What to Wear to Bike in the Rain: Why Waterproof Cycling Jackets SUCK!

I hate waterproof jackets because the point of a waterproof jacket is to keep you dry but the problem with waterproof jackets and why they're so terrible for cycling is that because they're made out of synthetic materials regardless if they're waterproof breathable materials cycling is such a physically intensive activity that they get so dang hot and sweaty look I've tried a few different waterproof jackets fancy ones made out of gortex from Patagonia Rafa you name it I don't care how much they Market that they are waterproof and breathable when I get on a bike I'm sweating in them my body runs super hot I get very sweaty it's kind of a problem it's kind of gross I get that the fancy hundreds of dollar waterproof jackets made out of synthetic materials may actually be waterproof and breathable but cycling at above 15 mph is not one of them here in Northern California where it's pretty rainy and winter when when it rains it's usually 50 to 60° fahit that's kind of warm and when I'm riding in a waterproof jacket no matter how breathable it claims to be I still get sweaty in the rain what the heck even is the point of a waterproof jacket if I'm just getting wet from my own sweat anyway pick your poison do you want to get wet from the rain or do you want to get wet from your sweat to put in perspective how dang warm these waterproof jackets are no matter how breathable they claim to be last year year I lived in Michigan in the winter it gets below zero and it snows a lot I stayed warm in Michigan by wearing a turtleneck underneath a waterproof jacket and I would ride perfectly fine in wind chill with that jacket because they just don't breathe enough and designers of waterproof jackets have attempted to remedy this problem of people who do things outside that are physically demanding and get sweaty in their synthetic waterproof breathable materials by putting in generous armpit zippers and the idea is that the more air flow that you let through the more the jacket will be able to breathe but they have to do that because the material itself doesn't breathe enough and yeah the quote unquote waterproof breathable Patagonia jacket that I had for years and just recently got rid of because it just made me too dang sweaty and I got fed up with it and even when I'm riding in the rain here in 50° F weather with the armpits completely unzipped even the front zipper completely undone okay well in that case I'm getting wet from the rain on the front I still sweat in that thing this is not even like pick your poison it's like I am both sweating and getting wet from the rain but by far the hardest weather to dress for is hot steamy rainy tropical and subtropical weather because it's like you're just going to get wet either from your sweat or from the rain and probably both I lived in hot steamy rainy subtropical Taiwan for 2 years and I visited Japan twice which has a similar climate and I notice a pattern amongst the scooter riders and the cyclists most of them wouldn't wear waterproof jackets instead what they would wear is a rain poncho which is essentially a big wearable plastic bag that you can buy for $150 at 7eleven but the idea is that a rain poncho unlike a jacket that is tailored to conform to every Bend and limb of your body and trap heat inside close to you is loose fitting has a big giant hole at the bottom it has big giant holes in the arms to let air escape and actually attempt to keep you cooler Tai one is actually the first time that I actually saw bike specific rain ponchos and that got me thinking is the rain poncho just a better design piece of clothing to keep you dry than the rain Jack at especially when it comes to hot and sweaty cycling the idea a step further because I wanted to find the ultimate piece of clothing that would keep me dry and comfortable not necessarily fast but dry and comfortable in the rain while I'm riding my bike and what I found was this lovely piece of clothing this is the oil canvas yes canvas cotton canvas rain poncho the cotton canvas rain poncho is a very very popular choice amongst horseback Riders and if you've ever ridden a horse you know that it's really freaking hard work just like riding the modern horse the Iron Horse the bicycle like seriously in Taiwanese the word for bicycle is literally translates to Iron Horse so I thought the O canvas rain poncho would translate very well to the bicycle but cutton is notoriously hard to dry if you've ever washed a pair of jeans and had to throw it in the dryer for three separate rounds before you could even wear it you know exactly what I mean so how's it possible that cotton can be waterproof cotton is what scientific brainiacs like to call hydrophilic meaning it loves water it loves to absorb things even it can absorb up to 27 times its weight in water but that means it could also absorb other things that hate water like wax or oil so if you can get cotton to saturate an oil and wax it's waterproof don't believe [Music] [Music] me thank you [Music] everything under the Poncho oh my hat is perfectly dry I also find that the O canvas Poncho is a lot more breathable than a tailored jacket that is hugging every part of your body because there are huge holes for heat to escape there's a huge hole in the neck there's a huge hole at the bottom I'm practically wearing a dress if you've ever want dress you know how comfortable they are in the summer best of all it's got these ginormous holes underneath the arm which is like the biggest pit zipper in history that only waterproof jackets could dream of to let all of this heat Escape while still keeping you dry from the rain coming down from the sky on top of that the Poncho is really long and that's helpful when you're riding a bike because when you're pedaling your leg is exposed exposed to the rain and it covers that and even covers most of the leg when you're in the riding position something to keep in mind though is that I am a pretty tall rider this is not an issue for me but it might be an issue for you if you are shorter is that because the Poncho is long you have to make sure that it's not too long and not actually getting caught in the spokes of the front wheel if it is get a smaller Poncho or get it cut at a tailor so that it doesn't do that cuz that's kind of sketch the oil canvas tto's been a game Cher for me it is by far the most comfortable piece of clothing that I've used riding under wet conditions it keeps me dry both from the rain and from my sweat it's cotton it breathes just fine on top of that it has all these holes for ventilation unlike waterproof breathable synthetic materials oil canvas or wax canvas have been proven over centuries to just work Sailors noticed that wet sails caught more more wind than dry sails and they could sail faster so Scottish Sailors in the 1800s started applying oil and wax to their sails to make them both waterproof and catch more wind and make them faster and there lies the problem with waxed SL oil canvas for cycling the Poncho turns you into a big sale now that can be a lot of fun when you're riding with a Tailwind but against the headwind it catches all the winds with how Flappy the fabric is and how uh how much it covers that's the tradeoff is that it makes riding especially Against the Wind pretty gnarly you have to ride really hard just to ride slowly when you're riding Against The Wind in a wax cotton Poncho but in my eyes I'm not trying to ride super hard please don't hit me car oh oh my gosh they don't see me all right I'm not trying to ride super hard in the rain I'm just out here to have fun I'm not trying to ride like I'm in the tour to France every time I'm riding my bike I'm just out here get some exercise have some fun and feel good so I started saying yeah it catches the wind and it it makes me ride really slowly but raining day is training day baby speaking of having fun on bikes this video is sponsored by wobby cyle no joke wobby Cycles has changed my life and I'm not just talking about the fact that they give me money to say the things that I would say anyway about them but rather their bikes are actually so good that it's another thing to look forward to when I get on my bike every day they help reduce the friction that we have and the excuses that we tell ourselves that we shouldn't ride our bikes or that we don't want to ride our bikes because they are just so dang fun to ride and part of what makes it so life-changing for me and makes it so fun to ride ride is that these bikes are meticulously handbuilt out of top tier Reynold 725 or Columbus Spirit steel it has a ride quality that just encourages you to want to get on the bike and encourages you to keep pedaling the bike once you are on it my wobby is one of my most treasured possessions because it tangibly improves my life and if you're looking to get one for yourself be sure check out wobby Cycles Linked In the description and fixy famous shout outs to David K Julian Corona Brandon black Brent David Mario piz and Ted Anie for helping to make these fixed gear videos possible through the support on patreon and remember a life is short but don't make it shorter so be sure to ride your bike every day to be reasonably dangerous

Channel: Zach Gallardo

Views: 15,117

Keywords: fixed gear bike, fixed gear bike review, single gear bike, best cycling, fixed gear, fixed gear cycling, fixed gear track bike, fixie bike, bike, fixie, fixie review, fixed gear road bike, how to ride bike in rain, biking in rain, what to wear to bike in rain, what to wear bike rain, how to dress for biking in rain, dressing biking in rain, bike commute rain, waterproof cycling jacket, waterproof jackets suck, wet weather bike, wet weather cycling

Id: sJDwFV7Ko5k

Length: 10min 47sec (647 seconds)

Published: Sat Feb 03 2024