A bit of is no reason to stop riding your bike. I prove it to you in this video as I venture out for a ride during a Portland rainstorm (a.k.a. an “atmospheric river”).
Come along as I do a loop from Peninsula Park (riding through Lake Michigan) to Willamette Boulevard and then down to the Esplanade via Greeley and Interstate, then back home up North Williams Avenue. Along the way I check to see how my local bikeways are holding up, get splashed by a driver, accidentally scare someone, share reviews of some quality rain gear, offer a few rainy riding tips and theories, stop at Migration Brewing for a pint, and bask in the glow of Portland’s amazing fall colors.
If you’re still riding through the rain, let us know how you’re holding up.
And if you want more inspiration, plug into the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s winter ride series. Tonight (10/28) they are hosting the See and Be Seen ride at 5:30.
Thanks for reading.
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To revitalize the water resistance of your technical fabric, you might consider Nikwax or a similar product. It is pretty simple to use.
Yes I hear you on that. I need to get better at that. Have never done it successfully enough for the habit to stick. I need to try again.
Same here — I had a nice Showers Pass jacket that started sopping up water two years after I purchased it, tried Nikwax, and was unable to get the restoration I was hoping for. I eventually gave it away.
I’ve given up on the traditional nylon + Goretex combo, focusing instead on avoiding heavy rain and, as a last resort, using an impermeable outer layer that traps sweat but otherwise keeps me dry.
I’m sort of trending toward more impermeable fabric styles these days, especially with an e-bike where I just don’t generate as much heat anyways and sweat isn’t a problem. I just want to be in the elements a long time without getting wet!
has the quality of Gore’s stuff gone down over time? I’ve had two identical Marmot jackets made out of Pac-lite, one bought in 2014 and the other in 2020. The newer one is nowhere near as effective.
For a fun time, go rainbow hunting!
Pay close attention to the weather forecast. If you see partly cloudy anywhere in the forecast with your rain, pop out for a ride. Good time to do one of those flat roadie rides in farmland, where sky exposure suddenly turns into a blessing. With luck, you’ll catch a rainbow.
Another option is to wear clothing that dries out quickly after it gets wet. We get rain year round here in the SE – in the hot summer raindrops are much bigger (especially at 80+ degrees) and you can easily get soaked even with the best rainwear – and in winter we get a lot of “Portland” rain, small but steady droplets at around 45-55 degrees. In summer I wear a combo of synthetics and cotton, in winter wool and polar fleece plus a heavy shell. I also bring a change of gloves and headwear to stay reasonably dry.
I would also advise that y’all put your phone and wallet and anything else that needs to be kept dry into ziplock bags (zipped closed) and then put them wherever you usually do (in pockets, special bags, panniers, etc).
I’m a big guy (4XL) so I appreciate makers of clothing who do such sizing. I personally use a 4XL bright orange rain shell by ML Kishigo but there’s lots of similar stuff out there.
When a storm is passing through and it suddenly get dark, don’t forget to turn on your lights and blinkies, so everyone can see you as you “suddenly come out of nowhere”.
Was out for a few hours on Sunday and put my Cleverhood rain cape through its first big test.
In short it worked very well. It’s a bit awkward keeping the part around my hands in place over the handlebars at times, but overall kept me plenty warm and dry – so much so that I didn’t need the gloves I packed, and even ended up taking off my jacket.
Also quite impressed by the shoes I got from Columbia that claimed to be waterproof (they just look like normal walking shoes), and did in fact keep my feet dry even in heavy rain/riding through puddles.