A bit of rain 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.
Maybe they’re using less PFAS and therefore less effective. Kinda like how useful plastics are, or how DDT was a very effective insecticide.
The recommendation from showers pass is to clean your gear and re-apply your waterproofing monthly if you use it daily. I do mine a few times a year. I hand wash instead of using the washing machine because the residual detergent in the machine can defeat the purpose.
I wanted a jacket, not a hobby.
Are you complaining that you might have to clean something that gets dirty? Do you feel the same way about cleaning and lubing your chain?
You do you though. Wear it until it’s trashed and then buy a new one or get wet I guess.
I don’t usually wash and treat my jackets (any jackets) monthly, so I’d look for alternatives if that was the only way to keep a $300 or so investment functional for more than a couple of years.
Which is exactly what I did.
Not to get too personal, but I’ve had a nice warm wool jacket for a decade and haven’t washed it yet. (That’s not my raincoat, but it does work great in the light drizzly rains we so often have.)
And that works for you? Really waterproof?
When my jacket was new (showers pass), it lasted a good couple years or more of being very waterproof with no maintenance. Maybe occasionally washing. No re-waterproof.
Once I finally applied Nikwax, it just doesn’t work. First time out, pristine, it’s meh. Like I said elsewhere, it’ll repell some drops. It works better than a cotton flannel. But nothing like new.
I don’t buy the residual detergent on the washing machine argument. If that had any effect, I don’t know how they could claim they can wash your jacket with the tech wash stuff. It can remove residue from the jacket, it should also remove it from the machine. The bottle of their own product says use a machine. But hey, I could give it a try by hand. I applied the waterproof by hand.
Maybe I’m getting the concentration wrong, I could try going a little heavier.
I definitely go higher on the concentration than they suggest and soak it for longer. There’s nothing to buy about the washing machine. It’s not an argument I’m telling you my experience. If your washing machine works differently great. My old 2nd hand apartment style Kenmore was permanently infused with a decade of detergent. The newer LG I have might do better I’ll have to give it a try.
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.
Onesies for the weather win. For example… they’re a bit hard to find in the USA, but if you can get your hands on a Dirtlej suit, you’ll never look back. Expensive new, but one of those investments that pays back endless “I’m riding in absolutely horrific weather and it’s most marvelous and maybe I should ride just another few miles and bring on the mud and can I please have another puddle” kinds of dividends.
Has anyone here had any luck with Nikwax actually working well? I have a showers pass jacket that was great, used for a couple years, but as it started to wet out too easily, I tried to re-waterproof it with Nikwax. Followed the directions, washed with their special wash, etc. I used the wash in kind, applied by hand.
It is superficially waterproof. I can splash it with water and it’s fine. But any water that hangs around wets it out. I feel like it really worked when it was new. I’m wondering, can the fabric itself be worn and fail to repel water eventually?
I fear it was just coated with a forever chemical based DWR when it was new, and the Nikwax kind just doesn’t really work.
This is why I’ve largely gotten off the technical outerwear bandwagon/treadmill. And I read today that the yellow tech chain lube I’ve been using might just be PFAS based. If so… anyone need some lube?
I’ve also tried Nikwax many times over the years, always according to label directions and on appropriate garments, but have never gotten it to work properly. I give up.
I have a non-permeable Helly Hansen jacket now. If I get sweaty I get a bit damp, but it keeps me warm on urban rides. For tours I use the regular cheap membrane+DWR jackets and just replace then every couple of years.
Yes I have a lot of success with Nikwax.In my experience people start trying to use it after it’s too late. Depending on how often you wear your gear and how dirty it gets you may need to be cleaning and waterproofing it monthly. That being said it won’t last forever eventually the breathable membrane starts to wear out and all the water proofing in the world won’t help. Interestingly showerspass and cleverhood have very different care instructions. Showerspass suggests monthly cleaning and re-applications for daily use and Cleverhood suggests you wait as long as possible before your first cleaning and to not put on a wash-in DWR. Perhaps they have different processes for waterproofing.
I don’t wear my showerspasss rain gear daily so I wash it and re-waterproof it a few times a year. I never could get into my cleverhood so I haven’t needed to wash it.
P.S. Newer showerspass rain gear doesn’t use forever chemicals so they’re less effective but better for the environment.
Sorry to double post, but I’m thinking maybe the thing to do about rain is a rain cape. I have one, and it seems even if the fabric wets out, the water isn’t fully pouring through, and since it has much less contact with your clothes / skin, you stay dry. And less sweaty.
I wonder if there is one that is fully impermeable just where it contacts you most, like shoulders and arms. Best of both worlds. No water gets through, best ventilation of anything.
I’ve stated this before but any real rain ride for me requires a jacket big enough with a hood that goes under my helmet when riding.
I commuted 16 miles a day for 7 years at Kaiser Sunnyside.
Figured it out real quick once I got on board with the program.
I have an Eddie Bauer that is perfect, very thin, packable, works great and is almost perfect.
Looks kinda funny but not a fashion show so….