Tuesday, June 02, 2009

There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather

More rain this morning, which is great for the garden (snacked on some fresh baby arugula yesterday after school), but not so great for biking to work. However, I just purchased some rain gear this weekend, so I got the chance to try it out.

A pair of rain pants from White Sierra did a fabulous job of keeping me dry on the bottom half. The only draw back is they aren't quite as "breathable" as the label would imply. So, I was a bit sweaty at the end of the trail. But, I pedalled with limited intensity this morning, expecting that to be the case, so it wasn't too bad.

I decided not to wear the full-on rain coat that I purchased. It really is too bulky for biking. I went with the trusty old got-it-free-from-Sports-Illustrated zip-up wind breaker. It is surprisingly waterproof, and the zipper allows me to adjust the airflow, so the upper Monkey was dry and cool.

The only problem is my bag got a bit wet. It is sort of water-resistant, so the contents were safe (and it wasn't raining too heavily). My next bike will have a rear fender (or I will put one on quickly)--it has a lot of benefits in inclement weather.

All in all, I arrived to work in fine fettle. It was invigorating, biking in the rain--it was rain, by the way--none of those wacky Midwest thunder boomers--and I didn't mind the water-speckled glasses. I think I am figuring out how easy it is to do this in all weather (between April and October). I wonder what I will do this winter?

NOTE: Photo courtesy of Forest & Kim Starr

1 comment:

AMVB said...

The title of your post, it tempts the fates you know. 'specially when you know from thunderstorms and tornadoes out there. However, I admire your tenacity to bike in the rain and am glad your gear treated you well.

When you gettn the new bike??? What are your thoughts onthis presently? And will you get a new bike before I get a new car, I wonder? I got my registration materials in the mail the other day, and I'm at a decision point.

Anon AMVB

PS - As the cat just peed on the bed for the second time today, thereby initiating an entire new round of washing of the mattress pad, sheets, and blanket, I just might be rid of this *^%#ing cat before you get rid of your bike.

Good times.