I can't stand the rain ...

[GrumpyGregry]

My context; 20+km one way commute in the countryside or put it another way, an hour outside in a downpour, work in an office, good showers/changing but no drying facilities. Have recently gone car free. Do have rail option but at £13 a day it doesn't appeal hugely.

How do you committed, seasoned, come rain or shine commuters deal with the rain, spting summer and autumn and how do you deal with the journey home again in the evening if wet kit isn't your thing?


and for those who were expecting a musical treat ...

 

[Gez73]

Got a boiler house here. Can be a real pain there's nothinh as bad as putting wet gear back on. Spares my only advice if no way to dry at work. Gez

 

[mangid]

I do a 32mile route into work, takes ~2 hours this time of year.

I just hang my stuff anywhere I can, never had it wet by the end of the day. Gloves hang over the back of the CPU case, get dried by the fruits of my labour.

Shoes occasionally damp after really wet mornings, but not uncomfortably so, overshoes keep most of the water out.

I don't wear waterproof stuff, just get wet and enjoy ;-)

Most cycling fabrics dry very quickly, at least in my experience.

I use an Ortlieb Flight rucksack, which does a pretty fine job of keeping the contents dry, never had a wet change of clothes.

--
Dan

 

[gaz]

use a brolly

But watch out for potholes

 

[400bhp]

What kit do you wear greg?

Do you have panniers/rucksack too?

That will give us a clue to suggest some things.

 

[tyred]

Proper mudguards with a long flap on the front will help enormously if you don't have them already.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Regular rides likely to be used in inclement conditions both have full guards with flaps and a rack to which ortlieb panniers are often affixed; transportation of clean office clothes, laptop, and 'stuff', for the use of. Normal commuter is equipped the same.

What I wear depends on the weather... this week it is an old 90's three layer gore bike wear mtb top and a pair of ranch sliders, woolie boolies and a pair of spech mtb shoes.

I've got Altura night vision long overtrousers top and overshoes. Boil-in-the-bag-tastic.

There's a drawer full of lycra (oh my eyes! not a good look on me unti lI drop at least a stone) and some nice Shutt stuff at home for when the clocks go back.

and you can assume a surfeit of money over good sense if that helps.

I can no longer use the server room to dry stuff, it is being wound down and soon won't have anything much left in it...

Open plan office with very limited hanging place (but I might be able to improve that)

 

[Gez73]

Decent mudguards are a blessing. I used to mountain bike commute and found nothing suitable to protect and keep me and my bag and bike from getting covered. A hybrid with full guards and a rucksack cover (more for visibility than protection from the elements) works a treat. Highly wickable stuff helps as does knowing whether or not to expect rain in the first place. Nothing worse than being over-dressed and wishing you'd not worn something you didn't need to. Nice to have it with you but if you're stuck with it... Overshoes would be my tip too. A decent pair will keep you dry even if you put them on wet at the end of your working day.

 

[fossyant]

If it's tipping down I'll use over-trousers and waterproof top - also drop one of the layers into the panniers. Waterproof overshoes too. Drying - I use a desk fan to dry my kit hung in the corner of the room. If I'm out on site, I have to put damp kit on, as no-where to dry sweat off.

 

[John90]

Altura attack long shorts, Endura Luminate overshoes, Endura Stealth jacket. All of which were the best my research could unearth, all of which leak in heavy rain.

 

[fossyant]

Altura attack long shorts, Endura Luminate overshoes, Endura Stealth jacket. All of which were the best my research could unearth, all of which leak in heavy rain.

Should have bought a £10 race cape from Decathlon & £10 Aldi overtrousers then. But the overshoes are about £30 - BBB hardwear Aquashield !

 

[BentMikey]

Get a velomobile.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I bought some strong magnets with hooks to increase hanging space and have it out of the way in the corner. This does require metal cabinets though.

Oh, and "Open Plan", what's all this "step into my office" business you do on Fridays then?

I have metal cabinets so the magnetic hooks ios a grand idea

"Step into my office" is, of course, a euphemism for what goes on on fast track Fridays... it works rather like "wherever I lay my hat, that's my home."

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Your suits will probably weigh a little more than mine though.

Suits.... hmmmmm. Smart casual (which means not very smart and very casual) down our way.

 

[BlackPanther]

I made the mistake of buying a cheap (£30) cycling jacket when I first started commuting. I now wear a high viz 'Endura Flyte' jacket http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Endura-Fl...72?pt=UK_Cycling_Clothing&hash=item460022a170 which is just under £100 but imho well worth the price. It's completely waterproof, highly breathable, and during the recent cold spell I just wore a thermal cycling jersey with this jacket and was completely warm. I also have waterproof trousers, but only wear these for warmth.

I'm fortunate that I can hang my gear up in an airing cupboard at work so it's always dry and toasty warm at the end of the day.

Putting on wet kit isn't particularly pleasant, but within minutes you won't really notice the dampness. Or maybe you could just take a 2nd kit to wear on the way home? You'll find that the more you ride in 'unpleasant' weather the less you'll notice it.