On 2018-10-10 14:12, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 10/10/2018 1:25 PM, jbeattie wrote:
On Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at 9:35:17 AM UTC-7, Frank Krygowski
wrote:
On 10/10/2018 1:35 AM, news18 wrote:
On Tue, 09 Oct 2018 22:02:14 -0400, Frank Krygowski wrote:



I've tried rain pants only once, IIRC. IMO there can't possibly be
enough ventilation. But I admit, I know no really comfortable way of
riding in the rain.

Use 1: a cape, 2: mudguards and 3: sandals. (Wool soxes/socks if it is
cold). Caveat, I made the cape myself.

Plenty of ventilation.

That's what I usually use, except for the sandals part, although I have
friends who love their riding sandals. The mud flap on my fender takes
care of most road spray at my feet. Shoe covers over my toe clips offer
further help when necessary.

But I'm still not really comfortable riding in the rain, unless it's the
lightest sprinkle.

I've never used a rain cape and hate things that flap. For long rides
in the rain, I wear basically this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIzz9VBdKCU Showers Pass jacket, PI
Amfib tights, Gore booties (or one of my four or five pairs of
booties). I wear a poly pro base layer and a mid-layer. This time of
year, wool is a good mid-layer. I have some lightweight long-finger
Giro gloves my son got on pro deal that are good for early fall, and I
switch to more robust gloves as the temperatures drop.

That video has snippets of Larch Mountain (cut back and forth with
hills practically in my back yard -- odd), which is a 14.5 mile climb
and probably the hardest ride for picking clothing since it can be 50F
at the bottom and snow at the top. You have to have something that
vents really well for the climb, stays relatively dry and zips up
tight for the descent. I also take a light vest and an ear band or
balaclava to put on at the top.

I've told this story before, but the RT from my house to the top of
Larch Mountain is 90 miles depending on route, and I did it with some
friends entirely in the rain -- all day from beginning to end.
Everyone got hypothermic on the descent. We had to stop repeatedly to
warm up. Half the group called their wives for a ride home from
Corbett. I had pretty good layering and revitalized with a life-saving
corn dog at the Corbett store (and stood over a heating vent)
http://columbiariverimages.com/Image...t_06-30-14.jpg
, and although I suffered in the freezing rain coming down the
mountain, the ride home was reasonably comfortable.

Everything soaks through eventually, and you have to pick layers that
will keep you reasonably warm when wet. IMO, booties are the most
important. I can't stand cold swamp feet. Everybody has fenders and
rain bikes. You get shunned on a group ride if you don't have flaps on
your fenders.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/krheap...7632139896627/


I understand your clothing approach. It's similar to what I did for long
rides in winter, where every item is very specific to the conditions and
all chosen to work together.

One problem for me is that if it's going to be raining a lot, I'll just
stay home. (We don't get a long rainy season like you do.)

The corollary is this: If I'm out riding and it begins to rain, I'm in
clothes much different than you describe. Two rainy rides this year
started off fine and dry, and rain wasn't predicted until long after I
got back. So the weatherman goofed again.


During a serious downpour last year I waited in front of a traffic
light. T-shirt completely soaked, same for the shorts. Since I had just
come off a muddy trail a brown puddle formed around my MTB. A guy in a
car pulls up next to me, rolls down the passenger window. "Dude, it's
raining out there!"


For one of the rides, I had just slogged through some long distasteful
project - perhaps income tax? - and I wanted to burn off steam with a
quick 15 miler. I wasn't even in riding clothes. When the downpour came,
all I had was my rain cape in my seat bag. Unfortunately, my fender flap
had somehow escaped from its normal place at the bottom of my handlebar
bag.


This is where one would want to find a brewpub nearby 8-)

--
SCNR, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/