As summer nears its end, I'm very curious to know what everyone does to handle the rain. For myself, I throw on a pair of rain pants over rubber rain boots with a GoreTex rain jacket.
At my work desk I have an old pair of Toms shoes that I bought at Goodwill that are super comfortable - I slip into them when I arrive and out of them when I leave.
I have a waterproof Timbuk2 saddlebag-style pannier, which I use to bring my lunchbox.
If you're intimidated by riding in the rain, give it a try! It's really quite invigorating and people will think you're either crazy, or a badass. Both seem fine to me!
Seattle year round commuter. For my current short commute: a rain cape (poncho).
- it's comfortable to wear both wet and dry
- easy on/easy off. Less fucking around trying to get geared up.
- I don't sweat through my clothes because it ventilates like crazy
So many more reasons, but good lord those 3 are reason enough. Putting on still-wet gear at the end of the day is nasty.
I also wear rain-legs. I wear wool socks and sneakers (1 less piece of wet gear to deal with). No gloves (cape deals with the rain and wind).
Yea, rain cape / poncho / "boncho" is the way to go! Combine with fenders & giant mudflaps. So fast to get on & off, & the only way to keep dry and cool at the same time.
I had a rain poncho last year but I've decided to get a cycling jacket for this year. This is mostly due to the fact that my commute includes a 3km stretch through fields were the wind seems to always be against me.
For my legs I've decided to simply bring a pair of pants with me that I can put on when I get to the office, this is since my legs have been drenched in sweat no matter what rain pants I'm wearing.
Raincoat and rain pants that (mostly) cover my shoes. Backup socks in my backpack.
Also, I use a rain radar app (Drops) so sometimes I wait 5-10 minutes for a dry window. However, this doesn’t work as well for convective storms or areas with poor radar coverage.