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Comment by amelius | Hacker News Reader

Anybody with good tips for an all-weather cycling outfit, which you can also comfortably wear at work?

Doesn't exist. Get a a good rain coat and pullover rain pants. Alternatively there's some good cycling specific ponchos.

Bike should have chain guard and long fenders to keep your ass and back dry and with mud flaps to keep your feet dry(ish). Might be a good idea to use rain boots and keep shoes in a bag if it's raining.

I use a cycling poncho, fenders, and chain guard. I only ride about 3 miles, but even in the worst weather I only get wet from about mid-shin down, and even then only enough to be bothersome in the worst weather.

Any thoughts on soft shell pants? http://snarkynomad.com/soft-shell-jeans-the-worlds-greatest-...

I definitely miss not having chain guard and fenders with Seattle weather, but have switched over to a raincoat and boots for biking. Waterproofing the commute is totally worth it.

In my experience soft shell is neither very breathable nor very water resistant. It's both, but as with GoreTex it's a compromise. Nothing that is 100% water resistant can be breathable and vice versa. GoreTex is very water resistant but not very breathable. soft shell is pretty breathable but less water resistant.

Technology might have improved since I bought my last soft shell pant, though.

Depends on your work, your weather, and the length of your ride. In Boston I could wear whatever I wanted for my 1-mile ride from North Station. With longer rides and hotter places it's harder not to break a sweat.

This past year I've been walking instead of cycling since it's more exercise.

Here's practical advice from Portland http://grist.org/biking/2011-10-14-the-fashionable-bicyclist...

There are no all-weather outfits. You need multiple layers. Some breathable, sweat absorbing shirts (Merino or some fancypants fabric), a fleece for warmth, a softshell, and rain gear.

This sort of surprised me. I know for motorcyclists they make all sorts of all-weather quasi-waterproof gear. I suppose the differences is that most of the motorcycle gear might be difficult to peddle a bike in.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/36/i/firstgear-thermo-o...

Because you're exerting yourself while biking, there's a need for breathability. You will easily out sweat any Gore-Tex/Polartec/Schoeller wunderfabrik if riding for more than 10 minutes. In addition, there's a need for mobility since your legs are always moving.

The raincape/poncho, however dorky people may view it, is actually one of the more effective wet weather items provided it's not too windy.

I don't sweat through my Outlier SDs (Schoeller IIRC). My Veilance shell (GTX Pro I think) is also okay if it's super cold, but would rather just get wet in the summer.

Yeah, SDs seem to work well for a lot of folks.

My point was moreso that any sort of rainproof gear will eventually cause you to sweat due to decreased venting, and it's about finding the balance between sweating, or getting rained on. Everyone's mileage will obivously differ given different bodies, air humidities, and length of commute.

The difference is that waste heat from the engine appears outside of the clothes of our noise-propelled friends, whereas we cyclists have to carefully balance between isolation and cooling. If the route is hilly, you would actually want (but don't have) completely different sets of clothing for going up vs going down, on the same ride in the same weather conditions.

Stash clothes at work to change into. It's the only way.

This, to a certain extent.

If it's raining, assume you have to change clothes. Any DWR-coated clothing will eventually wear off by the end of a season or two. And your shoes and socks will be the wettest items anyways.

Also during rain, there's a fine line between getting soaked from the rain, or sweating out from your rain jacket. Showers Pass has made bike-focused rain gear for a while that has plenty of reflective details and options for venting. Your basic rain jacket from TNF, Marmot, Patagucci will work in a pinch, too.

For moderate weather, plenty of companies have been (or used to be) targeted for bike-commuting: Swrve, Makers & Riders, and Outlier (the last one has moved away). They all offer stretchy pants made with synthetics so they dry quicker. Newer wool slacks with a touch of spandex from your typical big box retailers like Banana Republic also work because they're slightly stretchy and breathable. You'll probably wear them out faster, though, since wool doesn't handle abrasion that well.

But yeah, depending on the weather, how easily you sweat, and how far you have to ride, you may need a second set of clothes. Hopefully your office doesn't have a hoteling setup.

Outlier SDs for pants, just wear normal shirts and bring an extra one if it's warm enough to matter. You can do merino but ehhh. I just shower at work though.

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