# Rain Gear?



## MTT (Oct 14, 2005)

Hello Wet NW Riders,

I will be commuting through my second winter and I want to get a new rain jacket and/or pants. Since every company seems to have their own fabrics/ styles, I wanted to get advice from people who ride through the winter in Western Washington or Oregon. 

I only want to hear from you if you found a jacket that works great for full on down pours on those nasty 38-45 degree days in the dead of winter. Should I just go ahead and get the Gore Wear Gore Tex jacket or do some of the other companies make a better product? Has anyone out there tried the Gore Wear Gore Tex (not wind stopper)- and directly compared it to other brands? Will the Wind Stopper work well in the dead of winter up here- or does it leak too much?

Oh and my system seems to run a bit hot and I do have a tendency to ride hard- even on days where I should just cruise. Not sure if that helps, but anyway- if you have a jacket or pants that you love- thank you very much for taking the time to respond...........MTT


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## semdoug (Dec 11, 2004)

*Mec*

I've been riding in a Mountain Equipment Co-op, Canadian mail order company like REI, cycling rain jacket for 3 years now. Mail ordered it when I was living in SE Alaska where it rained about 160" per year. Works great, has pit zips, a back ventilation zippered opening with rain flap, and reflective stripes. The ventilation system works great for hard efforts during winter weather.


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## asterisk (Oct 21, 2003)

Burley in Eugene, OR makes awesome rain stuff, I ride with a bunch of guys who wear it for commuting and club rides. Their stuff is bike specific and works great when paired with a wicking base layer.

I use an old goretex rain gear set from Watershed in Salem. I bought it when I was doing a lot of work outside so it's not bike specific but it's Gore-Tex and works great... the whole goretex bib-overalls might be overkill for bike commuting though... I stay dry enough when I plan and wear the right base layers for the conditions.


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## MTT (Oct 14, 2005)

*Thanks*

Never heard of those companies- thanks I am going to look for them. Yea the base layer thing is so tricky- the only thing I have in my favor is my obsession with the weather-from my surfing days, so at least I can get close.

Does SW Alaska really get 160" of rain? I heard it was allot of rain in the summer- but that is insane. So every time you ride up there you are wet huh?

MTT


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## srf (Jun 28, 2004)

IMHO rain isn't relevant, you're going to get wet. A lot less wet if you use full fenders. =) Dress for the temperature. Any decent jacket + jersey and arm warmers will be fine in the high 30s low 40s.


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## The Puzzler (Sep 19, 2005)

*Two bits for Burley*

If you run hot, I have to encourage you to look into the Burley Rockpoint Jacket. It is made from one of the breathable waterproof laminates like Gortex, but unlike most Gortex Jackets, this jacket is also vented. So, in addition to being cut for a cyclist (long arms and long in back) it also has rear venting to significantly reduce the moisture buildup that most "breathable" fabrics get when you are working hard in them.

Good luck


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## soulsurfer104 (Jun 30, 2003)

*personally,*

personally, i have a healthy hatred of rain jackets. they flap around loudly while you ride, and that's incredibly irritating to me. oh, and also, no jacket will keep you dry- if you ride in the rain for a reasonable amount of time, you're going to end up soaked to the bone, no matter what.

so, here's my technique- simply accept the fact that you are going to get wet. instead of trying to keep water out, which just doesn't work, focus on keeping warmth in. try a vest, thick arm-warmers, tights, a cap under your helmet, full-finger gloves, and shoe covers if you truly want to geek out. i personally have done a 6-hour ride in rain/wind/hail/40*temps wearing shorts and a short-sleeve jersey with arm/leg warmers, a cap under my helmet, and full-finger gloves, because i live in SoCal and simply don't own any cold-weather cycling gear. yes, i was soaked, but i wasn't too cold to ride. i wished i had a vest, but i was alright without it.

however, if you're only doing quick commutes, you might be able to keep upper body somewhat dry. i wish you luck in your quest.


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## MTT (Oct 14, 2005)

That is the second person who mentioned Burley- so I am going to call around tomorrow and see what shops carry those. I just bought a wind stopper long sleeve jersey- the one that the sleeves can zip off. That thing is toasty for something so thin and light. I was hopeing it would rain while I was riding so I would see how well it did wet- but no rain today. That is a nice design, and it is stretchy type material so it didn't flap about.

I know I will get somewhat wet, whatever jacket I get. I agree with what everyone has said about full on cheap rain jackets- they completely suck. Warmth is the key- no doubt. Thanks again for the input.............MTT


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## The Puzzler (Sep 19, 2005)

*Commuting vs. training*

There seems to be a bit of confusion here about what is needed in the requested rain gear review. "Just staying warm" is good advice for regular training rides or recreational rides where your destination has a cloths dryer and a change of cloths. However, when commuting, it is nice to either arrive at work dry or at least dry enough that if you change your cloths, you can put your riding gear back on at the end of the day and not climb into wet clammy attire.

I've spent many years of my life in the Pacific Northwest, commuting six miles rain or shine (generally cold rain for at least four months of the year). Contrary to some of the above mentioned comments, I found it perfectly easy to arrive at my destination essentially dry as long as I didn't over-exert myself and I had full fenders, and good full rain gear. Yes, that means flapping, bulky, unfashionable and well vented rain gear, but it was commuting, not training and I only put it ALL on in the worst downpours.


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## srf (Jun 28, 2004)

The Puzzler said:


> There seems to be a bit of confusion here about what is needed in the requested rain gear review. "Just staying warm" is good advice for regular training rides or recreational rides where your destination has a cloths dryer and a change of cloths. However, when commuting, it is nice to either arrive at work dry or at least dry enough that if you change your cloths, you can put your riding gear back on at the end of the day and not climb into wet clammy attire.


There's no confusion, my opinion is to get wet. Period.

I would hazzard a guess that a majority of people work in a location where you can have some source of heat, or a fan, etc (but this information wasn't provided, so we make assumptions). I put my shoes on top of my monitor and they're dry by the end of the day. The wet bike clothes are draped over an extra chair, and I keep a few sets of dry clothes at work (I'm not going to work in bike clothes). I also have a small fan in my office that I can use if necessary. Even if you work in a fridge, you could probably do a decent job of drying your bike clothes by wrapping them in a couple towels.

FWIW my commute is 18 miles each way, and about a thousand feet of climbing per day. I could try to stay dry on the way to work, but don't want to spend 2 hours commuting each way. =)


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## MTT (Oct 14, 2005)

I guess a more accurate question would be- does your rain gear allow you the flexibility to either go hard (and have it breathe) and just deal with the usual amount of sweat or criuse and be dry and comfy. In the end it shouldn't matter if you have a shower at work or not- if your jacket does what it is supposed to do- right?

MTT


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## tominator (Sep 24, 2005)

*Burley*

I commuted most of the winter last year, the burley worked very well for keeping 
the rain out. zippers in the pits help regulate the temps.If I turned up the pace
to far then you started sweating faster than any venting action.then you have given 
up the whole "keep dry" idea, 
over all I thought the lesser of all my other options, the burley did perform the best.
It doesn"t leak at all in the seams even in down pours
The hardest thing right now is the darkness seems to just suck the fun out of any 
riding in the morning, then after work..... man I should have rode today


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## Dropped (Jan 22, 2003)

I do a very hilly, 20 mile round trip commute every day in Portland, Oregon. I have done it for a long time, rain or shine.

I get wet every day.

The thing about rain gear is that while it may keep the rain out, you are going to sweat. That means you are going to be wet when you get to work.

The recommendation to keep yourself warm instead of dry is a good one. Neoprene booties help with warmth, even though water eventually leaks in if you are going any distance. I also bring a second set of clothes for the ride home. I picked up an REI Novara rain jacket last week for like $120 on sale (normally $160). So far, I love it.


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## Keiko5 (Sep 30, 2004)

*Another vote for the Burley Rock Point Jacket*

I have been using mine for about a year, commuting in Eugene 12 miles each way without a problem. The real test came 3 weeks ago when my wife and I did the Peach of a Century in Salem Oregon on our tandem . The weather was completly miserable, stormy, very windy and rainy, low to mid 50's. My top stayed bone dry, and with the long pit zippers and the rear vent I hardly sweated. We may not have been going at racing pace, but we averaged over 17mph which included stops and intersections, so we weren't crawling either. I would recommend this lightweight, weather-proof made in Eugene, USA jacket to anyone. I thinks its that good. 

There is no bad weather, just bad clothing.

Kevin


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## MTT (Oct 14, 2005)

*Wind Stopper*

Just to follow up on this thread- I bought the wind stopper light jacket and I have worn it in the cold rain on several occasions. Took about 50-65 minutes to soak through a little, but overall I was fairly dry when I got to where I was going. This jacket is light and very warm and does seem to work in the rain. I don't love it, but it does work well. I think it works better than my full rain jacket, which does get way too hot unless it is the very coldest morning. The sleves zipper on and off- which is nice. 

Might buy the Sugoi water resistent jacket later in the winter, but I don't seem to need it yet. In my experience the Sugoi gear seems to work well and is the most comfy. My $0.02...............MTT


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## srf (Jun 28, 2004)

Did you ever get the Sugoi jacket? Would like to know how well it works. Sugoi jerseys are the most comfortable I have; love the fabric their shorts are made from, but not so much for the chamios.


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## MTT (Oct 14, 2005)

Just as I decided I would get through the winter with the Wind Stopper, my wife heard me talking about the Sugoi with a friend and she got it for my birthday. I have yet to wear it in the pouring rain, but it seems warm and like most of their gear, it is well designed and comfy. I can recommend it- it is a nice jacket. I will post again after I ride through the next rain storm I get stuck in.............MTT


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## Swift65 (Oct 6, 2005)

I have a sugoi I bought about 5 years ago. It does fit well, but as I have found with any "rainwear" you get wet from the inside. What I hate way more than anything is wet FEET. I can deal with a wet torso, I just hate it when my feet get wet. Once the feet are wet all comfort is gone. I just don't ride in the rain unless I get caught in it. I do have neoprene booties and they just delay the inevitable, although they keep the feet warm. I just bought the Illuminte Contravento from performance bike (on sale $90). It's not a rain jacket, just wind resistant. Anybody out there have one of these? Would like feedback if you do. Tried using the Sugoi for cold night rides, but would get cold after the sweat builds up on the inside.


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## MTT (Oct 14, 2005)

*Sugoi*

Ok so I wore the Sugoi jacket in the pouring very heavey rain last week and I stayed dry. I am not talking about their full on rain jacket- this is the black and red one that is nylon, spandex and poly mixed together. It is more comfy than the Wind Stopper, but just a little less warm. 

I can honestly say that is the best wet/ cold weather jacket I have tried, that is if you leave enough room to put on a long sleeve jersey and maybe a light fleese for those really cold days. I agree with what others have said- Sugoi makes some of the best gear for biking. I never tried on the Burley, but since people on this thread have mentioned it- I see bikers everywhere using them for the rain. They must work well.

Merry Christmas People..............MTT


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