Steven Estergreen said:... I'm looking for recommendations for
raingear. With my commute distance, I don't have time or patience to ride so
slow that I won't sweat. Is there any clothing that will keep me reasonably
dry in a downpour or riding through puddles, but won't be saturated from the
inside after a half-hour of moderate intensity cycling? Does it also come
with reflective fabric, strips, etc. for nighttime riding? Have you actually
used it and can you provide me with your impressions of its effectiveness,
durability, etc.?
First, one person's "moderate intensity" may be another's "how can you
balance going that slow?" - and vice versa.
In dry 40 deg. F weather, wearing dress shirt, dress slacks and a
windbreaker, I'll be sweating by the time I'm at work (7 miles away).
In fact, I'm _always_ sweating by the time I'm at work. So there's no
way I'll be dry in any raingear that doesn't include a heater/defroster.
Having said that, fenders and a rain cape work better than anything else
I've tried. I add a mud flap to the bottom of the front fender, and I
have nylon covers that velcro onto my toe clips. Ventilation is far
better than my Gore-Tex jacket with all vents open. I hook the two
front elastics (described as "thumb loops"😉 over the drop-bar brake
levers, and it's got an elastic waistband that buttons closed to reduce
billowing. Still, I usually sit on the back part of it, to keep it more
tightly in place.
It's not perfect. I still sometimes get a bit of splatter on my cuffs
(or sox, if I'm in shorts), and nothing will totally protect me from a
passing car splashing through a puddle. But I like it better than
anything else I've tried.
Regarding night riding with the cape: I've actually got two. One has a
reflective triangle, one doesn't. But no matter. My bike has all the
lights and reflectors necessary. It's very visible - it's been checked
several times, by me and others.
--
--------------------+
Frank Krygowski [To reply, remove rodent and vegetable dot com,
replace with cc.ysu dot edu]
