Help. It's raining.

DDEckerslyke said:

I cycle to work every day, and have done for two or three years now,
but I've never really found a satisfactory solution to the problem of
rain. I use a pannier rack and bag - which was a great investment -
for the stuff I carry but I can't keep myself as dry as I'd like.
What I'd really like is good quality. long lasting, waterproof jacket
and trousers. Do waterproofs need maintenance? They sometimes try to
sell me some waterproofing treatment but I'm not sure about whether
to buy and/or use it.

How do the cyclists here keep dry in the rain?

Any help on this specifically, or cycling in the rain in general,
gratefully received.

AFAICT, the only way to approach it is to accept that if you cycle in the
rain for long enough, you /will/ get wet, from the rain, perspiration or
both. Getting wet is not too big a deal as long as:

1. you don't get cold as well, and
2. if commuting, you have dry clothes to change into on arrival

Since there appears to be nowhere to dry cycling kit adequately in this
place, I'd have to add 3 - take a second set of cycling kit for the journey
home.

Bah!

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
If you are choking on an ice cube, simply pour a jug of boiling
water down your throat and presto! The blockage is almost
instantly removed.

Dave Larrington said:

DDEckerslyke wrt:

Quoted message said:

How do the cyclists here keep dry in the rain?

The same way as swimmers keep dry in the water.
Face it: in winter, cycling is a watersport.

Quoted message said:

1. you don't get cold as well, and
2. if commuting, you have dry clothes to change into on arrival

Since there appears to be nowhere to dry cycling kit adequately in this
place, I'd have to add 3 - take a second set of cycling kit for the journey
home.

Good tip - when you remember to bring it: "nah, it won't rain today"
.... 2 minutes into the ride <deluge>

Since the advent of flat-screens it's a lot harder to dry off kit at
work - and my colleagues would object to me drying my sox on my
(desktop) PC... (although gloves and buff seem to be OK)

sothach said:

Since the advent of flat-screens it's a lot harder to dry off kit at
work -

Beat me to it. :-)

--
Dave...

DDEckerslyke said:

How do the cyclists here keep dry in the rain?

Some people swear by cycling capes but I had one once and hated it. YMMV.

These got a very good write-up in Arrivée recently (haven't got some
these myself but they are definitely on my wishlist):
http://www.rainlegs.co.uk/

As for rainproof jackets, I have an Altura Nevislite, which is good but
very warm - so you can end up getting just as wet from what is commonly
known as 'boil in the bag syndrome'.

I also have an Endura Air Defence jacket - windproof, waterproof-ish,
very comfortable and very warm. Also a /lot/ more breathable than the
Nevislite but still prone to sweatiness problems. I wore it out with the
club last Sunday, thinking the day was going to be a lot colder than it
was, and found myself overheating somewhat, even when it was raining
quite hard...
http://www.endura.co.uk/air-defence.html

Aside from that, the best bet is not to try to avoid getting wet, but to
wear cycling-specific clothing that will keep you warm when you are wet,
and will dry quickly if it stops raining (ie /not/ cotton). Then change
into something warm and dry when you are off the bike.

On warm summer days, I rarely bother with waterproofs, even in heavy
downpours. Winter is a different matter, of course, but that's what the
Endura jacket is for.

d.

me said:

found myself overheating somewhat, even when it was raining
quite hard...

PS I was only wearing a vest underneath!

d.

Get creative, look for a little used store room or whatever and check
to see if there's a radiator in there.

Look for where the hot water comes from in your building (might be
called 'calorifiers' or summat and hang your stuff there.

If you don't have access to these places volunteer as the area fire
officer!

Robert

DDEckerslyke said:

Do waterproofs
need maintenance? They sometimes try to sell me some waterproofing treatment
but I'm not sure about whether to buy and/or use it.

The waterproofing on typical modern waterproofs comes from a "breathable
waterproof" layer, either a laminate or coating. These will keep water
out but will let vapour (i.e., your post-evaporation sweat) move
through. Though that's nice in principle, in practice they don't let
out vapour at the same rate active folk produce it and it's further the
case that the ability to shift vapour goes down if the outer face of the
garment is soaking wet (which happens in the rain at times... ;-)). To
try and stop the outer surface "wetting out" and restricting the
breathability, a treatment is washed in or sprayed on that encourages
the water to bead up into droplets. Eventually this will be overcome in
persistent rain, and the speed with which it will be overcome is
proportional to the age of the treatment which is why people renew them.

Note that the treatments do /not/ waterproof the garment (the membrane
or coating layer applied to the main garment fabric does that), but help
it to vent vapour. If a jacket never has water beading on its surface
then it's time to redo the treatment, if it's actually physically
leaking through holes it's time for a new jacket and these treatments
won't help you.

Quoted message said:

How do the cyclists here keep dry in the rain?

Staying indoors works remarkably well, I find...

Having said that, a decent waterproof is worth having as it keeps the
worst off and ensures you stay warm, if not actually completely dry.
But in driving, persistent rain you will get wet. The only garment that
will keep you /really/ dry in Proper Rain over any length of time is a
divers/paddlers dry-suit. I'd sooner get wet than cycle in one of
those, even if I had one of ~£700 good breathable ones for my paddling
activities.

Quoted message said:

Any help on this specifically, or cycling in the rain in general, gratefully
received.

If you've not got mudguards with flaps already then they are /well/
worth having.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

BigRab said the following on 25/10/2006 14:43:

Quoted message said:

Look for where the hot water comes from in your building (might be
called 'calorifiers' or summat and hang your stuff there.

Hot water? Luxury!! After 8 years of only cold water, we now have hand
washers in the toilets (no dryer though, just paper towels). Not ideal
for drying cycling clothes on!

Fortunately, being a cyclist has already marked me as being eccentric,
so hanging dripping waterproofs by the lockers has become accepted.
Fortunately I don't have far to come, so can take it steady (minimum
sweating) and rarely get wet on the inside. When water does get through
though, it seems to leave an embarrassing damp patch in the crotch of my
trousers. I just make sure I have a desk job to do for the first couple
of hours...

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

In article <[email hidden]>

DDEckerslyke said:

Hi

I cycle to work every day, and have done for two or three years now, but
I've never really found a satisfactory solution to the problem of rain. I
use a pannier rack and bag - which was a great investment - for the stuff I
carry but I can't keep myself as dry as I'd like. What I'd really like is
good quality. long lasting, waterproof jacket and trousers. Do waterproofs
need maintenance? They sometimes try to sell me some waterproofing treatment
but I'm not sure about whether to buy and/or use it.

How do the cyclists here keep dry in the rain?

Depends on the distance involved - if you're going to ride far or
energetically it's easier to keep comfortable than it is to keep dry -
anything really waterproof is just going to soak you with sweat from the
inside rather than rain from the outside. What you want is
undergarments with good wicking properties, topped off with a wind-and-
rain resistant outer layer that won't make you overheat or impede your
movement. Don't skimp on protection for hands and feet. If you're
commuting then you want something that will dry easily ready for the
ride home - wonder-synthetics are generally pretty good at that. Then
stick your 'day' clothes in a plastic bag in your panniers.

DDEckerslyke wrote:

It may seem obvious, but really good mudguards, with a front flap help
enormously. Most of the bikes that I see have none.

--
Roger Thorpe

My email address is spamtrapped. You can work it out!

Quoted message said:

It may seem obvious, but really good mudguards, with a front flap help
enormously. Most of the bikes that I see have none.

No idea why people don't use really good mudguards - mine were just about
the best investment I ever made. I used to arrive everywhere feeling like my
incontinence pants had just burst :-)

cheers

dd

Quoted message said:

How do the cyclists here keep dry in the rain?

Fast cyclists have the choice between getting wet through rain or sweat.

Trundlies[1] can get away with top to toe breathable waterproofs. Gloves
help keep the hands warm, whilst a hat keeps rain out of the eyes.
Mudguards keep rain off the body, whilst a mudflap on the front one keeps
the bottom of the legs dry. Overshoes help keep the feet dryish. It helps
if the waterproofs have lots of vents to let moisture out.

When fully suited up, even a trundly may need to slow down a tad to remain
comfortable - it's easy to overheat, and thus sweat.

The problem with keeping dry in this way is that it does bugger all for
your fitness, as you go so slowly, but I occasionally find it nice to be
snug and toasty.

[1] Cyclists that put no effort into their cycling. It's as if they're out
on a stroll, but with two wheels. Not an insult - many can carry on in
this way for over a hundred miles.

In article <[email hidden]>,
sothach <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Since the advent of flat-screens it's a lot harder to dry off kit at
work - and my colleagues would object to me drying my sox on my
(desktop) PC

In the office where I used to work, the cleaners made off with at least
two pairs of socks I'd been drying over the rim of the wastebasket.
--
congokid
Eating out in London? Read my tips...
http://congokid.com

DDEckerslyke twisted the electrons to say:

Quoted message said:

No idea why people don't use really good mudguards

Probably because they are considered to be "uncool"? I have to confess
that's why I, at the age of 10 or so, wanted to remove the mudguards that
my parents had helpfully fitted to my BMX.
--
These opinions might not even be mine ...
Let alone connected with my employer ...

Alistair Gunn said:

DDEckerslyke twisted the electrons to say:

Quoted message said:

No idea why people don't use really good mudguards

Probably because they are considered to be "uncool"? I have to confess
that's why I, at the age of 10 or so, wanted to remove the mudguards that
my parents had helpfully fitted to my BMX.

In a chicken/egg sort of arrangement, this is IMHO why they're not
fitted to a lot of otherwise sensible bikes. And if there are so many
bikes without them it's "obvious" they're not /that/ much use so it
doesn't occur to fit them, perhaps, and since so many bikes are sold
without them then "clearly" there's "no demand"...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

DDEckerslyke said:

I cycle to work every day, and have done for two or three years now, but
I've never really found a satisfactory solution to the problem of rain. I
use a pannier rack and bag - which was a great investment - for the stuff I
carry but I can't keep myself as dry as I'd like. What I'd really like is
good quality. long lasting, waterproof jacket and trousers. Do waterproofs
need maintenance? They sometimes try to sell me some waterproofing treatment
but I'm not sure about whether to buy and/or use it.

Quoted message said:

How do the cyclists here keep dry in the rain?

For cycling to work in ordinary street clothes nothing is as good as a
cape. Waterproof with no sweat problems. For more strenuous
non-commuting cycling where I can wear special clothes, I find
anything waterproof or even goretex-type "breathable" is just a sweat
trap I get soaked in. My answer is showerproof permeable stuff like
Buffalo mountain shirts. They are much more breathable, hence not
waterproof, but are designed to wick sweat through and evaporate it
off with body heat. Comfortable in rain and dry out fast when it
stops.

--
Chris Malcolm [email hidden] DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

In article <[email hidden]>
Chris Malcolm <[email hidden]> wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

My answer is showerproof permeable stuff like
Buffalo mountain shirts.

But ... they're 120 quid :-O

Chris Malcolm said:

DDEckerslyke said:

I cycle to work every day, and have done for two or three years now, but
I've never really found a satisfactory solution to the problem of rain. I
use a pannier rack and bag - which was a great investment - for the stuff I
carry but I can't keep myself as dry as I'd like. What I'd really like is
good quality. long lasting, waterproof jacket and trousers. Do waterproofs
need maintenance? They sometimes try to sell me some waterproofing treatment
but I'm not sure about whether to buy and/or use it.

Quoted message said:

How do the cyclists here keep dry in the rain?

For cycling to work in ordinary street clothes nothing is as good as a
cape....

If you don't mind doubling your wind resistance :/

Rob Morley said:

In article <[email hidden]>
Chris Malcolm <[email hidden]> wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

My answer is showerproof permeable stuff like
Buffalo mountain shirts.

But ... they're 120 quid :-O

Yer - can't be any good if they're so cheap... 🙂