rain gear

[sbcohen]

I am looking for decent rain gear - waterproof and breathable. any suggestions?

anybody know anything about this eugene company, J&G Cyclewear?

Thanks!

[Budro]

I was just in Bike Gallery and the guy there was "pushing" the Showers Pass elite jacket ($179). He said that it's water repellancy lasted longer than Gore-tex. I have a 3 year old Gore-tex Burley rain jacket that doesn't repel water very well anymore. I see Burley doesn't use Gore-tex anymore.

Searching for Showers Pass on the web yields:
http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-106971.html:

There are cheaper jackets around, but I've found the Showerspass jacket to be excellent. The taped seams last for years...6oz. Lots of vents and in the winter, you can even close all vents to stay warm. Great in hard rains, ice, snow.

and I've had it 4yrs. With our rains, it gets worn alot....compared to the hood, the color is only slightly faded. I've actually slide on ice and taken several falls and have not wrecked this jacket.

http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-169807:

Gore tex is crap, sorry :)
Anyone can make a waterproof, few make one thats breathable.

Showers Pass jacket is the best cycling speific waterproof. Heres why....

Take the BEST breathabile waterproof material....
http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/...athability.pdf

Thats eVent material, nothing else beats it, and if you do a lot of research, you'll see that its pretty much an undisputed fact.

Then form it into a cycling specific jacket.
Pearl Izumi, Showers pass, and Gill, are the only 3 cycling jackets I can find made in eVent.

Then dont rely on the material to do all the breathing, but add as much venting as possible. Pit zips, open cuffs, back vent, 2 way zipper, etc. Of the 3 manufactureres I mentioned, Showers Pass is the ONLY one to add venting. And the PI one is even more expensive, go figure...

So there you have it, the best cycling waterproof made :)
www.showerspass.com

Heres an explanation as to why gore-tex is crap...
http://www.bushwalking.org.au/FAQ/FAQ_Rainwear.htm

Heres a good site describing different materials...
http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/clothing.html

A softshell made with say Schoellar Dryskin Extreme is prefered when its not raining. Its the most breathable of all softshell material.
And then use either the showers pass, or get a propore (raingear O2) as a storm shell to use over top.

The problem with the Propore ones is they tear really easy, so are sorta an emergency use thing to keep in a pack if you cycle in predominantly non rainy areas.

But if your looking to just buy the best 100% waterproof cycling jacket and be done with it, get the Showers Pass one.

A couple people apparently are pretty hot about Showers Pass jackets. I tried one on and found it a bit bulky. The Bike Gallery guy said the Burley and Showers Pass are more of a "commuter" cut.

[tfahrner]

Originally Posted by sbcohen

I am looking for decent rain gear - waterproof and breathable. any suggestions?

anybody know anything about this eugene company, J&G Cyclewear?

i own J&G's best rain jacket. have used for only this season, but it's performed excellently. my only beef is really minor: they line it with mesh that's a little too snug and grippy to slip a sweater-clad arm through easily, so it's a bit of a struggle to keep warmth layers from bunching up on your arms when you put it on.

i also own their non-breathable rain paints. they don't leak - haven't for a couple years. but yeah, you get all sweaty unless it's real cold and you take it real easy. i like rainlegs better at the moment: http://todd.cleverchimp.com/blog/?p=81 . but people who've had them longer than i say they leak after a couple dozen hours of use.

[psychobum]

I found some rain pants at a thrift store for $3 recently, they're not the best but they keep me from getting soaked cruising down to work.

[JessicaRoberts]

One time I bought some used (very very ugly teal-colored) Columbia rain pants at The Next Adventure. When the crotch split a year or so down the line, I called the company, and they not only replaced them, they sent me TWO pairs because the original pair cost more than their current model. Wow! I'm still wearing those pants...and I confess to having a warm spot in my heart for Columbia (or at least for their customer service).

[MrBread]

I've always shied away from spending huge amounts of money for incredibly activity-specific items (like $200 bike-only rain gear), so I've always opted for the "lazy" approach:

I'll just pack an extra pair of pants in my bag (which is waterproof), and change at work.

Once you get changed, you're just as dry, and if you have somewhere to hang them up, even a pair of rain-soaked jeans will dry off by the end of the work day.

[jami]

i'm a cheapskate, so i picked up what i thought were $12 rain pants at the columbia outlet store in sellwood. my reasoning was that no store would sell such ugly pants unless they were waterproof.

they're not waterproof, which i found out back when the rain was like ice in december or january. so i was a cold, wet, scatter-brained cheapskate in very ugly pants.

it's possible that the outlet store does have rain pants, and jessica's experience speaks well of columbia. perhaps check the label, though.

[sbcohen]

So I am still looking for decent rain gear, but at least now I won't need it until November. But I thought I'd share a little of my research. I was thinking a good old fashioned poncho. Check out these from a British company

http://www.carradice.co.uk/rainwear/...rainwear.shtml

its just too bad they're black. but they look nicer than a steaming hot nylon pullover!

any thoughts?

[tfahrner]

Originally Posted by sbcohen

http://www.carradice.co.uk/rainwear/duxback-rainwear.shtml

its just too bad they're black. but they look nicer than a steaming hot nylon pullover!

any thoughts?

I own the poncho and spats. They are not black, but dark green with reflective trim. The spats always cinched down below my knees, exposing them. The poncho developed rips at the thumb loops -- very bad place for rips -- after a few seasons' hard use. They work OK apart from that, especially if, like me, you have a soft spot for natural materials. Ponchos are good for not getting sweaty, but not so good for riding fast or with strong winds. Currently I'm keen on rain jackets and Rainlegs(tm) for most wet riding, with auxiliary impermeable pants for serious miles in serious deluges.

[sbcohen]

[quote="tfahrner"]

Originally Posted by sbcohen

Ponchos are good for not getting sweaty, but not so good for riding fast or with strong winds. Currently I'm keen on rain jackets and Rainlegs(tm) for most wet riding, with auxiliary impermeable pants for serious miles in serious deluges.

How fast is fast? I am thinking about getting a poncho for a 5.5 mile, one way work commute and I average (according to my computer) about 11miles/hour. Do you think the poncho will work well in this appliaction?

Also, i noticed the rain legs aren't waterproof (the website says water resistant) and it looks like they don't have butt coverage. What happens when your seat gets wet?

Thanks for all the good advice!