Rain

Ignoring the threats of rain from both the iGoogle weather tool and the WUG prediction I rode to work this morning with none of my rain gear. That, of course, guaranteed that it would rain for my ride home, which it did. In my defense, it was a 30% chance, and I was willing to gamble.

I don't normally carry a lot of rain gear. I have a reflective jacket/vest from PI that I use for night or rain riding, usually without the sleeves, and a pair of motorcycle goggles that I keep in the pocket of the vest. If I'm expecting heavy rain I'll toss in my snow-camping rain pants. Today, I had my do-rag, hobo gloves (see pic if you're unfamiliar), and pea coat because of the cold, but nothing for wetness. Thankfully the ride home is short and it wasn't raining too hard. I did learn a few things though.

First - wool is great. I rode, as I usually do, in my work clothes. This meant wool slacks, long sleeved cotton/poly shirt, and a tie. My legs got wet (thighs primarily) but didn't get very cold even though it was all of about 35F. I also discovered that ties make decent rain protection. The hobo gloves (also wool) kept my hands warm although again, wet.

Second - the drum brake on the front hub was a fantastic investment. The rear brake slipped, as it always does because of the stainless rim, but the front worked like a champ. Add to that the fact that I had full lighting from the generator on a day I probably wouldn't have carried lights with me and you have the reason I laid out more money for the front hub and lights than for the rest of the bike.

All in all, I was glad to be riding but more glad to get home.