Need Help! Waterproof gear for commuter

[Betawave]

Guys/gals, I need help. I recently moved to NZ and want to start riding to work daily, approximately 30 minutes each way on the motorway. I wear dress clothes to work and I need to stay dry on my commute, even if it starts pissing down halfway through the trip. So, I need waterproof protective gear that will go over my work clothes. Since I brought nothing with me, I need the works... jacket, pants, gloves, boots, etc.

Ideally, I'd like a couple of recommendations:
1) What do I buy if money is no object?
2) What do I buy if I have to cut corners (but still stay dry)?

The gear needs to hold up well since it will be daily wear, raining or not.

Recommendations?

[Blackbird]

Guys/gals, I need help. I recently moved to NZ and want to start riding to work daily, approximately 30 minutes each way on the motorway. I wear dress clothes to work and I need to stay dry on my commute, even if it starts pissing down halfway through the trip. So, I need waterproof protective gear that will go over my work clothes. Since I brought nothing with me, I need the works... jacket, pants, gloves, boots, etc.

Ideally, I'd like a couple of recommendations:
1) What do I buy if money is no object?
2) What do I buy if I have to cut corners (but still stay dry)?

The gear needs to hold up well since it will be daily wear, raining or not.

Recommendations?

I have both fairly expensive cordura gear and cheap (ish) plastic. In a real downpour, my cordura leaks slightly. The only thing I've found totally waterproof is my Spool 2 piece plastic gear which I bought for under $200. Ok, it doesn't breathe like cordura but that isn't normally an issue on a commute in other than hot conditions. I also wear it over my cordura if I'm doing a seriously long ride in the wet and want to stay dry and well-protected. I think a lot of people have 2 sets of gear!

[nallac]

can't really recommend any as my cordura leeks abit as well.
you'd most likely need a over suit as blackbird has suggested
it would pay for you to visit cycletreads since your so close and
suss out what you want/need can afford.

[Ixion]

30 minute communt every day, motorway and urban. For years n years.

Wet weather gear is $11 pair of Warewhare pants,and $25 (on special at the moment!) hi-viz waterproof jacket from RSEA. Hasn't let me down yet.

Some may call me a cheap old bastard, but really I'm just a sweet gentle impoverished old man eking out a frugal and penurious existence on the smell of an oily rag.

[hgmiers]

What is RSEA?

[CookMySock]

DriRider pants and jacket, and a rain suit to go over it.

Consider two pairs of boots and gloves, so you always have a dry pair.


Steve

[cs363]

What is RSEA?

http://www.rsea.co.nz/ :)

[Quasievil]

Ideally, I'd like a couple of recommendations:
1) What do I buy if money is no object?


...............A Car ??

[Henk]

Been doing the Ak commute every day for years now. Get Cordura, not leather and be warned that it all starts out waterproof to various degrees and then starts to leak with time. Usualy the zips in jackets and the crotch in pants, if you expect torrential rain wear dark trousers to help hide the embarassing wet patch. Keep a pair of socks at work, wet feet don't show but get uncomfortable, I've only ever had one pair of really waterproof boots but for commuting you may not want to drop the coin on a pair of boots that come with a goretex lining. The current approach with cordura gear seems to be to make the outside pretty with lots of pockets etc and then to try and get the weather resistance part sorted out with the lining so take that out for a good look when you are shopping and be aware that you will have to take a bit of a punt on weather over the summer since winter weight linings will have you sweating like a pig in the sunshine.

[portokiwi]

Swazzie wet weather gear and geat, Zone gear too. From good outdoor shops.

[Bonez]

30 minute communt every day, motorway and urban. For years n years.

Wet weather gear is $11 pair of Warewhare pants,and $25 (on special at the moment!) hi-viz waterproof jacket from RSEA. Hasn't let me down yet.

Some may call me a cheap old bastard, but really I'm just a sweet gentle impoverished old man eking out a frugal and penurious existence on the smell of an oily rag.Take the advice of this blokey.

[Okey Dokey]

A good fitting 2 piece leather suit with armour plus a rain proof oversuit. Put your dress clothes in a ventura pack and change when you get to work.

[rie]

Consider two pairs of boots and gloves, so you always have a dry pair.



YES.

and - although it depends where you work - your fingers will probably get stained and your nails will turn icky from the wet gloves. i didnt notice this until too late. just a heads up.

boy do i sound like a princess.

[PrincessBandit]

Wet weather gear is $11 pair of Warewhare pants,and $25 (on special at the moment!) hi-viz waterproof jacket from RSEA. ...
Some may call me a cheap old bastard, but really I'm just a sweet gentle impoverished old man eking out a frugal and penurious existence on the smell of an oily rag.
Aaaawwww. What a sweetie. :hug:
I found my tramping overpants and jacket (Kathmandu) to be extremely water proof, as proven riding in total pissing rain for over an hour from Paeroa. But I was a frozen as a fish on ice at the fish market! because there was nothing to retain body heat. My corduras do the job nicely for dry and warm, but are a lot bulkier.

...............A Car ??
SHOCK how could you say such a thing!:shit:

YES.

and - although it depends where you work - your fingers will probably get stained and your nails will turn icky from the wet gloves....

boy do i sound like a princess.
Why thank you! :lol:

[Highlander]

My experience is that "Waterproof" means water resistant for the first hour or so.
The exception to this rule is the Rain Off overgloves (http://www.rain-off.com/rdr_cmnt.htm). These are fantastic.

Just admit you are going to get wet and do what you can to keep warm.

[MaxCannon]

For a start you need a plastic bag to put your work clothes in. this goes inside a backpack or tankbag.
This ought to keep them pretty dry.
When you get to work take off your wet gear and get changed into your nice dry work clothes.

They won't get any more wrinkled than if you wore them under your bike gear (probably less so).

My jacket and pants have proven about 95% waterproof. Really heavy rain sees a couple of leaks, nothing major.
The jacket is a cheap Neo model, I think it was $200
My original cheap pants leaked like a sieve. Guaranteed wet crotch anytime it rained.
I bought some Rev'it cordura pants and they are close to waterproof as cordura is likely to get.
If I was touring I'd get a rain suit but for round town it's not worth it for 15-20 minutes trips.

I'll add a +1 for the Rain off gloves. Fabulous invention.

[rie]

if your riding jacket happens to be "waterproof" you may like to consider how you will dry out your gear overnight. after a wet day of commuting inevitably the inside lining will get wet on top of an old wet patch; you will smell like pollution dipped in a lake; etc.

there's a freakishly expensive coathanger that dries your gear for you.

or you can try just hanging it up overnight and see if that works.

definitely don't chuck it in a dryer. even if you take all the armour out. do.not.put.in.dryer.

[Usarka]

My old spidi cordura jacket has never leaked. I use this rather than my leathers for wet conditions but each to their own.

If you have cordura that is leaking try washing it in a specialised wash available from bike and outdoor shops. If the pores get clogged from dirt, diesel smoke, etc etc, it hinders the waterproofness.

[vifferman]

My Teknic Hurricane jacket was pretty much waterproof, but after I'd had leather panels stitched on top of the cordura I had to treat it every few months with Scotchgard to keep the moisture out.
I've had my Spidi Gran Turismo pants for a few years now (commute most days) and they've yet to leak. Neither has my Macna (leather) jacket (Christmas/birthday present) nor my StylMartin StyleSafe boots (over two-and-a-half years old), nor my Spidi SportComp H2Out gloves (couple of years old.
You can buy waterproof stuff, but it costs, and you have to look after it, including treating it with the appropriate stuff now'n'again.
If money's an object, buy whatever you like then top it off with either PVC stuff, or 'plasticised' nylon gear. I've got a pair of Motoline pants that I wore over my leather ones for years and years; they were nylon, with a PVC coating on the inside, and PVC welded seams. Brilliant - and cost only $40-summat. Only beef I have with them is that they were a little slippery on the bike seat.