Bike recommendation for commute to work...

[Geoff_F]

The office where I work is moving from being 1 mile from my house to 2.5 miles

I’ve done 15km every morning this week

If your shortest route is 2.5 miles and it is not hilly, the point at which you would start to benefit most from a high quality breathable waterproof, will be after you have got to work and have taken your jacket off. In other words, it will take you all of those 2.5 miles to get to the point where your body starts sweating to cope with your raised heart rate and increase in body heat.

Whatever waterproofs you get, for that sort of distance the key to not getting excessively hot and sweaty is to ride at a pace which is slow enough not to result in arriving at work with a high pulse rate.

For such a short distance, you may not want to stop and put on waterproof overtrousers if it starts to rain heavily during your commute. For that situation you might prefer to keep a spare pair of trousers, socks and footwear at work or in your pannier.

You have mentioned that your commute goes through parks in Peterborough. If much of your commute is on lightly trafficked roads and on cyclepaths like this - https://www.google.com/maps/@52.5627601 ... &entry=ttu, then you might find a traditional cycling cape might be suitable. Their advantage is that they can be put on (and taken off) very quickly mid-ride, unlike overtrousers, and for such a short distance may provide just enough protection for the legs and feet/footwear. Because they are open at the bottom, they allow good throughflow of air and do not need to be made of expensive breathable fabrics. To be clear, I would not wear one in high winds, but for a short commute riding through a park like in the link, it could be the best and even the most pleasant option. Article here by someone who tried a cape - https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/revie ... o-cyclists, and this one - https://carradice.co.uk/products/proroute-raincape can be bought for less than £40 incl. postage from SJS or Spa Cycles.

These fabrics of which you speak do not (cannot) exist. Marketing is a powerful tool though. Water vapour can permeate the fabric when it is dry on the outside but so do most fabrics. When the outside of the *tex* fabric is wet, vapour cannot pass through. There are quite a few good articles debunkung this "breathable, waterproof fabric". In short: Yes, it can be somewhat breathable and yes, it can be waterproof but it cannot do both at the same time.

[slowster]

These fabrics of which you speak do not (cannot) exist. Marketing is a powerful tool though. Water vapour can permeate the fabric when it is dry on the outside but so do most fabrics. When the outside of the *tex* fabric is wet, vapour cannot pass through. There are quite a few good articles debunkung this "breathable, waterproof fabric". In short: Yes, it can be somewhat breathable and yes, it can be waterproof but it cannot do both at the same time.

It is not as simple as that. Firstly, it is not true of Shakedry or Columbia's Outdry, which do not have an outer face textile which can wet out. Paramo is another fabric which works differently. Secondly, much of the time a breathable waterproof is worn it is still allowing moisture to pass, either because it is not raining or if it is the jacket outer has not yet completely wetted out. Depending on how heavy the rain is and the how upright someone is on a bike, I expect the benefit of a breathable waterproof would still make a difference over 2.5 miles or less, because it will take time for the jacket to wet out.

[Geoff_F]

These fabrics of which you speak do not (cannot) exist. Marketing is a powerful tool though. Water vapour can permeate the fabric when it is dry on the outside but so do most fabrics. When the outside of the *tex* fabric is wet, vapour cannot pass through. There are quite a few good articles debunkung this "breathable, waterproof fabric". In short: Yes, it can be somewhat breathable and yes, it can be waterproof but it cannot do both at the same time.

It is not as simple as that. Firstly, it is not true of Shakedry or Columbia's Outdry, which do not have an outer face textile which can wet out. Paramo is another fabric which works differently. Secondly, much of the time a breathable waterproof is worn it is still allowing moisture to pass, either because it is not raining or if it is the jacket outer has not yet completely wetted out. Depending on how heavy the rain is and the how upright someone is on a bike, I expect the benefit of a breathable waterproof would still make a difference over 2.5 miles or less, because it will take time for the jacket to wet out.

For such a short ride, a cheap 100 percent waterproof seems to me to be the answer but I am frugal and tend not to be influenced by fashion and advertising.

Edit: I do have an expensive 'breathable' jacket but did not pay full price for it many years ago. It is well tailored and well made generally but I found that it did not "breathe" as much as I could sweat even when dry on the outside.

[freiston]

I have a cape (the Carradice Proroute that slowster mentioned and linked to above) and think that one would be ideal for such a ride - there's a danger that you could feel very smug in a downpour when you see other cyclists, and contrary to what some say, I find that they work well in the wind too.

The only reason I hardly use mine now is because most of my riding requires wet weather gear for both on and off the bike. As far as waterproof jackets go, I would only consider one with generous pit zips and preferably with zip and velcro fastenings at the front - then you can get plenty of ventilation to reduce the build up of sweat. Taking it easy so that you don't overheat so much helps too.

With a jacket, quick drying trousers (or a change for the end of the ride) are essential because more often than not, when it threatens rain, you'll risk not putting your over-trousers on and then the heavens will open, or that mithering drizzle will soak you through.