Rain gear

gerbear1

I'm cycling to and from work each day and I'm looking to get some decent rain gear, mainly a jacket and waterproof trousers that go over your existing clothes. I like the idea of the luminous jackets I see people wearing when cycling to work in the morning. Can anybody recommend brands or where to get this stuff? Also what sort of prices this stuff would be.

The problem with most rain gear is that you'll end up being as wet underneath them as you would normally outside them due to sweat! It's generally better to be warm instead of being dry. If you go the lycra route then it'll keep you warm.

Normal good cycling websites are http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ and http://www.wiggle.co.uk/

Do you have shower facilities in work? What Dónal says above is spot on, when it's raining, you get wet. Either via rain or sweat.

Best practise from experience is to cycle with as few items of clothing as you possibly need to stay warm (depends on the person, how they cycle, how long it takes etc), and then shower in work and change there too.

Do you have shower facilities in work? What Dónal says above is spot on, when it's raining, you get wet. Either via rain or sweat.

Best practise from experience is to cycle with as few items of clothing as you possibly need to stay warm (depends on the person, how they cycle, how long it takes etc), and then shower in work and change there too.

HivemindXX

Probably the most common jacket you see while commuting is this:-
http://road.cc/content/review/9063-altura-night-vision-evo-jacket

I have one and I like it a lot. The only downside for me is, like virtually every cycling jacket, it has no hood. A helmet cover or cap is required if you want to keep your head dry and/or rain off your face. It's pretty expensive though.

Leggings are more problematic in my opinion. I have very old Altura brand leggings and my legs still get pretty wet, which I think is due to condensation on the inside rather than water coming in. If you don't work up a sweat this won't be too much of a problem for you.

You didn't mention, but probably need, something to cover your feet. I used goretex walking shoes on the bike but if the rain has been heavy and there is a lot of water pooling on the roads they will get soaked through pretty quickly. You can get overshoes made out of neoprene or goretex type material that go over your normal shoes, including covering the shoe upper and part of the sole, unlike gaiters which only cover the ankle/calf usually.
eg: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=26695

droidus

I disagree with this point of view. Unless youve got a very long commute, you wont get that sweaty in raingear, especially if its heavy rain. Ive never been so soaked in sweat that I have to wring my clothes out afterwards unlike torrential rain showers.

Another good thing about raingear is that it protects you from all the dirt and grime that mixes with the rain and inevitably ends up all over you.

Surveyor11

I cycle a road bike in and out to work. I gave up on leggings, pretty uncomfortable - sweat is the main issue. I'm happy to change when I get in and dry the cycling clothes on a heater. I wear lycra shorts / longs depending on the season, and let them get wet. I have a rain jacket on top - breathable and fitted. Booties for your shoes might help, as will a set of mud guards (less spray from the road)

thebouldwhacker

OP you need to clarify your distance and ride style.

I have a short fast communte at the moment so get away with over shoes and rain gear over my shirt and pants.
If you have a 5km ish spin this would prob do, anything over 10k or fast 5k and you will be a ball of sweat...

tomasrojo

I wear a Montane featherlight rain smock, and always bring a change of t-shirt. The rain smock will keep you dry during a short cycle through drizzle. I find after that my shirt always gets very wet, but I keep relatively warm, and the rainsmock will dry out before the cycle back, and I have the spare t-shirt.

I use Altura rush overtrousers, which are relatively light. They generally keep my legs pretty dry, even when my top is wringing wet, but I think if you were cycling very fast you'd get too hot with them.

I sometimes wear a type of overshoe, but since I made some mudflaps, I find I don't need them much, and I also find the chain is lasting an awful lot longer. They don't look stylish, but they're a highly practical addition to a commuting bike. They really protect your trousers, shoes, chain and gear cables from filthy water (at least the water falling from the sky is relatively clean).



EDIT: I also wear an Outdoor Research waterproof hat, as I prefer not to use a hood, and the rainsmock doesn't have a hood anyway. It is sometimes the object of fun, but it does keep your hair dry and rain out of your eyes.

clonmahon

I like a cape, got mine in Argos. No problem with sweating, the only problem is with high wind, if you combine it with gaiters like the hill walkers wear it will keep your legs and feet dry as well. Link

reallyunique

Get some sort of rain gear, the dirt that you'll get splattered with is just foul otherwise.
For the last few years I've been wearing a Gill eVent fabric jacket (no longer available) and Endura eVent pants. These are sphincter-tighteningly expensive BUT they do provide a level of dryness whilst pedaling in the rain.
The fabric doesn't need to let the sweat bead on the inside before wicking it to the outside so you stay drier. Having said that you can't pedal too hard or you'll overwhelm it's water-expelling ability. I'm a very sweaty guy but could manage to arrive all nice and dry provided I took it gently.
If you work for a living, need to be dry and want to spend the money then I'd recommend eVent stuff but it's hard to find, expensive and not worth it if you're going to go full-speed-ahead. Keep it clean too as it loses it's magic powers when dirty.
Having recently lost my jacket and my income I'm probably going to go with just some random packlite showerproof thing as I don't need to be dry for work.

gerbear1

My distance is only 4km each way. So I never arrive absolutely wringing in sweat. I usually just change me t-shirt before starting work and feel grand. And no, I don't have a shower in work.