture it and you worded it well......but all I can say in my reply is
" Mudguards are great"!!

Yes indeed. We had mudguards on all our touring bikes way-back-when, without fail. They (thin or full-width ESGEs) were mostly compromised in some way from mangling them a third of the way up from the junction of the bottom bracket to allow the roller of Sanyo DynaPowers to contact the tyre through the large cut in the mudguard!

The revoltingly rough-as-guts Asses Ears Road in the Northern Grampians of Victoria comes to mind when recalling the events beginning my story!

I still have one of these but what are mudgards?

Foo

[CmdrBiggles]

[...]

I just wasn’t in the mood for a post-wet ride cleanup this time.

This was my mindset exactly after arriving home bedraggled and filthy! But you do what you have to do.

It took me most of today to get the bike back to its former self of sparkle and shine!
Fortuitously, the weather today was superb, a dramatic counterbalance to the grey and filth of yesterday: bright sun, blue skies and no wind — perfect for a long walk first thing, then hoe-down to mucking about with the soapy atomiser on the hose and a wide-head paintbrush to get every bit of dirt and gunk out — and there was a fair amount of all of that beside and behind the front derailleur, courtesy the rear wheel!!

So that was my riding for this week; back to work!
Next ride is on Saturday, and hopefully on that, a different and longer route, will be blessed with much more agreeable weather. Touch wood!

[CmdrBiggles]

Hahahahaha Great post biggles, I could just picture it and you worded it well......but all I can say in my reply is
" Mudguards are great"!!

Yes indeed. We had mudguards on all our touring bikes way-back-when, without fail. They (thin or full-width ESGEs) were mostly compromised in some way from mangling them a third of the way up from the junction of the bottom bracket to allow the roller of Sanyo DynaPowers to contact the tyre through the large cut in the mudguard!

The revoltingly rough-as-guts Asses Ears Road in the Northern Grampians of Victoria comes to mind when recalling the events beginning my story!

I still have one of these but what are mudgards?

Foo

Mudguards were/are a thing, Mr Foo.
You can see the ESGE narrow mudguards on my Cecil Walker SuperTour (1984-1988), designed by German racing bike designer Wilf Erben; the Sanyo Dynapower is mounted under the bottom bracket, straddling the chainstay bridge to which the guard is anchored. The DynaPower is not visible in this pic. That feeble DynaPower powered a 3V halogen front and rear light (very modern tech for that time!), the drawback at night being that both lights were out when stopped! It would be another few years before any credible model of LED light made an appearance, and a bright and reliable one at that.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/200467233 ... ed-public/

[g-boaf]

I deliberately skipped my usual Sat morning ride as it was pelting down and rode Sunday instead… the roads were mostly dry as was I. Riding in the rain usually doesn’t faze me but I just wasn’t in the mood for a post-wet ride cleanup this time.

I can highly recommend getting an Ass Saver mudguard for your bike. They’re fantastic and stop the spray from the rear wheel water blasting under your seat, up your knicks, across your back and into your helmet. It’s a tie as to which is more essential for a wet day, a spray jacket or the Ass Saver?

Those are really good - and especially for bikes where other methods of stopping the water spraying up don't fit.

[foo on patrol]

Yes indeed. We had mudguards on all our touring bikes way-back-when, without fail. They (thin or full-width ESGEs) were mostly compromised in some way from mangling them a third of the way up from the junction of the bottom bracket to allow the roller of Sanyo DynaPowers to contact the tyre through the large cut in the mudguard!

The revoltingly rough-as-guts Asses Ears Road in the Northern Grampians of Victoria comes to mind when recalling the events beginning my story!

I still have one of these but what are mudgards?

Foo

Mudguards were/are a thing, Mr Foo.
You can see the ESGE narrow mudguards on my Cecil Walker SuperTour (1984-1988), designed by German racing bike designer Wilf Erben; the Sanyo Dynapower is mounted under the bottom bracket, straddling the chainstay bridge to which the guard is anchored. The DynaPower is not visible in this pic. That feeble DynaPower powered a 3V halogen front and rear light (very modern tech for that time!), the drawback at night being that both lights were out when stopped! It would be another few years before any credible model of LED light made an appearance, and a bright and reliable one at that.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/200467233 ... ed-public/

Haha you forgot to mention that when you were really hooking. you'd blow the front ligh as sometimes the rear. I don't know why the rear was more tolerant to high speeds.

Foo

Foo

[recumbenteer]

Here is the question. Do roadies consider it somehow unfashionable — dare I say it, even daggy, to ride in the rain, without any protection? Is there a secret society code of "get wet no matter what!"? Or is there a spray jacket (or a poncho?) tucked into some tiny inconspicuous place, in the event that a shower turns into a downpour and the Show.Must.Stop?

Rule 9


.....says he who rides a Velomobile

[antigee]

[pom]generally a club rule in UK with some random set dates:
"mudguards must be fitted on winter rides"[/pom]

most club cyclists in UK have a summer bike and a winter bike that will take mudguards - the salted roads do expensive mech's no favours

[MichaelB]

So what is the consensus for a rain jacket that fits the following criteria (and not in order of importance) ;

- Good night/dusk visibility (plenty of reflectiveness)
- Reasonably priced ($250 ish max)
- Breathable
- Not a figure hugging garment that will suit a Clydesdale (So the typical Gabba version is out as they don't make them for use sized peeps)
- Can wear with just a base layer underneath

Fire away peeps and lemme know, as now have a 17km commute each way

[CmdrBiggles]

So what is the consensus for a rain jacket that fits the following criteria (and not in order of importance) ;

- Good night/dusk visibility (plenty of reflectiveness)
- Reasonably priced ($250 ish max)
- Breathable
- Not a figure hugging garment that will suit a Clydesdale (So the typical Gabba version is out as they don't make them for use sized peeps)
- Can wear with just a base layer underneath

Fire away peeps and lemme know, as now have a 17km commute each way

Preferences vary. Styles and features do too!

My spray jacket is a Castelli Squadra stretch jacket with long back, aka 'racing cut' (ergo, it does not ride up on the drops). Sized medium, so I can wear it over a Macpac Geothermal or Exothermal LS shirt and over that, a Castelli Roso Corsa GoreTex vest, also with long back. The jacket was $89 (price varies from $89 to $107, go figure!), rolls up tiny and fits into my BBB utility porter. Ample reflective detailing, front and rear. It kept me dry in filthy conditions a week ago, but it sure needed a wash (like me and the bike!) after that!

I would not spend $250 on a big name brand if it is made in China.

Buy one size larger if you wear a lot of clothes when commuting. As outlined above, I have two layers beneath my jacket. The Castelli vest is a windblocker and insulator. If the jacket were in the small size, that is too tight, but medium is the perfect size.

Would advise against ordering by mail. A jacket something you need to fit out in a shop, critically examing how the jacket works as you change your riding position.