Commuting in the wet

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Aushiker
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby Aushiker » Thu Jun 04, 2009 2:28 pm

Runjikol wrote: In heavy rain the water runs down the leg of the pants and into my shoes! That's not so good.
G'day

A pair of waterproof overshoes such as these Endura ones might solve that problem and keep your toes warm at the same time.

I am pretty happy with mine except the zip going on the first two pair. I suspect the problem is they are marginally too small for me so I stress them. Otherwise they work pretty good.

Regards
Andrew

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wombatK
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby wombatK » Thu Jun 04, 2009 9:51 pm

Runjikol wrote:The gear I use when commuting in the winter rain in Melbourne:

I have a hiking waterproof jacket that is a bit large for me so it covers my lower back when bent over. It's a Rainbird brand...
I started off with a similar rainbird kit - its cheap and effective if you're not working too hard.

A good pair of cycling overboots + sealing the cleats of your shoes is a more comfortable way of dealing with the wet feet (could set you back $25 to $45). When I upgraded to the breathable cycling jacket, I've found that waterproof pants aren't so essential in Sydney's recent wet weather. With overboots tightly clamped to your legs (and long lycra knicks), water doesn't get through to the feet. And on a road bike, your upper body shields a lot of your legs, plus your legs are generating so much heat that a little bit of cooling from dampness is very easy to tolerate. I suspect this is why you don't see LBS's stocking much in the way of rain-proof pants for cyclists - there's not much need for them in Sydney. Melbourne gets a few deg cooler, but maybe that just means you've got to ride a few kph faster to avoid the need for rain-proof pants.

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waynohh
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby waynohh » Fri Jun 05, 2009 11:42 am

I've used my endura overshoes once. Feet stayed dry about 10km, then one got soaked. Not foolproof.

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wombatK
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby wombatK » Sat Jun 06, 2009 8:21 pm

waynohh wrote:I've used my endura overshoes once. Feet stayed dry about 10km, then one got soaked. Not foolproof.
My first pair of overshoes were a similar BBB model - with waterproof zip at the back. They didn't fit snuggly at the back of the shoes - maybe due to my skinny ankles, and tended to let water in there. Couldn't find any way of tying them onto my leg better - zipper was too bulky.

Cheaper ones from T7 like http://www.torpedo7.com.au/products/R7W ... hoe-Covers have a velcro seal at the back - these work very well for me - particularly when I added some Zone Magic tape to fasten the top closed on my skinny ankles. Adding silicone sealant around the cleat holes in my shoes was also a vital step to keeping dry feet - otherwise spray from the front wheel tends to hit the sole and work its away into your shoe.

My commute is 28 km each way - and the haven't failed me (longest exposure to rain was about 20 km, wearing long knicks, no overpants).
WombatK

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Big Jonny
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby Big Jonny » Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:08 pm

Biffidus wrote:I've set myself the goal of commuting three times a week come rain or shine.

I don't mind getting a little wet and I've got decent mudguards and a new jacket... How do you crazy commuters keep warm and dry?
I get out ther come rain hail or shine, Melbourne has had a few rainy days (at last) a good rain jacket (mine is a netti) is essential you will sweat but if you have a wicking layer (mine is katmandu thermal) on you wont get cold and a good rain jacket will keep out the wind. Leg and arm warmers work a treat as you can peel them off and they dry up very quick. proper waterproof gloves (netti again) will stop your fingers freezing and a lycra beenie keeps my head warm and dry under my bash hat. lastly mudgards and covers for your shoes help heaps as squelching whilst riding isnt a good look, I have neopreene ankle ones and they keep all the water out and have holes in the bottom for my SPD pedals. If you get the right gear riding in the rain can be fun and remember it is only water.

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VictorE
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby VictorE » Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:02 pm

I try to commute every day, regardless of whether it rains or not. I just view the wet commutes as the ones with better air quality (especially when commuting home during the afternoon peak time).
“Newspapers are unable, seemingly to discriminate between a bicycle accident and the collapse of civilization”
- George Bernard Shaw.

(alas, how much has changed)

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Biffidus
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby Biffidus » Sat Jun 13, 2009 10:19 am

I've managed to avoid the rain so far (I have no idea how). My sleeveless rain jacket is good for keeping me warm but I might have to invest in a gillet at some point.

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il padrone
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby il padrone » Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:32 pm

wombatK wrote:My first pair of overshoes were a similar BBB model - with waterproof zip at the back. They didn't fit snuggly at the back of the shoes - maybe due to my skinny ankles, and tended to let water in there. Couldn't find any way of tying them onto my leg better - zipper was too bulky.
Sounds like you may benefit from some waterproof overpants. These can be placed outside the overboots so water runs off the top of them, rather tham trickling into the booties. They are difficult to find these days. Netti used to do a good pair in the entrant fabric - waterproof and breathable - but now they don't make them. I plan to get some of te Showers Pass eVent fabric pants in future. If you're interested sharktamin can order them in, or you can order direct from Oregon.
wombatK wrote:My commute is 28 km each way - and the haven't failed me (longest exposure to rain was about 20 km, wearing long knicks, no overpants).
Hmm. That's a long haul. You might find overpants a bit sweaty I guess, but worth a try.
Mandatory helmet law?
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wombatK
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Re: Commuting in the wet

Postby wombatK » Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:50 pm

il padrone wrote:
wombatK wrote:My first pair of overshoes were a similar BBB model - with waterproof zip at the back. They didn't fit snuggly at the back of the shoes - maybe due to my skinny ankles, and tended to let water in there. Couldn't find any way of tying them onto my leg better - zipper was too bulky.
Sounds like you may benefit from some waterproof overpants. These can be placed outside the overboots so water runs off the top of them, rather tham trickling into the booties. They are difficult to find these days. Netti used to do a good pair in the entrant fabric - waterproof and breathable - but now they don't make them. I plan to get some of te Showers Pass eVent fabric pants in future. If you're interested sharktamin can order them in, or you can order direct from Oregon.
wombatK wrote:My commute is 28 km each way - and the haven't failed me (longest exposure to rain was about 20 km, wearing long knicks, no overpants).
Hmm. That's a long haul. You might find overpants a bit sweaty I guess, but worth a try.
Thanks for the suggestion Pete. I've tried rainbird (plastic) overpants, but haven't used them much mainly because it's too inconvenient pulling them on and off for the 10 to 20 minutes of showers I might encounter. Sweating wasn't a big problem - but that might be because I'm a relative slow poke averaging around 23 to 25 kph.

Breathable overpants with easy-on/off zips might work better. You're right about them being difficult to find. When I looked for better options, about all I found was the showers pass event ones which were very expensive ($US200) and didn't look to be zip-on/zip-off. Sizing info particularly on leg length was a bit short-on too.

At least in Sydney's temperatures, I'm still comfortable with lycra longs or leg warmers exposed to the rain. If I was down your way, I'd probably look for the breathable overpants option a bit more closely. If you try them, I'd be interested to hear how well they work - particularly if you could ride all day in them (i.e. not have to pull on when showers started).

With the overpants lapped over the boots, water didn't get in the top, but water still worked its way back in at the heel (probably as heel gets nearest to horizontal on the up-stroke, and bottom of overpants rides up a bit). So I think boot covers need to fit snuggly to be effective, even with overpants.
WombatK

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