cycle and cyclist waterproof ( a cape..;-) )

[pete75]

A cape gives a distinct speed advanatges when you've got a back wind

[niggle]

Heidelburg I could not find.

http://www.foxster.co.uk/Products/Cycli ... ellow.aspx

[anniesboy]

SJS have them

http://tinyurl.com/yjnq4dn

also Bike Plus

http://tinyurl.com/c7zfz

[niggle]

A Rotrax cape is heavy enough to sit around you. It covers the handlebars and possibly a saddlebag as well and depending on size reaches just below the knee when riding. It is modelled on the old Lillywhite & Lewis capes that were popular in the 1960s and 70s. I am about 5' 9" and use a 48 inch cape. I seem to remember Rotrax sizes as 45, 48 and 52.

Sizes S, M & L: http://rotraxcycles.wordpress.com/tag/cycle-attire/ No mention of price. I would really like to hear from anyone who actually uses a cape for commuting or day rides in the windier parts of the UK, like my area of Cornwall. I am sure they are good in many ways but the possible effect of head and side winds concerns me.

[thirdcrank]

... I would really like to hear from anyone who actually uses one ...

They've pretty much fallen out of general use and the question has to be "why?" My own feeling is that they are simply not as good as modern waterproofs (for all the latter's problems with condensation.)

Once upon a time, a decent cape was the only way to stay dry when cycling for long periods in the rain, but that no longer applies. They were also the days when cyclists were not constantly on the look out for craters in the roads visible from outer space and manoeuvring in heavy traffic. As a teenager I've ridden all over the place in them but I think their day has gone.

FWIW I don't ever remember wind being much of a problem. My main memory is riding for miles with an irritating puddle forming in the area between the arms, which had to be shaken off from time to time. They are not as versatile as a jacket - you'd be brave to go shopping in a cape. Somebody recently mentioned being trailed by the store detective if they went shopping with panniers; I imagine a cape over them might raise a few eyebrows. The loops on top of a traditional saddlebag mean that a cape can be strapped on for immediate use, and can be put back there if the rain stops, without having to open the bag. The same is possible with a jacket.
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PS I'd been thinking about a couple of phrases I associate with wearing a cape such as: "Any friend of Batman is a friend of mine." Then I remembered this was so called canteen humour in relation to the Dixon of Dock Green togs. The police cape is something that people with rose-tinted specs eulogise but rarely wear.

[Paul Smith SRCC]

... I would really like to hear from anyone who actually uses one ...

They've pretty much fallen out of general use and the question has to be "why?" My own feeling is that they are simply not as good as modern waterproofs .....

Seconded, infact modern rainwear in the mid range and upwards price brackets are now so breathable that many do use them as a top layer in the winter, this wouldn’t have happened in the past when you would have just as wet and ultimately cold and clammy from sweating! the same applies for the really compact varieties, some are even just designed as a shower proof and often used simply as an emergency extra layer, these ’shower proof’ models are often cheaper and more breathable than the versions that have more focus as a ’waterproof’; care is needed when choosing one as they do look very similar.

As well as rainwear modern fabrics of modern thermal garments are also far better in the rain than they once were. I remember the older fleeced lined tights that would retain water and get sopping wet, drawing body heat very quickly, modern materials used in outer thermal layers don’t hold the water anywhere near as much, so the thermal qualities to an extent remain.

I would go as far to say that as a result I have done some long rides in the rain, even in the colder winter months and thoroughly enjoyed them, I definitely can’t say that I stayed bone dry, but I was warm, comfortable and far drier than with these modern garments than I was in the past.

For sure those who may commute wearing civilan clothes or even riders who stil prefer the more tradionational cycling wear that doesn't perform that well when wet may still prefer a cape; personally I quite liked them for club runs in quiet country lanes, but I did feel quite vulnerable in commuter taffic wearing one.

Paul_Smith
Touring Tips

[niggle]

Just looking at the various types that have been listed it seems that some are 'capes' (Heidelberg, Regensberg, Rotrax, Carradice) and some are 'ponchos' (Agu) and it seems that the difference is that capes have full arm coverage but your lower arms will be exposed with ponchos, plus the sides are maybe cut higher? The Zwolle looks different again appearing to have open sides

I am trying to look for the best solution for a 6 mile each way commute in ordinary clothes with a couple of moderately steep hills, for someone who sweats buckets and got quite damp in a Berghaus Goretex hiking jacket (3 layer variety) the other day. I have not tried cycling specific jackets like the Altura and Endura products yet, I currently use a cheap Aldi jacket which is very light and packable but has poor breathability, but as I say the Goretex hiking jacket was not much better, budget <£50

It is quite possible that capes went out of fashion because of just that: fashion! The image is not exactly in keeping with the streamlined roadie look and most people seem to be so image conscious these days. I am willing to give it a go with a cape if at least some people find them useful, particularly if they are less condensation prone. If someone was able to contrast the performance of an Altura Nevis, Endura Gridlock or similar with that of a cape it would be particularly useful.

[thirdcrank]

When I took up cycling I was very much influenced by my dear old dad. He had all sorts of views, as we all do. He was very insistent on mudguards and capes. IMO he was right about mudguards, but not, I fear, capes. The main sort I am used to is the full-length dare I say full-bottomed traditional type traditionally worn with a sou-wester, spats and probably a full briar. No doubt they keep the rain off - how could this arrangement do any other? They cover the bars (in those days big loops of brake cable kept the cape above the bars, the saddlebag and anything else you wanted to hide underneath. OTOH, they block your view of the bike and the road around the front wheel, they are heavy and cumbersome and while they don't interfere with the contols, they do not help in heavy traffic.

I'm not so sure that they are all that good with condensation, although I note that others have posted they are OK. When it's raining, the air is saturated with moisture, or it would not rain. That's before you start perspiring. A cold cape in rainy conditions will inevitably have at least some condensation when the air warmed by the body heat meets the cape chilled by the wind and rain. As a trip down memory lane, I've probably mentioned before that I remember correspondence about this in the comic 40+ years ago and one reader suggested fitting a partially inflated inner tube around the shoulders in much the same way that racing cyclists once carried spare tubs.

My only recent experience with a cape was a more modern flimsy nylon jobbie. Around a decade ago, I was in my LBS - Sowerby Bros Mirfield when I noticed a cape on display. He told me that somebody had been inquiring about one for walking and the Raleigh rep had taken it as a firm order but the walker had never returned. I was just getting into the swing of going shopping by bike so I decided that I'd give it ago. What a waste of £20-00. I certainly got condensation in that (although I'd stress it was a flimsy coated nylon fabric.) It just reminded me why I had given up using one before when I was able to throw of the paternal guiding hand. For a while, whenever anybody on here asked about capes I offered them mine. One forum member got so far as accepting but then his wife threatened divorce if he wore it. I did eventually give it away last year. The recipient is not a regular on here but if he sees this, perhaps he'll comment.

On the subject of fashion, believe me, it's a while since it influenced me. Not for the first time, I'd suggest that the only time I could see a cape being useful would be for a turn marshal in a time trial - visible and unmistable from miles away.

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PS - I was interrupted while posting. It's a free world and I'd want to be neither prescriptive, nor sound critical of anybody who likes them. I fancy you are keen to get one and that's the only way to find out. Be aware that the second-hand cape market is currently a bit flat.

[niggle]

PS - I was interrupted while posting. It's a free world and I'd want to be neither prescriptive, nor sound critical of anybody who likes them. I fancy you are keen to get one and that's the only way to find out. Be aware that the second-hand cape market is currently a bit flat.

I am not so much 'keen to get one' as keen to reduce the dampness I experience when riding in the rain, by whatever means is the most effective within my budget. At the moment I am swinging back towards the more modern approach of a breathable-ish waterproof jacket as nobody seems keen to stand up, hand on heart and assert that a cape is actually better at keeping you dry plus I can see some disadvantages as well, particularly with regards to headwinds and pooling water, though I am not quite sure why you seem so keen to have a view of your front wheel, watching that usually leads to a spill in my experience

[thirdcrank]

... I am not quite sure why you seem so keen to have a view of your front wheel, ...

It's not vital but in my experience, you miss the view when it's not there, or rather I do. I mentioned, for example, potholes visible from outer space. Now, although there are probably little green men somewhere out there reporting that life may be possible on planet Earth because they have observed plentiful supplies of water at the bottom of strange craters throughout Leeds and even beyond, it's remarkably easy to overlook them when you are riding in heavy traffic.

[millimole]

As I said earlier in the thread, I've got the Lidl version, which is certainly longer than the currently fashionable poncho, but no where near as heavy as the old fashioned cape.
It's ideal when wearing 'normal' clothes to work (for me that approximates to a suit, shirt and tie) as a jacket can be too hot, and trousers both too hot and possibly (depending on my destination) impractical. It has good ventilation, and keeps me dry, but not sweaty ......
BUT
the cape does affect manoeverability, particulalry when there's anything more than a breeze, and a good head wind can make riding very hard work, and possibly dangerous. I'm old enough to remember riding with a 'proper' cape and can distinctly remember the same!
However, a cape nowadays ensures plenty of room from car drivers - you become *much* more noticable! (mine are grey and orange).

[531colin]

Come on Guys, play nicely! Some of us old lads are still using our capes with our breathable/high wicking/fully digital base/mid/whatever layers. I stay a lot drier in my cape than I do in my goretex jacket, I can sweat much faster than Goretex gets rid of it! It seems to me that the aim should be to shed most of the water away from your body, rather than all down your legs, like a jacket does, and vent as much as you can to control condensation. I think thats more important than total waterproofing.

On a similar note, I think jackets with a windproof front but a porous back are a great idea, but they are difficult to find.

[tatanab]

Thirdcrank's reasons for ditching a cape are largely my reasons for insisting that a light cape is not the best - it needs to be a fairly heavy cape. I was out last Sunday in my Rotrax cape, Carradice spats and a flat cape. Nice and dry and well ventilated thank you. Visibility of the road infront of me is not a problem because I can still see the front of the wheel.

On a similar note, I think jackets with a windproof front but a porous back are a great idea, but they are difficult to find.

I had an old Briko like taht, superb. When it got too tird I had to search long and hard to find Endura Windchill http://www.endura.co.uk/Product.aspx?de ... rod_id=218

[niggle]

On a similar note, I think jackets with a windproof front but a porous back are a great idea, but they are difficult to find.

I had an old Briko like taht, superb. When it got too tird I had to search long and hard to find Endura Windchill http://www.endura.co.uk/Product.aspx?de ... rod_id=218

Bought a Pearl Izumi jacket on special offer from Evans a few years ago which has a windproof fabric on the front and outer arms, more breathable micro-fleece type stuff on the back and inner arms. Its a great jacket and I always wear it when the temperature is low enough to need more than one layer, it can even cope with a short shower or more prolonged drizzle. Sorry I don't know remember the model name and its almost certainly discontinued now.

[PRL]

Wore my cape ( not certain of make - bought from CTC shop, I believe, some 30 years ago) only yesterday. Needed to cycle 5 miles in smartish clothes and arrive dry - accomplished .
Would I pack it for a normal tour - probably not ; a waterproof but breathable jacket is more useful off the bike.