Biking Seattle

This was mostly expected, but as the daylight hours recede – shrinking down as the sun is deep into winter hibernation – and the clouds move in, lowering the sky and dropping the blanket of cool moisture on the city, my biking activity has also dropped.

I continue to use my bike as my primary mode of transportation, riding to and from campus regardless of the weather. But the weather (and the workload of the last weeks of my inaugural quarter of grad school) have worked on the back of my brain and kept me from the longer exploratory rides I reveled in when the sun was out.

It hasn’t been a conscious decision, really. It’s just that in the past, where I might have found a spare hour or two, looked out the window and made the decision to ride, now it simply seems more appealing to spend those hours working on something else, or just drinking hot cider and listening to the raindrops on the window.

But as I continue to commute on bike, I’ve found the weather doesn’t really create a barrier to biking. In addition to the rain pants, I made a thrift store find and now have a nice breathable, waterproof jacket (this is a more versatile option than my previous decision of a non-waterproof jacket or a non-breathing rain coat – I would usually go for the non-waterproof item, as even in a heavier rain the exterior would get wet but the water rarely soaked through the interior liner). I still would like to find a better glove option, but I’m OK on that front as well. So it’s no worse biking than walking in the rain, and biking has proven to be a faster option than the bus for any of my short-hop transportation needs.

What the dreariness has done is build a mental barrier which makes it less likely I’ll just hop on and go. But now that the quarter is over and I’ll have more free hours, I’m going to try to at least occasionally step out and pedal a bit. There’s still nearly an entire city to explore.

It seems that the rain really will just continue to come down, but now I have a partial defense against Seattle’s drearier elements.

My previous attempt at biking in a proper rain (getting around in the more usual misty conditions isn’t really an issue – even a couple months in, I barely notice any moisture in the air that isn’t actually falling, but instead hanging there, waiting for you to run into it) left me with the unpleasantness of sitting around in wet jeans for hours after the ride.

This time, however, I added one crucial piece of gear to my arsenal.  Last week, I picked up a pair of rain pants at REI, which were worth every penny I paid. They are loose enough to be comfortable to move and pedal in, and fit easily over my jeans. But they also have fasteners at the bottom, not only to keep rain from getting in underneath, but which also serve to keep them well out of the way of my chain (which is a better solution in the rain than rolling up my right leg to avoid the disaster of having my pants caught in the gear at high speed). Continue reading…

Thanks to reader AJL for pointing out that the day after I asked what equipment I’d need to survive Seattle’s rainy season, Seattle Bike Blog went ahead and answered my question.

After asking the question here and offline, a few people let me know there wasn’t any must-have equipment for biking, beyond what is must-have for doing anything in the rain.

From Seattle Bike Blog’s post:

Do you own warm clothes that you wear when walking in the rain? Then you already own everything you need to bike in the rain.

Most city bike trips do not require special clothing, even in the rain. Over time, you will discover outfits and items of clothing that make rainy biking more comfortable. But don’t get intimidated by your lack of bike-specific clothing. If what you own keeps you dry enough to wait for a bus or to walk a few blocks from a parked car to your destination, then it is good enough for a quick bike trip across town.

So far, I’ve gotten lucky. Even when the day has been rainy, when I’ve headed out on my bike there have been breaks in the rain. The worst I’ve had to deal with so far is the light mist, or, as it’s known in Seattle, “the air.”

But I’ve realized I’m not quite ready for a long, wet winter. The cold I’m prepared for. The soaking wet, not so much. Tops on my want list: good gloves that will dry quickly, and a better rain jacket. I’ve got a thin rain coat, but it looks like a warm, water-resistant jacket will be more than welcome in the coming months.

Also, I like this description from the SBB post. I don’t know if I’ll find rainy biking will be quite as much of a pick-me-up as this, but I’m willing to try.

Especially once days get really short and gray, biking is my best defense against seasonal affective disorder. Pedaling is like generating your own sunshine. It keeps you feeling energized and in touch with Seattle’s natural rainy whimsy that you might miss otherwise.

I sit here with the rain dripping outside my window, and I realize I’m not equipped for this at all. At least not to take on this weather with my bike.

Since I mostly use my bike for relatively short (five mile) commuting or errand runs, I’ve usually been a fair-weather biker. If it’s nice enough to jump on and go in jeans, I’m there. Perhaps toss a shirt in the bag to change into at the other end. I’ve never bothered to get proper gear even for slightly longer recreational rides, figuring my athletic shorts and a T-shirt would work well enough.

But now I’m trying to get a little more serious about this bike thing, and use it to get around even when the weather doesn’t cooperate. I might even become more adventurous and try to push into the dozens of miles on pleasure rides instead of being happy to break double digits. So I’m aware there are some necessary items I’m missing, but I’m less sure what exactly they are.

So for those of you who are used to hopping on a bike throughout the Seattle winter – how do you equip yourself for the elements? What are the must-haves for a wet biker’s wardrobe?