As I’ve mentioned before, I believe that the bicycle is the best way to get around in the city. It’s fast, light and eco-friendly. However, when I present my arguments for bikes as a means of transportation to other people, the general reaction is: „yeah, maybe, but you can’t ride a bike when it’s raining”. Actually, you can do that, if you wear the proper equipment. In this article I will go through some items that bikers should consider when deciding to face unfriendly weather.
Just to make things clear: even if you just ride for ten minutes through a light rain, you’re going to get wet. I did that a million times before I learned the lesson. Moreover, even if it doesn’t rain when you’re riding, but the ground is wet and full of ponds, you’re still at least going to get dirty from the water thrown at you by the wheels. Mudguards will help you to some extent, but don’t rely totally on them. The best solution is to protect all parts of your outfit, including shoes and pants. To do this, you need:
- Shoe covers
You may be thinking that you don’t need them, but that’s a temporary impression until you arrive home and see that your shoes have turned into small boats. They also protect your shoes from getting dirty. You can find an example here. Keep in mind, though, that water will eventually get through, especially under heavy rain.
- Rain pants
Something like this. You usually wear them over normal pants. I must admit, they’re not the best choice if you’re going on a date, but they will keep you warm and dry.
- Rain jacket
This is a more common piece of equipment, and one that some people wear even if it’s not raining. It can be found in all colours and sizes. It will protect you from rain and wind, but it sometimes does a bad job at keeping you warm, so you might consider wearing it over your usual jacket.
You may have noticed that I didn’t mention rain ponchos. I’ve tried one a few times – it offers poor protection when worn on a bike. Apart from the fact that you may wind up with it over your head after a strong wind blow, it doesn’t protect your legs at all.
I hope I managed to offer some useful advice to people that don’t want to leave their bikes at home on a rainy day. Although it may sound a bit crazy, biking in the rain is very fun, especially when you don’t get wet. So go out there and don’t let a few drops of rain stop you!