QUICK! What does Water RESISTANT mean?

dgk said:

I'm going home in an hour. It is POURING outside. I have a Cannondale
Chrono bright yellow jacket, water resistant. I also have a Kmart
special three piece rain suit. I need to wear the bottom of the Kmart
special since I'm wearing jeans. I likely will need the hood. But for
the jacket, will the CC do? I suspect that wearing the Kmart special
jacket will leave me sweating to death anyway. It's around 55F.

I'd wear the Cannondale jacket. Either way, you'll probably
get soaked through, either from sweat or water. The CC jacket will
be enough to ward off any chill. 55F is warm. Wait till you're riding
in wet, windy, 30F weather.

Your jeans are going to get drenched, regardless of what you
are wearing over them.

I'd probably skip the hood. Do you have a hat or helmet
with a visor? That'll keep most of the rain off your face.

Quoted message said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.
On the plus side, my Raptor NightHawk light just arrived and is
already charged. So I install that prior to leaving.

Good kit. I've been using NightHawk Dual Pros on my MTB and
a Raptor on my commuter for a few years. Water doesn't seem
to hurt them a bit, other than the screws on the mounting
bracket getting a bit rusty.

Justen

justen said:

dgk said:

I'm going home in an hour. It is POURING outside. I have a Cannondale
Chrono bright yellow jacket, water resistant. I also have a Kmart
special three piece rain suit. I need to wear the bottom of the Kmart
special since I'm wearing jeans. I likely will need the hood. But for
the jacket, will the CC do? I suspect that wearing the Kmart special
jacket will leave me sweating to death anyway. It's around 55F.

I'd wear the Cannondale jacket. Either way, you'll probably
get soaked through, either from sweat or water. The CC jacket will
be enough to ward off any chill. 55F is warm. Wait till you're riding
in wet, windy, 30F weather.

55 is warm. I've done a lot of riding in the rain, and you'll be sweating
in 10 minutes, or less.

Today I rode 90 min in 46 F pouring rain. I wish I had worn a glove liner,
or brought a spare pair of cycling gloves. I wore full-fingered house brand
Performance. They got completely soaked fairly soon, but I never got so
cold my finger tips had a problem. Kinda wish I had remembered to bring my
balaclava, if only just to keep the mud spray off my hair. I adjusted, but
that bit of extra protection would have left me feeling -very- comfortable
and able to do twice that time. I'm going to pack a pair of rubber surgical
gloves in my seat pack, just in case I get caught like that again.

Quoted message said:

Your jeans are going to get drenched, regardless of what you
are wearing over them.

Consider cutting the pants of the K-mart suit to 3/4 length. Roll up the
jeans.

Quoted message said:

I'd probably skip the hood. Do you have a hat or helmet
with a visor? That'll keep most of the rain off your face.

Take your bike helmet with you and check K-mart for shower caps. You might
find a stylish one that fits perfectly.

Fabio in 3...2...1...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.
On the plus side, my Raptor NightHawk light just arrived and is
already charged. So I install that prior to leaving.

Good kit. I've been using NightHawk Dual Pros on my MTB and
a Raptor on my commuter for a few years. Water doesn't seem
to hurt them a bit, other than the screws on the mounting
bracket getting a bit rusty.

Justen

If you're caught at work with no rain gear, find a large garbage bag and
cut holes in it; stuff your shirt with newspaper for warmth.

-B
Fabio has +left+ the building.

justen said:

dgk said:

I'm going home in an hour. It is POURING outside. I have a Cannondale
Chrono bright yellow jacket, water resistant. I also have a Kmart
special three piece rain suit. I need to wear the bottom of the Kmart
special since I'm wearing jeans. I likely will need the hood. But for
the jacket, will the CC do? I suspect that wearing the Kmart special
jacket will leave me sweating to death anyway. It's around 55F.

I'd wear the Cannondale jacket. Either way, you'll probably
get soaked through, either from sweat or water. The CC jacket will
be enough to ward off any chill. 55F is warm. Wait till you're riding
in wet, windy, 30F weather.

Your jeans are going to get drenched, regardless of what you
are wearing over them.

I'd probably skip the hood. Do you have a hat or helmet
with a visor? That'll keep most of the rain off your face.

Quoted message said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.
On the plus side, my Raptor NightHawk light just arrived and is
already charged. So I install that prior to leaving.

Good kit. I've been using NightHawk Dual Pros on my MTB and
a Raptor on my commuter for a few years. Water doesn't seem
to hurt them a bit, other than the screws on the mounting
bracket getting a bit rusty.

Justen

Temperature down to 49F but no wind. I'll use the Cannondale, starting
without a middle layer and see if I need one. I have a fleece middle
layer that I'll keep in the knapsack. No visor, I'm going to get rain
in the face. That's ok. The hood (transparent) detaches from the BIG
BAG from Kmart, so I'll likely just wear it under my helmet to keep
water from running down my neck. It won't block visibility and fits
under the helmet really nicely. Well, it is just a piece of PVC. It
shouldn't be too warm.

Weather.Com shows more heavy rain approaching. Luckily (well, arranged
that way) my bike is under an overhang and I should be able to attach
the new light without much trouble.

Quoted message said:

Wait till you're riding in wet, windy, 30F weather.<

I can wait. Delayed gratification and all that. Thanks for the advice.

On Thu, 04 Nov 2004 15:43:45 -0500, Badger_South <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

On 4 Nov 2004 13:33:27 -0700, justen <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

55 is warm. I've done a lot of riding in the rain, and you'll be sweating
in 10 minutes, or less.

Today I rode 90 min in 46 F pouring rain. I wish I had worn a glove liner,
or brought a spare pair of cycling gloves. I wore full-fingered house brand
Performance. They got completely soaked fairly soon, but I never got so
cold my finger tips had a problem. Kinda wish I had remembered to bring my
balaclava, if only just to keep the mud spray off my hair. I adjusted, but
that bit of extra protection would have left me feeling -very- comfortable
and able to do twice that time. I'm going to pack a pair of rubber surgical
gloves in my seat pack, just in case I get caught like that again.

I sort of prepared. I knew it was likely to rain today. I always have
one of those super-thin ponchos in the bag. It weighs nothing.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Your jeans are going to get drenched, regardless of what you
are wearing over them.

Consider cutting the pants of the K-mart suit to 3/4 length. Roll up the
jeans.

That's an idea. But I do have some booties to wear over the sneakers
and I sort of figured that the pants would fit over the top of the
booties. At the very least I'll take some rubber bands to keep the
baggy pants out of the chain.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'd probably skip the hood. Do you have a hat or helmet
with a visor? That'll keep most of the rain off your face.

Take your bike helmet with you and check K-mart for shower caps. You might
find a stylish one that fits perfectly.

Fabio in 3...2...1...

Quoted message said:

If you're caught at work with no rain gear, find a large garbage bag and
cut holes in it; stuff your shirt with newspaper for warmth.

Yea, we do have a stock of those bags. They've been useful before even
without a bike. Newspaper is a nice idea to keep in mind. Boy, I bet
the ink runoff is spectacular.

dgk said:

Yea, we do have a stock of those bags. They've been useful before even
without a bike. Newspaper is a nice idea to keep in mind. Boy, I bet
the ink runoff is spectacular.

You crumple it. the idea is to make insulation, create dead air spaces. A
little goes a long way. It doesn't really run, b/c only the corners of the
crumpled ball are touching you. Typiclly, though this tip is if you get
caught away from home and you are sweaty and get a flat, and have to walk
the bike for a while. If you're wet and don't have extra clothes, you can
get hypothermia, istm. Pretty easy to find pine needles, leaves or
newspaper.

-B
thanks to Claire for the newspaper tip.

dgk said:

justen said:

dgk said:

I'm going home in an hour. It is POURING outside. I have a Cannondale
Chrono bright yellow jacket, water resistant. I also have a Kmart
special three piece rain suit. I need to wear the bottom of the Kmart
special since I'm wearing jeans. I likely will need the hood. But for
the jacket, will the CC do? I suspect that wearing the Kmart special
jacket will leave me sweating to death anyway. It's around 55F.

I'd wear the Cannondale jacket. Either way, you'll probably
get soaked through, either from sweat or water. The CC jacket will
be enough to ward off any chill. 55F is warm. Wait till you're riding
in wet, windy, 30F weather.

Your jeans are going to get drenched, regardless of what you
are wearing over them.

I'd probably skip the hood. Do you have a hat or helmet
with a visor? That'll keep most of the rain off your face.

Quoted message said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.
On the plus side, my Raptor NightHawk light just arrived and is
already charged. So I install that prior to leaving.

Good kit. I've been using NightHawk Dual Pros on my MTB and
a Raptor on my commuter for a few years. Water doesn't seem
to hurt them a bit, other than the screws on the mounting
bracket getting a bit rusty.

Justen

Temperature down to 49F but no wind. I'll use the Cannondale, starting
without a middle layer and see if I need one. I have a fleece middle
layer that I'll keep in the knapsack. No visor, I'm going to get rain
in the face. That's ok. The hood (transparent) detaches from the BIG
BAG from Kmart, so I'll likely just wear it under my helmet to keep
water from running down my neck. It won't block visibility and fits
under the helmet really nicely. Well, it is just a piece of PVC. It
shouldn't be too warm.

If your helmet fits properly, you probably will have some trouble wearing
it over a kmart hood. In addition this is bad, b/c the attached sides of
the hood can block your periperal vision. I'd just roll the hood down and
use a showercap over the helmet.

Quoted message said:

Weather.Com shows more heavy rain approaching. Luckily (well, arranged
that way) my bike is under an overhang and I should be able to attach
the new light without much trouble.

Quoted message said:

Wait till you're riding in wet, windy, 30F weather.<

I can wait. Delayed gratification and all that. Thanks for the advice.

It was a wonderful day for a bike ride. I might consider a very light
application of rainex spray on the polycarbonates, next time, though.

-B

dgk said:

I'm going home in an hour. It is POURING outside. I have a Cannondale
Chrono bright yellow jacket, water resistant.

It means you got wet.

--Blair
"Just don't shower under water in it."

dgk said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.

Just remember. You can only get *so* wet. After that you just make
squishy sounds. I doubt you'll melt.

😉

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
Nietzsche says that we will live the same life, over and over again.
God -- I'll have to sit through the Ice Capades again.
-- Woody Allen, "Hannah and Her Sisters"

dgk said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.

I was out riding today. It was 1 degree above freezing, and raining hard
all day. I was out for probably 2 hours in total, cruising around
comfortably, and arriving at my destinations in about the usual time it
takes and without excessive sweating. How do I do it?

I use one of those flimsy ponchos. The kind with little plastic snaps
holding it together. The back of the poncho goes over my courier bag, and
tucks into my belt to keep from flapping. The front of the poncho I hold
over the handlebars, forming a shield in front that keeps my torso and
legs dry. A bicycle specific poncho with an elastic ass and loops to hook
over thumbs or handlebars up front would be nice, but mine is a plain old
$2 special. The secret is that it's WIDE OPEN, but blocks rain coming at
me from my front, where it's most important. I roll up my sleeves under
the poncho and ride with exposed arms. The skin on my arms turns pretty
red while I'm riding, but my core temperature is always good and I don't
get too sweaty. Combined with full fenders, I barely get wet at all.
Actually the only thing to watch out for is spray from cars, and also
putting your foot down into a deep puddle in a pothole (I wear wool socks
and sneakers).

The nicest part is that when I hop off the bike I have only to remove my
lightweight poncho and gloves and I'm wearing my dry, comfy, and very much
not water resistant indoor clothes. If my pants weren't still tucked into
my sock on one side you wouldn't even know I biked there.

You should be dressed so that if you were to stand around without cycling
you would start shivering after not too long. This way, when you start
moving, you'll warm up to a nice temperature instead of overheating. Also,
if you need to stop riding you won't be drenched in sweat (or rain) so
you'll stay warm a lot longer.

"Jacobe Hazzard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

dgk said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.

My advice is....call a cab. Why would anyone ride a bike in a heavy
rain when its dark? Maybe I don't have the mentality to ride a
bicycle. If you get CAUGHT in the rain its one thing..but to start out
knowing the rain is heavy and its getting dark....I don't know.
Doesn't sound like a wise choice.

(Maggie) said:

"Jacobe Hazzard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

dgk said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.

My advice is....call a cab. Why would anyone ride a bike in a heavy
rain when its dark? Maybe I don't have the mentality to ride a
bicycle. If you get CAUGHT in the rain its one thing..but to start out
knowing the rain is heavy and its getting dark....I don't know.
Doesn't sound like a wise choice.

I always ride on days when it rains. I have purposefully ridden in the dark
and rain, though on a bike trail. Do that a bunch of times and it will give
you a modicum of skill which -may- translate if you get caught in the city
in the dark and rain. Of course you wouldn't ride in the city unless
adequately actively and passively well-lighted.

-B

"Maggie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My advice is....call a cab. Why would anyone ride a bike in a heavy
rain when its dark?

It's fun. Then again, it's nearly always fun to ride a bike.

The one dark and rainy night I did call a cab (three flat tires, ruined my
spare tube and used up all my patches, had to get home) the cab driver was
drunk, and I spent the entire time in the back seat in terror.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply
Home of the meditative cyclist:
http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Maggie) said:

My advice is....call a cab. Why would anyone ride a bike in a heavy
rain when its dark? Maybe I don't have the mentality to ride a
bicycle. If you get CAUGHT in the rain its one thing..but to start out
knowing the rain is heavy and its getting dark....I don't know.
Doesn't sound like a wise choice.

It's not that bad, really, when you're ready for it --
fenders, rain cape, helmet cover, generator & supplemental
flashlight-battery lights ... green label Scotch Gard.
Maybe a pair of gaiters if the rain is more horizontal,
and bread bags over your socks, inside your shoes. And
a few plastic grocery bags stuffed in a pocket (for saddle
covers in case you have to park outside, but that doesn't
really work, so forget the plastic grocery bags after all.
Just wipe the saddle dry with your glove.)

Avoid the more problematic routes and try to stick to the
less traffic'd ways, because:

1) the rain cape keeps you from being able to hand signal.
(On the other hand the rain cape keeps your gloves dry.
Drier, anyways. Dry enough to wipe the saddle dry.)

2) the more shoulder-checking you do, the more likely you'll
get one of those big, stinging, blinding raindrops
rolling off your well-Scotch Garded helmet cover, right
in your eye.

3) typical rim brakes don't work as well when wet, so you've
got to [remember to] dry them frequently by semi-applying
them without actually stopping (keep pedaling while
semi-braking) until they regain their functionality.
Better to do that on Easy Street than on Gung Ho Way.
If your brakes squeal, you can have a little mischevious
fun, making drivers look to see who's wiping out.

I much prefer riding in rain than in fog when it's dark.
I don't like riding in fog at all.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

From the point of view of an Oregonian, water resistant means a wind
breaker :-)
Alan Acock

On 5 Nov 2004 04:10:50 -0800, [email hidden] (Maggie)

Quoted message said:

"Jacobe Hazzard" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

dgk said:

This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and
only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo.

My advice is....call a cab. Why would anyone ride a bike in a heavy
rain when its dark? Maybe I don't have the mentality to ride a
bicycle. If you get CAUGHT in the rain its one thing..but to start out
knowing the rain is heavy and its getting dark....I don't know.
Doesn't sound like a wise choice.

Maggie (and everyone else) it was a huge success. The only problem was
that the waterproof gloves weren't. They ended up being a bit soggy
and cold. But everything else worked as hoped. The Kmart pants kept my
jeans dry. The jacket kept me dry, the hood kept my head dry. The
booties even kept the sneakers pretty dry. I am going to look into
clips/clipless though.

The coolest part was the water coming up the front tire and shooting
into the air in front of the new Raptor light. I should get some
colored lights up there and I could have one of those dancing fountain
type things. The rear rack kept water from shooting up my back. I have
enough lights on that bike to look like an ambulance. A red blinky on
the back of the helmet and one on the seat stay. The Raptor lead acid
on the front, as well as a Trek 4AA battery one. And, those nifty
valve stem lights.

The odd part was just how dirty everything got. I'm going to have to
wash the bike down tomorrow.

It won't be as much fun riding through the rain going into work
though.

dgk said:

The coolest part was the water coming up the front tire and shooting
into the air in front of the new Raptor light.

The odd part was just how dirty everything got. I'm going to have to
wash the bike down tomorrow.

Do you have fenders? Look into them if you don't. They make an amazing
difference, reducing water splashed onto the feet and the general dirt
level of the bike.

And you still get the spray off the front tire!!

Quoted message said:

It won't be as much fun riding through the rain going into work
though.

It can be. Then again, going into work isn't a fun experience for me
because of where I end up. Have some dry clothes ready to change into
and a wet morning commute is fine.

"Claire Petersky" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Maggie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My advice is....call a cab. Why would anyone ride a bike in a heavy
rain when its dark?

It's fun. Then again, it's nearly always fun to ride a bike.
The one dark and rainy night I did call a cab (three flat tires, ruined my
spare tube and used up all my patches, had to get home) the cab driver was
drunk, and I spent the entire time in the back seat in terror.

Well I guess getting into a cab can be a terrifying experience.
Especially in NYC. Whenever I am in a city I use cabs. I have been
in cabs in Las Vegas, Washngton DC, St. Louis, Boston, New Orleans and
Miami. NYC was the most terrifying. They should put hidden cameras in
NYC cabs rather than Las Vegas Cabs..(If you have ever seen that
show!! Yes I watch that show!)....it would be fascinating to watch
NYC cab fares at 2:00 a.m. BUT.... I still would not get on my bike in
the dark with heavy rains. Maybe I would just sleep at the office. ;-)
http://hometown.aol.com/lbuset/

In article <[email hidden]>,

dgk said:

Maggie (and everyone else) it was a huge success.

As if there was ever any doubt :-)

Quoted message said:

The only problem was
that the waterproof gloves weren't. They ended up being a bit soggy
and cold.

Yeah, gloves may well be the most problematic aspect of
cold-&-wet weather riding. Once gloves get cold and wet
they stay that way until they dry out. Maybe you can rig
up some sort of water resistant outer layer for them.
Scotch Gard is our friend :-) Even if they're not wet
but they get cold, it's almost impossible to warm them up
again just by wearing them. As a Raynaud's Syndrome sufferer,
that's killer for me. So if I take my gloves off mid-ride and
I'm wearing jeans, I just stick the gloves in my pockets right
away, before they lose too much heat. If I'm wearing cycling-
specific garb, I'll stick 'em under my shorts/tights waistband
and under the front of my jersey. Before setting out in colder
weather, I like to pre-warm my gloves on the hot air duct in
the basement. Heavenly! Good spot to dry them after a ride or
after washing them, too.

Quoted message said:

But everything else worked as hoped. The Kmart pants kept my
jeans dry. The jacket kept me dry, the hood kept my head dry. The
booties even kept the sneakers pretty dry. I am going to look into
clips/clipless though.

Excellent! (about the experiment being a success.) I'm not too
sure about the advisability of wearing a hood while riding, but
I'll leave that choice up to you, and henceforth mind my own
beeswax about it. The main thing is to continue experimenting
and figuring out what works best for you. I must say, though,
I find the notion of booties on sneakers delightfully fred-ish :-)
But it's no worse than my gaiters.

Quoted message said:

The coolest part was the water coming up the front tire and shooting
into the air in front of the new Raptor light. I should get some
colored lights up there and I could have one of those dancing fountain
type things. The rear rack kept water from shooting up my back. I have
enough lights on that bike to look like an ambulance. A red blinky on
the back of the helmet and one on the seat stay. The Raptor lead acid
on the front, as well as a Trek 4AA battery one. And, those nifty
valve stem lights.

The odd part was just how dirty everything got. I'm going to have to
wash the bike down tomorrow.

I'll echo Dan Daniel's suggestion of fenders here. They really
do make a big difference. They won't completely eliminate grime,
but they'll restrict it to mostly the rims and brakes, and under
the bottom bracket. And they'll help keep /you/ from getting
too wet. Of course fenders can accumulate a little grime
themselves, on their undersides. Something to look out for.

Quoted message said:

It won't be as much fun riding through the rain going into work
though.

Just try to time your arrival to coincide with
when the coffee's ready :-)

Anyhow, I'm not sure what a 'real cyclist' or a
'serious cyclist' is, but you're now officially
an Irrepressible Cyclist.

cheers, & well done,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Dan Daniel said:

dgk said:

The coolest part was the water coming up the front tire and shooting
into the air in front of the new Raptor light.

The odd part was just how dirty everything got. I'm going to have to
wash the bike down tomorrow.

Do you have fenders? Look into them if you don't. They make an amazing
difference, reducing water splashed onto the feet and the general dirt
level of the bike.

And you still get the spray off the front tire!!

Quoted message said:

It won't be as much fun riding through the rain going into work
though.

It can be. Then again, going into work isn't a fun experience for me
because of where I end up. Have some dry clothes ready to change into
and a wet morning commute is fine.

The fender is a good idea. I just took a look at the bike in daylight,
yech, what a mess.