# Veteran Commuters....Rain Gear and lighting Worthy of PNW winter commuting.



## bjb85runner

Looking to get some advise from some veteran winter commuters on what there using for rain gear and lighting that holds up to the Pacific Northwest. Since this stuff is so expensive I would like to get some advise from you.

Thanks:thumbsup:


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## Fireform

Native Oregonian transplanted to Miami, where it rains even more. I have the Light and Motion Urban 550 headlight and the Cygolite Hotshot taillight and can strongly endorse both. Read the reviews around--both are at the top of the price/performance heap and both have proven very tough and reliable for me. Both are rechargeable and the hotshot has ridiculous battery life. How they do that with a 2 watt led I can't imagine, but I approve.


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## bjb85runner

Fireform hows the beam pattern on the Urban 550.


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## Fireform

Really good. I ride with it comfortably in the dark and switch to flashing mode as it get lighter to be seen and conserve the battery. It also has amber side flashers and comes with a helmet mount. 

I mount mine on the stem and have a Garmin on a k-edge mount so the light illuminates the Garmin.


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## Fireform

There is a good independent review of lights here: 

http://reviews.mtbr.com/2013-bike-lights-shootout

MTb says the urban 550 has become a favorite of their staff, and I can see why.


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## bjb85runner

Thanks for the info :thumbsup:


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## bigbill

Rain wear: I have a Showers Pass Elite jacket and found it to be overkill most of the time. There were a few times when the rain changed to snow on my homebound commute and I was glad to have the heavier jacket, but most times it was too warm for my hilly, 22 mile (each way) commute. I found that most times I could ride with a lighter rain jacket over a long sleeve jersey on the 40+ degree commutes. I never looked into rain pants, I figure they'd be like a sauna on my 1:15ish commute time. 

I wore Specialized DeFroster winter MTB shoes and used SPD type pedals. The shoes have a neoprene cuff and my feet would stay dry if I rolled my socks down below the cuff. Fenders with a mudflap on the front that almost touches the ground will keep your legs and feet dry from the wet road. If you only have to deal with water falling from the sky, you'll do well.


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## bjb85runner

bigbill.....What brand was the lighter jacket?

Thanks


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## dutchgenius

daily commuter all winter from Redmond, WA here. most of my rain gear is from REI, save for some Pearl Izumi shoe covers. 

Jacket Novara Express 2.0 Bike Jacket - Men's - Free Shipping at REI.com

Pants Novara Express 2.0 Bike Pants - Men's - Free Shipping at REI.com

REI currently has all their higher end winter riding gear on clearance (end of season)... great time to buy.


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## Poppadaddio

I concur with dutchgenius's recommendation of the Novara Bike pants. I have two pairs!


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## acg

A pair of Light and Motion Urban 500s for me.

I have a Showers Pass Mountain Elite and long sleeve Gore jersey for a colder weather (< 40 degrees). I bought it direct at a closeout price from the Showers Pass office in Portland.

For mild cold weather (above <40 degrees), I used the Showers Pass Double Century jacket with a short sleeve or long sleeve jersey. The Double Century jacket can be rolled into the rear pockets.

For rain showers, the Showers Pass rain pants work well for me as they can be optioned with suspenders to keep the pants up during cycling.

I also have the Gore Contest SO bibs. Excellent warmth protection, good windproofing, adjustable suspenders and zipped front end for the unexpected nature breaks.

Shimano SH-MW81 Goretex shoes.


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## RRRoubaix

acg said:


> A pair of Light and Motion Urban 500s for me.
> 
> I have a Showers Pass Mountain Elite and long sleeve Gore jersey for a colder weather (< 40 degrees). I bought it direct at a closeout price from the Showers Pass office in Portland.
> 
> For mild cold weather (above <40 degrees), I used the Showers Pass Double Century jacket with a short sleeve or long sleeve jersey. The Double Century jacket can be rolled into the rear pockets.
> 
> For rain showers, the Showers Pass rain pants work well for me as they can be optioned with suspenders to keep the pants up during cycling.
> 
> I also have the Gore Contest SO bibs. Excellent warmth protection, good windproofing, adjustable suspenders and zipped front end for the unexpected nature breaks.
> 
> Shimano SH-MW81 Goretex shoes.


Hmm! We have much in common.
My wife and I went w/ the L&M 550's- LOVE them! In fact, if they go on sale again, I might buy a second pair for our helmets.
I also rock the Shimano boots- fabulous! Only on the absolute coldest days (below 30) will I break out my clodhopper Lake boots.
Showers Pass Double Century for most weather, Endura Flite for really heavy days. 
For pants, I haven't found the right ones. I have $130 SP Roadie Pants- well made, great finish... horrible fit; long and slappy on my calves, tight on my thighs and SUPER-restrictive on my hips/butt. Ugh.


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## [email protected]

bjb85runner said:


> Looking to get some advise from some veteran winter commuters on what there using for rain gear and lighting that holds up to the Pacific Northwest. Since this stuff is so expensive I would like to get some advise from you.
> Thanks:thumbsup:


\
When I lived in Seattle I was a huge fan of Light and Motion lights. I used the Urban 500 (now 550), the Vis 360, and a Vis 180. The quality of the lights is excellent,a and L&M customer service is outstanding.


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## jmess

I have also had good luck with the Vis 360 and Vis 180.



[email protected] said:


> \
> When I lived in Seattle I was a huge fan of Light and Motion lights. I used the Urban 500 (now 550), the Vis 360, and a Vis 180. The quality of the lights is excellent,a and L&M customer service is outstanding.


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## dirttorpedo

Hey there - Vancouver, BC year round bike commuter here. 

I'm using a dual beam LED Cygolite on the front end of my bike (220 Lumen output I think) and a combination of MEC LED red flashers. One is an old school first generation and the second is a very bright high output LED one that is USB chargeable. It must put out over 100 lumens - a real improvement. 

Most of my gear is from MEC (Canada's REI). I wear a bright yellow entrant rain coat for the winter with a variety of layers beneath. It has good pit zips, reflective stripes and the tail flap folds away for wearing on the street (if you dare). I've really come to appreciate merino zip neck base layers this year. For pants I have the basic PVC coated nylon pants. They are hot, but keep the water out and I tend to only wear them from October to March. I use coated nylon over boots to keep my feet dry and warm (I like the wind cutting power) around 6 mo of the year. I have a couple of sets of tights that I wear over my cycling shorts depending on the temperatures. The warmest are the old equivalent of the Roubaix tights - these are great. Comfortable and warm with a bit of rain protection. I also have some polypropelyne tights that I got to replace my old italian wool cycling tights (I loved those wool tights - wore them for skiing and hiking too - the polypro ones suck). I use a pair of old running tights for those days that are just a bit too cold for shorts alone. 

I have a rain cover for my helmet which helps keep my head warm and dry, but makes me look particularly dorky. I wear a running hat under my helmet to keep the rain out of my eyes - I used to wear clear lensed cycling glasses, but the running hat - while incredibly dorky - is really functional. I keep the glasses for the summer when fogging isn't an issue but the sun, dust and bugs are. I have 5 different pairs of gloves - shorties for summer. Long fingered mountain biking ones for late spring early fall, wind stopper fleece ones for dry late fall early spring days, my neoprenes which I wear when its cool and rainy and some lobster claws for anything from zero C or below.

I would like to get a moe powerful headlight - even with 220 lumens (much more light than I've ever had before) motorists and pedestrians still seem to have trouble seeing me. I also find that on rainy dark nights when I'm riding poorly lit streets with no curbs I have trouble seeing obstacles.


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