Moist Action

I'm changing offices at work. I cycle commute anyway, and the extra mile each-way is good news. However, parking is dire so even when winds are hurricane force and the rain is falling horizontally I'll need to stick to the bike instead of my occasional sneaky car journeys when the weather turns bad.

So, I'm used to cycling in the wet, but the torrential weather I'd previously have avoided will now be something to endure. With this in mind, what wet weather gear/kit/clothing do you fellers recommend?

My husband has an Altura Night Vision coat and his torso is usually the only thing dry when he gets home from work, and wow can you see him from a distance.

Just like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Altura-Vision-W ... m_sbs_sg_4

Alison

I commute all year round and I decided to try switching from wearing full-on waterproof clothes to the quickest drying things I could find.

So far, very pleased with my Giordana Body Clone jacket (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=46776) which is a lot warmer than I expected given it's so thin and weighs next to nothing and can resist the lightest showers, and never takes more than 10 mins to dry. Most importantly for me, it's very breathable, so never feels clammy.

I bought some Teva churn shoes, which are not particularly warm, but great for three seasons in that they also dry very quickly. I still wear overshoes over them on the wetter days though. I've been through a few different makes of overshoes - The Pro ones I had were good waterproof and very warm, but the thicker neoprene was less flexible, which meant they seemed to get tatty quite quickly (still lasted me a couple of years) The Primal Crankenstein ones look excellent, but were terrible, with the inflexible hard rubber bottoms making them very hard to take on and off and the seams leaking from the very first ride. At the moment I have some Giordana ones (these I think: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=39173) which have so far been good - fully waterproof and very flexible and easy to get on, though I haven't tried them in winter yet, so I'm not sure how warm they are and the back of them can rub on your calf a little, but that seems to be the case with quite a lot.

In terms of gloves, apart from in winter I tend to wear thinner ones again, excepting they won't keep my hands dry in prolonged rain, but that they'll always be dry in time for the next journey.

I hope some of that is of use!

Also, never buy one of the "Wow-wow" brand of rucksack rain covers:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WowWow-High-V ... 19caed081b

I bought one and it was dreadful from the very first use - the rain came straight through it. If I hadn't have had to wait so long after buying it to test it I would have sent it straight back.

Isaac_AG":a4efgyae said:

My husband has an Altura Night Vision coat and his torso is usually the only thing dry when he gets home from work, and wow can you see him from a distance.

Just like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Altura-Vision-W ... m_sbs_sg_4

Alison

Click to expand...

I had two of these and took them both back. The pull cords at the hem snapped out on teh first one after only a handful of uses and the second one had the reflective patches rub off from my camelbak after a few rides. Evans swapped on both occasions and I was actually really impressed with the jacket (and the Altura 1 year warranty) other than that, I was quite disappointed. Got an Endura now, which I am told is less 'commutery' than the Altura. The Endura has never missed a beat yet, love it.

Alison, does your husband have the 'Nightstick' to go on the velcro at the back? Evans never asked for either of mine back so I have two kicking about. 1 is handy, the other is a bit surplus. Its yours if you want it

Whatleymeister":30x7l61t said:

Isaac_AG":30x7l61t said:

My husband has an Altura Night Vision coat and his torso is usually the only thing dry when he gets home from work, and wow can you see him from a distance.

Just like this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Altura-Vision-W ... m_sbs_sg_4

Alison

Click to expand...

I had two of these and took them both back. The pull cords at the hem snapped out on teh first one after only a handful of uses and the second one had the reflective patches rub off from my camelbak after a few rides. Evans swapped on both occasions and I was actually really impressed with the jacket (and the Altura 1 year warranty) other than that, I was quite disappointed. Got an Endura now, which I am told is less 'commutery' than the Altura. The Endura has never missed a beat yet, love it.

Alison, does your husband have the 'Nightstick' to go on the velcro at the back? Evans never asked for either of mine back so I have two kicking about. 1 is handy, the other is a bit surplus. Its yours if you want it

Click to expand...

Yes it does, but to be honest he's never uses it, at the moment because he has not got his panniers it tends to get covered up with is bag, thanks anyway

I bought myself a Race Face Jacket, about as waterproof as a sieve, breathable though, well I asume it must be it lets so much water in

Alison

ive got an endura jacket which the arms zip off to turn it into a gilet, its good all year round and hasent failed me yet. been going for a few years to. well worth the extra pennies

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... tAodbRoA8w

I got theses Louie Garneau Winter cycling boots 2 years ago and they keep my feet dry and warm when it's wet. They are SPD compatible and totally waterproof. However, I found that water running down my shin would get in the top of the shoe, so I made a pair of Gaiters from the legs of an old wetsuit and that solved that problem, also...

Years ago I was living work in Newark I was riding back to Nottingham when I came across a cycle event, it started raining heavily, really heavily and they all got off and put on rain macs. wuses, I carried on and beat them all although I was not in the ride. I love riding in rain, of course not too convenient when going to work :facepalm:

Alison

i wear a fiat bravo......