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by Scott McCredie photos by Gregg Bleakney SINGIN’’d always been a fair-weather cyclist, we loaded up our bikes with test gear — IN THE RAINremained on the inside. At most, I’d felt but living in the Pacific Northwest including rain-ready bicycles, panniers, only a sheen of moisture along the shoul- meant I could only ride for five lights, and outerwear — for an overnight ders of the Gore jacket, after a particularly months of the year. What would it tour of the southern shore of the mighty rigorous Seattle hill ride. Itake, I wondered, to extend my riding Quinault. Call it a dry run. It seemed to me that eVent might have season into the monsoon season? Was it The Olympics, however, were just one been a little drier than Gore-tex, but I want- possible to be comfortable riding in the of the proving grounds for rain testing that ed more scientific evidence. So I delved rain and wind without having to pump out took place over several months in 2009. into research the U.S. Army has done in a a gazillion kilocalories of muscular effort to I took several wet-weather rides around quest for the best rainwear for soldiers. Its stay warm? Could cycling in a downpour Washington, including a week-long spring conclusion was that eVent beats Gore-tex in ever be fun — or at least pleasant? The tour from Seattle to the coast. Here’s what the breathability department. But what did only way to find out was to go out and test I learned… that really mean? cycling gear designed to do just that. I got in touch with Phil Gibson, the guy But to test cycling rain gear, you have Keeping the Body (Relatively) Dry who conducted the test. He’s a member to have rain. So, in January, at the height Kevlar-coated rain gear for cyclists hadn’t of the molecular sciences and engineer- of the Pacific Northwest’s rainy season, a been created yet, though I could have used ing team at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier group of cyclists and I headed to the wettest some on one of my test rides. Ben and I had Research, Development, and Engineering place in the lower 48, the Quinault River embarked on a bike tour from Seattle to Neah Center, in Natick, Massachusetts. Valley of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. Bay on the far northwest tip of the Olympic After making sure, I presume, that In an average year, 175 inches — 12 feet — Peninsula. It was April, and the weather the Adventure Cyclist had no ties to terrorist of precipitation fall here, most of it in the previous week had been cold and blustery. groups, he told me that although eVent winter. The week before we arrived, dur- A light rain was falling when we left, hence scored better than Gore-Tex in the Army’s ing a two-day stretch, clouds had dropped the head-to-toe outfit of rain gear. breathability tests, “I don’t think either 20 inches of cold liquid. Yes! When I went down on a slippery corner of them can keep up with people who are We anticipated — and even hoped for and tore holes in my jacket, booties, and sweating heavily.” — something along the lines of a Biblical gloves, I learned the hard way that cycling Good point. There’s a limit to how quick- flood. But arriving at the Quinault ranger in wet weather presents some challenges ly any fabric, during great physical exer- station, we learned that the weather forecast and dangers. Wet asphalt, manhole covers, tion, can transport sweat to the outside. Phil was for clear skies all week. Unrelenting painted lines on streets, railroad tracks, and described himself as an experienced bicycle sun. Nary a shower or a squall in sight for organic matter growing on streets — all are commuter and long-distance cyclo-tourist eight days. things to watch out for. himself, but he “mostly doesn’t bother with “Figures,” my friend Ben said. “It’s Even if the rain gear I was demo-ing a rain jacket; it seems pointless.” Fenders, Murphy’s Law. The weather never goes the failed the extreme friction test, it did man- he believes, are more useful for keeping him way you want it to.” age to keep me dry in the wet snow, wind, comfortable cycling in the rain. Ben, a software designer and avid two- and showers that we encountered during Then he said something I thought per- wheeler, had agreed to help test out gear the week. During that time, I pitted Gore- haps reflected the warrior culture he works with me, along with photographer Gregg tex, the Big Dog in the world of waterproof in: “I would say most bike riders who wear Bleakney and his buddy Greg McCormack, breathable fabrics, against eVent, an upstart rain coats are wusses!” a well-traveled naturalist. Between them, fabric that was supposed to be more breath- I’m not making this up. the two Greg(g)s had logged hundreds of able than Gore-tex. From my experience, there’s no good miles of rainy days in their cycling port- On this trip and several others, I tried reason to rush out and buy a fancy new folios. On separate trips, they had bicy- a couple of eVent jackets, pants, gloves, (and still quite expensive) set of eVent cled from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Tierra and shoes, made by Showers Pass, Rab, rain gear, unless, of course, your old stuff del Fuego, and together had traversed the and Teva, along with a set of Gore-tex togs is worn out, or your gear consists of non- length of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline. made by Gore Bike Wear for comparison. breathable plastic. Gore-tex will probably Despite the gloomily sunny forecast, I was impressed by how dry all of them keep you as dry as eVent under most real- One man’s quest to stay dry and comfortable in the wettest conditions world cycling conditions. If you’re really tolerant, a thin wool layer (consider Ibex, pumping, no fabric or coating will be able Icebreaker, or Patagonia) might be enough. to keep up. If you feel the cold more you can add For maximum venting of body vapor on more wool layers or a fleece. The mistake a bike, it would be hard to top a cycling most people make when wearing water- cape. Although you run the risk of looking proof outer layers is over-insulating, which like a real wuss in Phil’s eyes, rain pon- causes them to sweat like crazy. After get- chos, popular in Great Britain but almost ting wet from the inside, they then assume unknown in the U.S, allow a ton of air to their waterproof gear doesn’t work. Avoid circulate around your upper body. You this by layering lightly. Multiple thin lay- drape the poncho over your head, lash ers, which are easily adjusted by adding or the front to your wrists via loops sewn removing, are better than one thick one. into the fabric, and away you go. I used a If you’re hot, or even really warm, you’re couple of models, a waxed cotton number wearing more than you need. from Britain’s Carradice, and one made of a Bleakney is a big fan of wearing wool waterproof/breathable fabric called Ultrex underneath a breathable but not-especially- from the Center for Appropriate Transport waterproof nylon shell that allows his body in Eugene, Oregon. I felt odd and like a vapor to pass through easily. He’s a native bobby on the beat as I pedaled the streets Northwesterner, a big guy who sweats a of Seattle. Both capes kept my upper body lot and, when he’s traveling by bike, he bone dry, although I still had to wear rain tends to push himself pretty hard. When pants and shoes to make sure my lower Fenders. They’re the single most important piece of gear for comfortable wet-weather riding. he started training for long-distance tour- body was protected. ing several years ago, he thought Gore-tex The layers beneath are as important as important on a longer tour when you are erance. And that’s saying a lot given my was the way to go. He recalls a mid-winter what you wear on the outside. While the carrying minimal gear and don’t want to ultra-sensitive nose. 100-miler in a full downpour with a Seattle new generation of synthetic underwear stop and wash frequently. During my tests, As for insulation, just about any quick- riding club. “My strategy was to not let still does a great job of transporting mois- I was pleased by how well wool garments drying, warm-when-wet synthetic or wool- any rain in,” he explained, “and I showed ture away from your skin, it’s only margin- do in this regard. Even after two or three en material will suffice. Here it’s all about up with Lycra and a thick Gore-tex jacket. ally better, at least for me, at preventing days of riding, my Ibex woolies were, if meeting the needs of your metabolism. I was soon swimming in my own sweat and odors from becoming insufferable. That’s not redolent of roses, within my odor tol- For people who sweat a lot or are cold- soaked from the inside out. Guys from the Seattle club taught me to plan on getting wet from either inside or outside — eventu- ally all gear fails.

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