Commuting in the rain and cold

[Moby Jones]

I am keen to cycle to work most if not all year round but living here on the west coast of scotland we get an awful lot of rain here. How do you guys cope with early morning when it is tipping it down. Even now it is still pretty chilly in the mornings here, we had some snow on Monday here.....

 

[BlackPanther]

If it's above 10 degrees, I wear cycling 'tights' and jersey. Below 10 degrees, add a water/wind proof jacket. Below 5 degrees add water/wind proof trousers and a neck tube. If it's below freezing then it's time for the balaclava and motorbike gloves! I also wear 'safety' glasses....they're great for stopping your eyes watering in cold weather, and in the Summer they protect you from flies in the eyes.

It's an awkward time of the year, trying to balance keeping warm without arriving at work drenched in sweat. I have a rather handy stick on greenhouse thermometer outside my bedroom window. Every morning I check it before going downstairs so I know what kit to wear.

Oh, and if we have a Summer and it gets near 20 degrees, it's time to break out the old lycra shorts!

 

[dr snuggles]

It's a mind set you just have to do it it's as simple as that. I used to take the car most of the winter but now I ride almost every day. Some days it just isn't enjoyable but you have to take the rough with the smooth, wearing suitable clothing makes all the difference! Tights and good gloves are a must believe me but you have to accept that you are going to get wet, once you do it isn't that bad really.
It also has the added benefit of not putting a stone on every winter and spending all year trying to shift it.

 

[Moby Jones]

At the moment i am quite lucky in that i can get a shower when i get into work so arriving sweaty and soaking is not a huge problem, just need some tips how you manage to get through the really rough days

 

[2006-BC]

Moby,

I started cycle commuting about 4 weeks ago and since then we have had 1 or 2 dry days and the rest have been hail, snow and rain. I can honestly say that regardless of the weather I love it and wish I had done it years ago. The key is to be organised, keep a towel etc at work and try to find somewhere to hang wet clothes during the day......I took in a couple of coat hangers and luckily there is a raidiator in the gents.

My commute is throught the east end of Glasgow and I'm sure, like you, I will see more wet days than dry ones but it wont stop me now. I drive on a Monday and take in everything I need for the week, 4 cleen shirts etc, this also gives me the chance to arrange things that I may need my car for like visiting customers etc. Then, Tuesday to Friday is cycling!!

This is what i've worked out and you will be completely different, you just need to find a routine that fits your job, life and workplace facilities.

The fresh feeling I have when I arrive at work and the feeling of looking forward to getting on my bike at the end of the day far out ways the wet weather....

Start planning now.....it took me a good few weeks to really plan how I was going to work it and I have changed a few wee routines since I started.

I look forward to your post that reads ''started and I love it'

BC

 

[photography27]

i totally agree with dr snuggles" its a mind set", if you dither about cycling in the rain then you wont do it, best thing to do is to don the water proofs and just get out there, it is quite refreshing.

Just dont think "oh no its raining" think " cool its raining"

 

[BlackPanther]

At the moment i am quite lucky in that i can get a shower when i get into work so arriving sweaty and soaking is not a huge problem, just need some tips how you manage to get through the really rough days

The more you cycle, the fitter you get, the less you sweat. It's amazing how you can ride in pouring rain and sub zero conditions comfortably if you wear the right gear. I find that high winds are far worse than a bit of rain.

I cycle 95% of the time now. I also find that listening to Chris Moyles (on quiet!) on the MP3 players radio makes the journey go faster.

 

[Hydra]

I commute most days, and when I don't work I ride at least the same distance regardless. Personally I love riding in the rain. As long as I've got my waterproofs on I don't mind at all

The cold rarely bothers me. You soon warm up after a few pushes of the pedals.

 

[skudupnorth]

All i have to do is think Gridlock to make sure i ride in all weathers ! Having the correct clothes helps in a big way which is why no weather bothers me at all,i like rain in the summer because it is at least warmer

 

[MrHappyCyclist]

I have been cycling through this winter and have found that I just don't worry about getting wet as long as I don't get cold. The coldest days were in December; -8C was the coldest, but not wet on that occasion.
I wore a cycling T-shirt, a cycling jersey and a lined nylon cycling jacket. On the bottom, a pair of padded cyclist tights with a pair uf unpadded cyling shorts on top. All these are cheap ones from Sports-Direct.
On my feet. two pairs of thin trainer socks and a pair of woolen hiking socks under my trainers. On my hands, I have a pair of completely waterproof multi-layer gloves that I only use for below -2C. They do get sweaty inside and are damn hard to dry out, but they do keep my hands warm.
I do get very wet with perspiration, but I keep a pack of baby wipes at work to wipe down with and a towel to dry off.

 

[snorri]

I am keen to cycle to work most if not all year round but living here on the west coast of scotland we get an awful lot of rain here.

It's true you get the rain, but it's warmer than the east coast.

 

[Tommi]

I'd say it's 80% attitude and 20% proper clothing.

I used to cycle only during dry days in spring, summer, and fall - my main worry was getting wet, and winter seemed quite extreme in Finland where I come from, though I imagine it's probably quite similar to Scotland. Then one warm summer day I misjudged the weather and ended up getting totally soaked on the way to work, but it felt more refreshing rather than annoying. I'm sure having showers at the office helped there. From that day on rain didn't really bother me and I cycled every day in summer. When it's pouring water already before leaving it does take some convincing to hop on a bike in shorts and t-shirt, but you get over it.

Now, with the worry about water out of the way my thinking shifted towards keeping warm instead. Yes, waterproof clothing definitely helps there. I go myself lightweight waterproof, not very breathable, jacket and trousers. They kept me dry, and layer(s) underneath kept me warm enough to commute all year, even in -10C or so (I vaguely recall at -15C it started to get a bit too chilly to breath heavily) and quite a bit of snow.

Nowadays I'm cycling all year in London and I've traded the waterproof jacket to water resistant windbreaker (more breathable and visible) and kept the trousers for worst rain (it doesn't really rain in London, it's just heavy mist.) If I misjudge the clothes on the way out and get soaked on the way, then I get soaked, big deal. Granted, having warm shower waiting at the office definitely makes things easier.

Still, I'd say it's mainly in the attitude.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

The hardest part is from bed to bike. The rest may be messy but riding is the easiest bit.

 

[gaz]

Oh, and if we have a Summer and it gets near 20 degrees, it's time to break out the old lycra shorts!

20 degrees and you get the shorts out? 8 degrees and i'm in shorts

 

[subaqua]

20 degrees and you get the shorts out? 8 degrees and i'm in shorts

and that explains why you attract all the bad driving


am on changeover day tomorrow from nights to days and need to ride to an appointment . I was wondering what to wear and thought, hmmm its been warm in the day. I will go in shorts. earliest i have worn shorts for years.