would you not just sit on the cape if there was a bit of undercarriage splashing? i have to admit I’ve never really gotten into using a rain cape – i bought one while cycle touring in Europe and it was too windy to wear it there, and it’s even windier here, so much so that I avoid loose fitting clothing on the bike when it’s blowing a gale…a cape is like a windsail!
All you do then is provide a sort of ‘bowl’ for the water to gateher/pool in…
Many years of use gave me the experience:
1. Put on water PROOF trousers/overtrousers
2. Wear Cape.
In the end I went over to Yachting jacket and trousers – PVC. Humid? Maybe, but not wet from the rain. Okay on a motorcycle and fine for a short commute. In fact, as long as you don’t cycle hard enough to raise your temperature, it is fine:-)
Was okay for commuting in Shannon Town, Eire, as the temperature there is fairly mild but it is one of the wettest places around the UK
Surely you still use mudguards (fenders) as well? Stops the spray up on to you and also into the workings of your bike (rear brake, front mech and headset particularly)…
I had a cape when I was at school in the 1980s and I learned to hate it, because my hometown at the north sea is very windy when rainy. I got wet trousers and shoes, a puddle between hands and stomach splashed legs and feet, too, and it was a sail but I had always headwind. So I changed to trousers and anoraks made of PU-coated Nylon, and was soaked by sweat instead of rain.
Nowadays I have water-repellent trousers and anoraks made of Goretex or similar, just fine.
As a doctor once said to me “Skin is waterproof” – yes I know not completely but the statement is sort of right. So for commute ~10 mile in summer a lightweight waterproof top for those days when it is sheeting down and shorts. In winter a heavier weight ‘breathable’ jacket and longs does just fine. There is a limit to how wet you can get in 10 miles.
On tours then some over trousers are useful as well as you need the clothes for the next day.
Of course I don’t cycle in my work clothes so I have dry clothes to change into at both ends of the ride.
My biggest problem is water that runs down off the helmet behind the glasses and into my eyes.
a cap solves the glasses issue for me. but at a certain intensity the rain runs from the center of the round shaped shield directly into nose and mouth giving me sort of a waterboarding experience.
Use mudguards? Don’t most cyclists have an image to maintain? Might as well grow a beard – wear sandals – shock horror, wear socks with sandals – cultivate a beer belly – even – no, surely that’s a step too far for any human being to take – ride a recumbent!!!!!!
I’m proud to break most of those rules My carbon Specialized Roubaix has large saddle bag, handlebard bag, frame-mounted pump (I’m strictly against CO2 cartridges), lights, a bell and I wear a weird mix of clothing and um… SPD pedals.
And that image, it seems, is too look like a neon space alien. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. That image is definitely not for me. Normal clothes and fenders fit my image just fine.
Roadies in Oregon use fenders, the two big clubs in Portland actually require them for winter group rides. They are however, seasonal plumage and get removed in the summer and put on when the rains return.
My bike follows a cycle from completely stripped down with knobbies during cyclocross season, to fully dressed with slicks, fenders, cages, seat pack and lights during the winter, and then slowly shedding fenders and lights until it returns to racing trim again.
It took only one rain-filled day on a 3-day bike tour to prove to me that full fenders (or mudguards, or splashguards, or whatever you want to call ‘em) are worth their weight in platinum.
When I worked at the charity bike shop a student wanted fenders but also suspension – basically a converted MTB. I took on the challenge and with a lot of work, modified some old aluminium fenders to fit onto the rear triangle – the front forks were much easier to fit a mudguard onto!
So fenders are possible on a full sus’ MTB but too much time to build to make them profitable to build I suppose?
Only the fact that we had a £40 cap on the selling price and the donor parts were free made it possible
there is no need for fenders on my bike, waterproof pants, gortex rowing jacket (with hood that fits under the helmet easily), wet suit booties for my feet, waterproof gloves….bring it rain
That sounds backwards to me. If you have fenders you usually don’t need the rain pants, just something warm when wet (or bare legs in summer).
With rain pants I find I just get wet with sweat, even if the rain stops, and they’re 5 times more uncomfortable than just getting rained on. I’m not made of sugar.
I can remember actually enjoying riding in the rain — especially a warm spring or summer rain– on my ‘cross bike, mountain bike, or road bike back when all I did was ride recreationally. Now that I’m 90% commuter and 10% weekend errand runner I’m much more enamored of fenders and raincape. In cold weather the Gortex parka shell does the trick, but in warmer weather the ventilation a cape allows can’t be beat.
Agree with Dale. If its warm enough then getting wet is no problem – in fact it’s great fun. Best in the UK is the thunder storm after the scorching days that we sometimes get. After having been sweating heavily on the cloudless days there’s suddenly warm water cascading from the skies and forming even warmer puddles on the hot tarmac. Going through those at a lick is like being in an upside down shower. For maximum enjoyment I recommend a well reclined tadpole recumbent trike – with all the mudguards removed……
There’s a reason that it took something as technologically advanced as the Mini to finally end the DL-1′s rule of the commuter roads. That was one absolutely incredible bicycle. And we were still selling a few back in the early 70′s, even with the height of 10-speed mania.
would you not just sit on the cape if there was a bit of undercarriage splashing? i have to admit I’ve never really gotten into using a rain cape – i bought one while cycle touring in Europe and it was too windy to wear it there, and it’s even windier here, so much so that I avoid loose fitting clothing on the bike when it’s blowing a gale…a cape is like a windsail!
All you do then is provide a sort of ‘bowl’ for the water to gateher/pool in…
Many years of use gave me the experience:
1. Put on water PROOF trousers/overtrousers
2. Wear Cape.
In the end I went over to Yachting jacket and trousers – PVC. Humid? Maybe, but not wet from the rain. Okay on a motorcycle and fine for a short commute. In fact, as long as you don’t cycle hard enough to raise your temperature, it is fine:-)
Was okay for commuting in Shannon Town, Eire, as the temperature there is fairly mild but it is one of the wettest places around the UK
btw – When wearing the cape, use the thumb loops to hold it down if you have them…
I had thumb loops and was holding it down =P it had a waist strap too. Maybe I needed a smaller one
Surely you still use mudguards (fenders) as well? Stops the spray up on to you and also into the workings of your bike (rear brake, front mech and headset particularly)…
I had a cape when I was at school in the 1980s and I learned to hate it, because my hometown at the north sea is very windy when rainy. I got wet trousers and shoes, a puddle between hands and stomach splashed legs and feet, too, and it was a sail but I had always headwind. So I changed to trousers and anoraks made of PU-coated Nylon, and was soaked by sweat instead of rain.
Nowadays I have water-repellent trousers and anoraks made of Goretex or similar, just fine.
As a doctor once said to me “Skin is waterproof” – yes I know not completely but the statement is sort of right. So for commute ~10 mile in summer a lightweight waterproof top for those days when it is sheeting down and shorts. In winter a heavier weight ‘breathable’ jacket and longs does just fine. There is a limit to how wet you can get in 10 miles.
On tours then some over trousers are useful as well as you need the clothes for the next day.
Of course I don’t cycle in my work clothes so I have dry clothes to change into at both ends of the ride.
My biggest problem is water that runs down off the helmet behind the glasses and into my eyes.
a cap solves the glasses issue for me. but at a certain intensity the rain runs from the center of the round shaped shield directly into nose and mouth giving me sort of a waterboarding experience.
better still, ride naked
I wear a base cap to keep my glasses dry, that defends me to cause accidents. It’s a feature helmets doesn’t have.
Fenders, cape and ‘spats’ will help keep you mostly dry. (I don’t have spats/gaiters, so I use use thin plastic overpants).
Use mudguards? Don’t most cyclists have an image to maintain? Might as well grow a beard – wear sandals – shock horror, wear socks with sandals – cultivate a beer belly – even – no, surely that’s a step too far for any human being to take – ride a recumbent!!!!!!
Roadies have image to maintain, not cyclists.
there are several valid points suitable not only for the roadies subset..
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/
fun to read anyway
I’m proud to break most of those rules
My carbon Specialized Roubaix has large saddle bag, handlebard bag, frame-mounted pump (I’m strictly against CO2 cartridges), lights, a bell and I wear a weird mix of clothing and um… SPD pedals.
And that image, it seems, is too look like a neon space alien. Different strokes for different folks, I guess. That image is definitely not for me. Normal clothes and fenders fit my image just fine.
Roadies in Oregon use fenders, the two big clubs in Portland actually require them for winter group rides. They are however, seasonal plumage and get removed in the summer and put on when the rains return.
My bike follows a cycle from completely stripped down with knobbies during cyclocross season, to fully dressed with slicks, fenders, cages, seat pack and lights during the winter, and then slowly shedding fenders and lights until it returns to racing trim again.
It took only one rain-filled day on a 3-day bike tour to prove to me that full fenders (or mudguards, or splashguards, or whatever you want to call ‘em) are worth their weight in platinum.
Change the above statement to “worth their weight in gold”. Gold is actually selling for almost $80.00 per ounce more than platinum.
Like 1
It is neither a serious touring or commuter bike without mudguards. Period. Bare wheels are for weight weenies who only ride on dry days.
Well said Syke
Bare wheels are also very annoying in case you dont have a wide space to pass the selfish f**k
or us weenies who commute in San Diego.
Both my tourer and commuter have fenders, but they’re not practical on my roadie and full susp MTB.
When I worked at the charity bike shop a student wanted fenders but also suspension – basically a converted MTB. I took on the challenge and with a lot of work, modified some old aluminium fenders to fit onto the rear triangle – the front forks were much easier to fit a mudguard onto!
So fenders are possible on a full sus’ MTB but too much time to build to make them profitable to build I suppose?
Only the fact that we had a £40 cap on the selling price and the donor parts were free made it possible
You can satisfy some of the people some of the time…
Buttholes??? Never.
there is no need for fenders on my bike, waterproof pants, gortex rowing jacket (with hood that fits under the helmet easily), wet suit booties for my feet, waterproof gloves….bring it rain
That sounds backwards to me. If you have fenders you usually don’t need the rain pants, just something warm when wet (or bare legs in summer).
With rain pants I find I just get wet with sweat, even if the rain stops, and they’re 5 times more uncomfortable than just getting rained on. I’m not made of sugar.
what is needed is a map of the world showing where a poncho (sorry, brits) is feasible. i have never been in such a location.
I can remember actually enjoying riding in the rain — especially a warm spring or summer rain– on my ‘cross bike, mountain bike, or road bike back when all I did was ride recreationally. Now that I’m 90% commuter and 10% weekend errand runner I’m much more enamored of fenders and raincape. In cold weather the Gortex parka shell does the trick, but in warmer weather the ventilation a cape allows can’t be beat.
I really don’t mind a warm rain much. It’s the grit that bugs me while riding in the rain. It gets everywhere.
Agree with Dale. If its warm enough then getting wet is no problem – in fact it’s great fun. Best in the UK is the thunder storm after the scorching days that we sometimes get. After having been sweating heavily on the cloudless days there’s suddenly warm water cascading from the skies and forming even warmer puddles on the hot tarmac. Going through those at a lick is like being in an upside down shower. For maximum enjoyment I recommend a well reclined tadpole recumbent trike – with all the mudguards removed……
Troiker – you masochist!
I love fenders I have just not started using a rain cape. My three speed Rraleigh DL-1 is an amazing all around bike (fenders).
There’s a reason that it took something as technologically advanced as the Mini to finally end the DL-1′s rule of the commuter roads. That was one absolutely incredible bicycle. And we were still selling a few back in the early 70′s, even with the height of 10-speed mania.
I’d rather be wet from rain than soaked in sweat from the humidity inside any garment that’s truly waterproof
If I had my druthers… waterproof bags, towels, and ride naked.
All this fuzz and bother. If your ballz are not soaked at the end of your ride, you didn’t go hard enough. Hope this arguement is settled.