A Word on Rain Suits

A word on rain suits.

Generally, Murphy’s Law dictates that if you have a rain
suit with you it will not rain. It also states that if you pull over and put a
rain suit on at the first sign of rain the rain will stop shortly after you are
ensconced in your rain suit. I have learned to pull over early, wiggle into my
rain suit and look for the skies to clear as I remount my bike. Just like we
wear crash protection to prepare for the remote possibility of a crash. In a way
the thinking is if you wear crash protection you will never need it.

So, having a quality rain suit with you when you travel a
field is a key component of preparedness. Generally, I don’t like to leave in
the rain. Meaning that if it is raining out, I prefer not to start a long ride
unless I am already someplace and home is the return destination. But, riding
and encountering rain will happen sometimes and being prepared with gear makes
it much more comfortable and actually, safer. If you commute any distance to
work having a rain suit is nearly mandatory. We don’t live in the tropics so a
rainstorm can make you pretty cold in your riding gear very quickly. As we get
cold we lose mental acuity and it becomes harder to concentrate. When this
happens we may not be not riding at the level we should be, and that is not
safe.

We recommend and sell rain suits from Triumph. Our
experience is that when comparing value to price point these suits can’t be
beat. I own a 2001 vintage Triumph Chevron Oversuit and it still works
fabulously. I have logged over 1000 miles in the rain in that suit this summer
and it still does not leak a bit. Considering it has been worn probably 50 times
over the years, I can truly testify to its quality. The Chevron is a one piece
suit that has an innovative and award winning design that allows the rider to
put it on without doing a dance on the side of the road as they try to get their
legs into the pants portion. All of this is done with two zippers that run from
your chest to your feet. After removing the Chevron Oversuit from its supplied
bumbag you put your arms through the sleeves and immediately your upper body is
out of the rain. Then using two zippers and some Velcro you seal yourself into
the suit, remount your bike and you are off. Total time to do this is about a
minute after you get accustomed to the procedure.

Some riders want a two-piece rain suit, and there are some
good reasons for this. If you have a quality all weather riding jacket, you will
stay dry, for a while, in the rain. In this case a set of rain pants can help
you keep your bottom half dry. It should be noted though, that rain, especially
hard driving rain, has an uncanny ability to eventually penetrate most all
weather riding garments. A rain suit is essentially a big plastic bag and since
it doesn’t breath it doesn’t let water in even at speed.

So if you want it not to rain for the next three months get
yourself a rain suit!

Thank you for being on our mailing list and have a great
rest of the summer from all of us at Great Bay!