Lee Hill
Do you often commute to work by bike? Do you find it challenging to ride in the rainy season?
Commuting by bike during the rainy season is not at all fun for most people. As it’s wet, you may feel uncomfortable staying wet for long. Earlier, when I commuted to work by bike, I did not like getting wet at all. So I preferred going by public transport at times.
But then I realized it is convenient to have a bike rather than a bit of water on your clothes. You can buy waterproof gears to keep yourself dry and safe.
If you have the proper outfit and the right equipment, you won’t find it challenging to ride in the rainy season.
In this article, let’s discuss the bike rain gears for commuters and a few things to consider to have a safe ride.
How Should You Ride in the Rain?
Look at Slippery Roads
While riding, keep your eyes on the ground and look for slippery areas. Be cautious about the painted lines on the roads. Manhole covers are more slippery, and you should avoid riding over them.
Don’t Ride on the Puddles
Although riding on the puddle seems to be fun at first. But puddles may hide holes, and you might fall. So always avoid going through puddles. If, by any chance, you don’t have any other option to go, then you need to take it slow.
Be Visible
Rains make it difficult for cyclists as well as those in vehicles. It gets hard for you to see the road.
So it is essential to have good bike lights that are reflective. You can also wear bright clothes if you have. While crossing the road, make sure the other rider sees you before you cross the road.
Ride Slowly
During rainy days, don’t try to break your record. Always ride slowly. Be cautious and make sure that you are visible to others.
Best Bike Rain Gears for Commuters
An essential thing while riding in the rain is to have a good set of lights. Visibility is very important in the rainy season. It would help if you had waterproof jackets and gloves as well. You can have all the waterproof gears as per your preference.
Bike Fenders
Bike fenders are essential to have on your bike. Even if it stops raining and you use your bike to commute, you may get wet. After the rain stops, there will be water on the road, and the bike tires will splash the water to your face directly.
But if you are planning to buy all the rain gears, then you might not need fenders. You can go for some standard fenders. A fender set by BluesunShine is easy to install and remove. It helps keep your bike clean and prevents any mud.
Bike Seat
If you don’t wear rain pants, you will need to have a bike seat cover that protects your clothes from getting wet while commuting. If you don’t want to spend on a seat cover, you can cover it with a plastic bag. If your bike seat is made of plastic material, it will be easy for you to wipe the excess water from the seat.
If by chance, you have parked your bike outside and your seat absorbs a lot of water, then you will have to cover it with a seat cover. It will help protect your seat from rain.
Clothes That Dries Quickly
If it rains during summers and you don’t have rain gear, you can wear clothes that dry up quickly. You can wear chinos instead of jeans as it dries up quickly.
TBMPOY Men’s pants dry up quickly and are durable. These pants are perfect for hiking, camping, traveling, cycling, and many outdoor activities.
Waterproof Rain Jacket
It is essential to keep your body dry and warm for a comfortable ride. Look for a jacket that is waterproof, breathable, and you can move with ease wearing it. One thing that you need to see is if the jacket has a hood. So if you commute wearing a helmet, look if the hood is big enough to cover it up.
Rain suits by OTU and Frogg Toggs make an excellent rain jacket for commuting. Both are waterproof, windproof, and lightweight. The jacket is made of good quality and is breathable.
If you are looking for a stylish waterproof poncho, then a rain poncho jacket is a great option. These are great for cycling as it covers your body fully from your head to your thighs.
Waterproof Pants
Most of the rain pants are made for comfort and are breathable. You will find rain pants in the market that you can wear as your primary pants and feel comfortable wearing them.
Otherwise, you mostly wear rain pants over your jeans. You need to remove it after you reach your destination.
Acme Projects, Little donkey’s, and Souke are all cycling rain pants that are waterproof and breathable. If you commute in the rain often, then these are a few of the best choices I came across.
Waterproof Light for Your Bike
Having a waterproof light is the essential thing to have while commuting in the rainy season. If your light is not of good quality, it will die out in just a splash of water.
Many companies nowadays make waterproof lights for bikes at a very reasonable price. So depending on what weather you will be riding your bike, you need to look for both brightness and water-resistance light.
The BV bicycle light set that I use is waterproof, and it comes with five LED headlights and three taillights for safety at night.
Waterproof Shoes
Getting waterproof shoes will help keep your feet dry. Many companies are making waterproof shoes. You will find one you prefer according to your style.
A waterproof shoe by Venzo is an excellent choice for cyclists and bikers. You can use it for riding, cycling, commuting, or just touring around the city.
You can also get waterproof shoe covers that you can remove easily. A waterproof rain cover by HV, which I use, is excellent. It is made of breathable mesh. I see a lot of people who commute wearing waterproof shoes all time.
Waterproof Gloves
Do you like riding your bike with wet hands?
Most of us don’t enjoy our ride with wet hands. If you live in a place where it’s cold and ride in the rain, then the water might make your fingers get numb quickly. So it’s better to invest in some suitable waterproof gloves.
I use these outdoor water-resistant gloves while riding my bike. It has a touch screen capability. It is easy for me to use my phone wearing these gloves.
Make Sure to Keep Everything You Carry Dry
If you commute to work on a rainy day on your bike, you need to cover your things and keep them dry. It would help if you had an excellent waterproof bag and panniers.
Waterproof Bag
It’s always good to arrive at your workplace all-dry. If you carry your laptop to work, make sure you are carrying a waterproof backpack and panniers. I usually carry a waterproof bag by Heeta for commuting to work. There are different sizes available for this bag to choose from.
If you have a basket on your bike, you can simply keep your things. Cover it to protect your stuff from rain.
How to Waterproof Your Clothes?
If you have an old waterproof jacket, you will see that it soaks through after using it for a long time, especially if you carry a bag over it. Do you know waterproof clothing has a DWR coating? The DWR coating gets rubbed after using it a couple of times. But you can reproof your clothing yourself. It is quite easy to do and will lengthen the life of your clothing. You should reproof your rain jackets every six months.
All waterproof gears are coated with some waterproof detergent. You can re-spray the coating and make it new.
Weather Forecast App
If you have bike fenders but do not have any other rain gear at home, what you can do is keep a check on the weather forecast. Sometimes it rains just for a while, and you can plan your commute accordingly.
Weather Radar app gives an exact forecast than any other weather forecast app. I survived using this app a lot of times.
Conclusion
Riding your bike in the rain is excellent if you have the best rain gears. The right equipment helps you to continue with your work even during the rainy season without any worry.
You need to be cautious and ride as safely as you can in wet weather.
By now, you will know the best bike rain gear for commuters to have while riding a bike in the rainy season. Nowadays there are a lot of rain gears available to make your commuting easy and comfortable.
The above bike rain gear for commuters will help you list down all the essentials you need when commuting for work or any other place.
