Riding in the rain…

Some thoughts on riding in the rain…
I got to try the cape tonight. We’ve been having fairly heavy rain the last few days (do flash flood warnings count as heavy rain?).
Late this afternoon I had to ride downtown to teach a class. I used my knock-about bike and the rain cape. There were no problems, the rain was light and frankly the cape was more or less overkill. Indeed the rain stopped most of the way. Still I was big yellow banana and quite visible in the gloaming.
After class, however, was when I really got to try the cape. It’s about a 30 minute ride home (it’s a wee bit faster when the roads aren’t soaked and it’s daylight). The rain was coming down hard. Not hard enough to really impair visibility, a rain white-out if you will – we get ’em here all the time, but a decent rain.
I donned my cape and realized my blinkies were going to be visible as they are mounted on the small saddle back below my saddle. I ended up clipping them to the back of my neckline and my helmet. That worked but I’m going to have to do something else in the future. See below.
The cape worked great. Once I’d cinched it up around the neck I did get more than a drop or two sneaking in that way. Ventilation was good; much better than a jacket. I did build up a bit of condensation and perspiration, but in the humidity that would have happened without the cape and jacket would have been terrible.
I had no trouble maneuvering at any time. Keep in mind though that this is really designed for a fairly upright position. I could ride with it on any of my bikes, but if your handlebars are below your saddle and you disdain anything but riding on the drops this isn’t your rain cape.
The biggest issue I had was with my lower legs and feet. I was wearing long pants with one leg rolled up over the chain. I also had on regular New Balance walking shoes. The pant leg that was down and both my shoes got soaked – even with fenders there was just too much rain and too many massive puddles (some a good 4 inches deep and running).
In the future there won’t be much I can when I’m headed to work and such, but wearing the MUSA knickers and sandals without socks will completely solve the leg problem. My knees were dry from the cape, so it’s really only my lower calves and feet that I need to watch out for. Knickers and sandals, good to go.
As for the blinkies, I’ve got a solution for that too. Rivendell thoughtfully included a big strip of reflective tape to stick on the back of the cape. I haven’t done that yet and I’m glad I didn’t. I’m going to put a couple small holes, and inch or so apart, in the tape. Next I’ll tread a bit good strong nylon webbing material through the holes to form a small loop with enough lead to be held below the tape. Once I stick it on, I should have a little fabric loop on my back on which I can put my blinkie. Since they are light it shouldn’t stress the tape out much. And even if there are problems in the future, it’ll hold for a good long time. If it ever does come off, more tape is in order. The fabric of the cape won’t ever be penetrated so I’ve got no leak issues. Problem solved. Or rather, solved once I actually do it. 🙂
The only other issue I have is my head. I generally wear a helmet, though I’m not a helmet fanatic. I wear them mostly because I can stick bright reflective tape on it and because on organized rides you have to wear ’em. My head got soaked. Yes, I know about shower caps and such, didn’t have one tonight.
I do, however, have the Grunden’s hat as well. The problem it that it doesn’t seem like it can be worn successfully under a helmet. I was in a hurry so, to be honest, I didn’t try. I just left it at home and stuck with the helmet. I might have been happier the other way, but slippery conditions can lead to falls and a figured I was better off with the helmet.
Still I’m going to try to work something out with the rain cap. I may try it tomorrow on my way to work if the rain cooperates…that is, it’s still raining.