What kind of rain gear depends greatly on where you live and how much you ride.
I'm a daily rider in Portland, OR and I ride all winter long. I have been somewhat disappointed by Showers Pass, especially since they moved their manufacturing from Vietnam to China a few years ago. Quality control became inconsistent and the warranty policies became more unbending. I understand that a lot of their entry-level-priced items have undergone a redesign for 2013 but have not yet seen the new versions. I am hanging onto my Burley Rock Point jacket for dear life. It's a better design than the SP touring jacket (which was basically a copy of the Burley) and the fabric and waterproofing have held upfor far longer. My friend's SP Touring jacket had issues six months in; by eight months in the waterproof zipper had frayed to failure and the seams were quite leaky. When he called SP to resolve the issues they said the jacket had to be washed every 4 to 6 weeks with a special soultion from NikWax -- something the hang tag hadn't made clear. They were willing to take the jacket in for inspection but could guarantee that they'd actually offer replacement, leaving my friend without a rain jacket in the meantime. In the end, my friend bought a J & G Breathable rain jacket online -- heavy-duty, comfortable and water-proof enough for daily riding in PDX. Also a bargain at $100 plus s+h. (J & G admits they purposely underprice this product to remain competitive, and they only sell it direct online.) He's had it for two years and it's still going strong. For rainpants: On light-rain days where I'm jus dashing short spurts around town, I like Rainlegs. Easy on-off and very stowable, and plenty warterproof in light rain. For heavy rain, the water will drip down around the backside of the legs and get your pants wet. In that case, I switch to either my old Burley rain pants OR to my heavier-duty J & G Cyclewear Breathable rain pant. The former is okay for short commutes but so old that it eventually fails in a downpour. When I know it's going to rain bucketfuls I use the latter -- a little hot but plenty durable. For foot coverage I'm fond of the RBW Splats for most city riding. They fit over most street shoes and are stowable; though the heavy waxed cotton takes more time to dry out between uses. SP shoe covers do seem to work pretty well, but you MUST take them off at your destination; if you walk around in them they will wear out much more quickly. I don't use a helmet cover, preferring to wear a thin cycling cap under my helmet (cotton in summer, thin wool in fall/winter). Ultimately, I think it's ideal to have rain wear that is SO good that you mostly *enjoy* riding in the rain. Even by February. Beth in PDX On Thursday, September 13, 2012 11:55:57 AM UTC-7, tragicallyaverage wrote: > > As the rainy season approaches, I've been motivated to keep myself dry. My > former method of riding in the rain was to ride a fendered bike, and then > simply get soaked on my commutes. > I'd like to attempt to stay as dry and comfy as the fall season > approaches. Any suggestions or products that have worked well for anyone? > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/kRqZS-iGKosJ. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
