I use a bike poncho, it covers the legs, too, and limits sweating because it is open underneath. Decathlon sells them for cheap, and them works. There is also normal colors, but I prefer to be absurdly visible (I want to see who says "I didn’t seen him 🙂)
Every time I use it, I’m amazed I’m dry underneath (the face gets wet).
In any case, even if I don’t wear it, I’m unlikely to get soaked, when rain is not that strong. We are not made of sugar!
crosspostated from: https://social.tchncs.de/users/lgsp/statuses/115484700218126774
Just look out for those leaves.
When wet they can be as slippery as ice.Which factors make them more slippery?
I died this morning
That’s unfortunate…
The bright side:
At least it is november, so you can have fun with the other ghosts!
Yes indeed. This particular road is unpaved anyway, so I already ride slow enough that leaves are not a problem.
But in other areas they are really dangerous!
As someone who’s an all-weather cycler, this is not true. You don’t get nowhere as wet walking, especially with an umbrella. Also practically everyone owns a raincoat, but nobody owns a bike poncho. If the rain is heavy, visibility at bike speeds is also a significant issue. I once faceplanted because I literally couldn’t see a grey bollard in cataclysmic rain.
In case you do that, also bring a fresh pair of socks. Rain has the nasty habit of sneaking into your shoes while dribbling down and there’s nothing worse than going the whole day in wet feet.
In case you do that, also bring a fresh pair of socks.
There are also gaiters for that.
I don’t think I’ve ever had wet socks, and I cycle in alle weather.
I just have rain pants that cover the feet, no issues there.
l second the socks, I always have one readily available in my bike bag.
And since one particular thunderstorm a few years bag: also a fresh pair of underpants. Though that might be overkill for most…With some nasty weather, I had used a kind of ski mask (called Sturmhaube in German). But at some point I realized it is better to take them off when you enter a bank to fetch money 😆
Legs always get soaked. Need a change of clothes and a changing room everywhere you go.
Now you can also buy rain pants that cover only the upper front part of the legs. They can be worn in a rolled-up way around the hips to be spread out when needed. They are surprisingly practical for lighter rain, since they avoid the issue that you get either wet from the outside, or alternatively from the inside if you wear waterproof clothing.
Rain pants and overshoes work really well.
The pants just go over your regular pants and can usually be opened up so they can be put on/off while wearing shoes. And if you layer them correctly (pants over shoes), no water gets inside.
The only major downside is that they can get very warm.
If I think I need them, I carry a pair of overshoes too. I never got wet up to the knee this way, and they are still quick to wear
Overshoes are great, also to keep the shoes clean!
But at some point during heavy rain, water starts leaking along the legs to the inside of the overshoes.
I always carry a pair of fresh socks with me because of that.
How are the lemmings with glasses accomplishing this? I thought ice and snow would be what makes me switch back to a car for the year, but at this rate it’s going to be light rain blinding me.
I have a rain-proof hat with a cap, which mostly covers my glasses from the rain, unless the wind is blowing straight into my face
Confirmed. A few weeks ago I did a multi-hour ride across a mountain pass in driving rain, protected only by Decathlon’s cheapest raincoat (the one that stuffs into its own pocket). Stayed bone dry.
Well, except shoes, which were sodden of course.
But what if you LIKE getting soaking wet? There are kids who actually ran INTO the running sprinklers, and have now gotten older.
Nothing better than a thunderstorm shower when you were fetching beverages in your trailer at 30° C.
One thing I liked with my folder is I could put my poncho over the hanlebars keeping both it and my hands dry. It was like I had a little tent for my bike.
That’s exactly what bicycle specific ponchos are meant to do!
the face gets wet
Cap.
Cap
The face, not the hair. I still need to see while riding😅
Where i live the rain comes down sideways and liters at a time so even a rain coat doesn’t help much. Luckily it’s never cold rain but still.
The local Decathlon only sell black colour poncho, ngl i looks like ring wraith on bicycle.
It’s true, decathlon doesn’t sell yellow poncho anymore, but it did some years ago.
The one I use in the picture is from TucanoUrbano. I bought it because, since I was using the poncho frequently I wanted something better quality. This one is lighter, and it fits better: https://www.tucanourbano.com/products/mantella-garibaldina-2g-fluorescent-yellow
Doesn’t that trap your arms inside? How do you signal?
Well said! Good overshoes are also important in my experience! And have an eye on bike maintenance, as water brings a lot of dirt to the bearings and riding regularly in the rain requires more disassembly and regreasing :)
Good point, I also use overshoes if I think the rain is too heavy.
I keep a cloth in the garage at home, I do a quick chain drying with it. Also I use wax on the chain, so it doesn’t collect a lot of dirt. Still, when used in rain it need more maintenance, as you said
Very interesting, I wax the chains of my “hobby” bikes (gravel and road) but my commuter bike is greased: how is your experience with wax and rain, does wiping dry it enough to avoid rust? I’ve had mixed results with it, so I’m skeptical of waxing my commuter bikes chain (it could be the wax itself, though)
Be ready to be horrified: I was tired of the dirt on the chain, collected by the standard chain oil, so I thought about waxing. I looked at products available and nothing convinced me: either remove the chain and submerge it in melted wax or use some liquid product,whose quality was questionable.
I saw that people was using candle wax, and a random guy rubbing the candle on the chain and then melting it with a lighter (those where you can direct the flame). So I did exacly that with an unscented ikea candle I had a bunch of. I did that first time in May, and then again in September. I took some light rain, and usually quickly dried with a cloth when home. I don’t see signs of rust, and the noise is at normal level. I’m pretty happy, but I’m aware I could destroy my chain with it, so I’m taling the risk. Even after the ride in the picture on unpaved road with rain, the chain looked “clean” and not much was left on te cleaning cloth. The same ride with oil would have collected an unthinkable quantity of dirt.
I wasn’t ready D:
Nice experimentation going on there! Immersion waxing is actually pretty easy, with an upfront set up of slow cooker and a method to break and close the chains without much fuss. Maybe I’ll try to include my commuter bike in the waxed garage, the black muck coming off greased chains is really gross
I avoid biking in the rain more for the sake of my bike.
