Waterproof/breathable jackets?

[66caddy]

Anyone got any advice/experience of weatherproof jackets? I bought a Lusso
HT50 jacket purporting to be breathable, and after a 35mile ride in overcast
conditions (no rain!) , I was soaked!!!
A friend was wearing a GoreTex jacket and was also wet, but not as bad! I
don't think fabrics can cope with the amount of sweat produced whilst
cycling? Is it really worth wearing them? I wonder whether it is better to
be wet from nice clean rain!!!! I had a fleece jacket years ago (north cape
or something) and I was caught walking in heavy rain and I stayed warm!
Any comments?

 

[Pete Biggs]

66caddy wrote:
> Anyone got any advice/experience of weatherproof jackets? I bought a
> Lusso HT50 jacket purporting to be breathable, and after a 35mile
> ride in overcast conditions (no rain!) , I was soaked!!!
> A friend was wearing a GoreTex jacket and was also wet, but not as
> bad! I don't think fabrics can cope with the amount of sweat produced
> whilst cycling? Is it really worth wearing them?

It wasn't raining so you would have been better off in a *wind*proof top
or jacket and carryring the waterproof jacket in case it did rain. It is
too much to expect one jacket to be good for everything.

> I wonder whether it
> is better to be wet from nice clean rain!!!!

Biggest problem with waterproof jackets is overheating. Biggest problem
with not wearing one (in the rain) is getting cold! So the tricky balance
depends on temperature and just how vigorously you cycle.

For short heavy showers, I find even a non breathable waterproof is
worthwhile. Does get sweaty but I'm still nothing like as soaked as I
would have been otherwise.

I recently got a Parrot Paragon breathable waterproof jacket for longer
wet rides. It's hard to know just how well it works because the mesh
lining disguises any condensed sweat there might be -- but the mesh would
hold it off my jersey anyway.

> I had a fleece jacket
> years ago (north cape or something) and I was caught walking in heavy
> rain and I stayed warm!

Fleece with nothing over the top is not so efficient for cycling beacuse
of the wind chill effect, but anything will keep you warmer than nothing.

~PB

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>,
66caddy ('[email protected]') wrote:

> Anyone got any advice/experience of weatherproof jackets? I bought a
> Lusso HT50 jacket purporting to be breathable, and after a 35mile ride
> in overcast conditions (no rain!) , I was soaked!!!
> A friend was wearing a GoreTex jacket and was also wet, but not as bad!
> I don't think fabrics can cope with the amount of sweat produced whilst
> cycling? Is it really worth wearing them?

If you're cycling fast, the rain has to be very heavy before wearing a
waterproof makes sense. I have a cycling jersey which is not in the
least waterproof but has a slightly water-repellent surface, and I find
that more practical most of the time.

When you're cycling in a more leisurely fashion, waterproofs make more
sense, but they still need a lot of vents.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
; gif ye hes forget our auld plane Scottis quhilk your mother lerit you,
; in tymes cuming I sall wryte to you my mind in Latin, for I am nocht
; acquyntit with your Southeron
;; Letter frae Ninian Winyet tae John Knox datit 27t October 1563

 

[Peter Clinch]

66caddy wrote:
> Anyone got any advice/experience of weatherproof jackets?

As has been said, don't wear them if it isn't raining (an exception is
if it's cold enough that you /want/ some extra heat)

> A friend was wearing a GoreTex jacket and was also wet, but not as bad! I
> don't think fabrics can cope with the amount of sweat produced whilst
> cycling?

Pretty much the case, at least if you're going at it any sort of hard.
Of what's out there, event is probably most breathable, then the XCR and
Paclite flavours of Goretex. Paramo stuff is more breathable than any
but uses a warm liner, so it's not great for keeping cool in if you're
working hard :-(

> Is it really worth wearing them? I wonder whether it is better to
> be wet from nice clean rain!!!!

Problem with rain is it gets you cold, problem with the jacket is it
gets you too hot... The problems cancel out to some degree, but overall
you're better off being too warm than too cold.

> I had a fleece jacket years ago (north cape
> or something) and I was caught walking in heavy rain and I stayed warm!
> Any comments?

Another vote for a windbreaker. Pertex is a good material, it'll keep
the wind out and a shower as well, though it's not good enough for
prolonged and heavy rain. Warmer kit, though still more breathable than
Goretex et al comes into its own as the temperatures and effort levels
come down. Paramo kit like a Velez would work okay for this, or
training jackets like Foska's will keep you warm and keep most of the
rain out without turning you into boil in the bag specimens. For heavy,
prolonged rain a waterproof usually is the best thing though, unless
it's a very warm day.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[Mark van Gorkom]

To stay more or less comfortable in medium temperature rain, I wear my
waterproofs directly over synthetic underwear. Not only are you less
likely to overheat, but you also keep your regular cycling togs dry
(assuming you've waterproof panniers). Only drawback is changing from
fair- to foulweather gear, wich is best done away from the public eye.
Having said that, boxershorts are probably less revealing than some
cycling pants...
For intermittent rain a windproof fleece top works best for most of
the year.

Mark van Gorkom.