How to bike to work in the rain (and not turn up a drowned rat)

It was a blizzard in Dunedin - yet still David Prior was determined to ride to work, a 10-minute commute on the bike to the University of Otago.

“I had my ski goggles on and full face coverage and I do work in Antarctica so I have Antarctic gear, so I had the Antarctic gear on top,” says Prior, a geology professor at the university.

“It was kind of fun. It was exhilarating. There was nothing else on the roads and it was brilliant.”

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Prior is committed to commuting to work on a bike no matter the weather. He endures the wind and rain in all seasons, the bugs that hit his eyes or fly into his mouth in the summer, and the snow and ice that come with winter.

He is in the three percent of urban New Zealanders who are considered “committed” cyclists, meaning a bike is their primary means of transport to work or getting around town. It’s fair to say that some of them might skip the bike when it's raining or worse - snowing. However, at least some of them are determined to bike to work even when it rains because of health, or environmental conviction, or because they have no other means. And they swear that they can turn up to their place of employment in a perfectly presentable condition.

Patrick Morgan - who lives in Wellington and is not surprisingly a bike advocate - doesn’t love riding in the rain, but he does it anyway.

“It’s mainly the getting out the door that’s a disincentive, but sometimes once you’re out there it’s actually not so bad, and it can be quite enjoyable, splashing through puddles and seeing other people out there in bad weather.

“You kind of give a bit of a head tilt or a nod or a smile when you see someone else on a bike in bad weather.”

Morgan added that weather isn’t the biggest deterrent to more New Zealanders biking and biking more often, but it is limited infrastructures such as bike lanes that would increase safety.

Associate Professor Caroline Shaw, an epidemiologist at the University of Otago, will ride to work in all but Wellington’s worst weather.

“It makes you feel alive. There's something quite amazing about riding in the cold and in the rain.”

Juan Parada and his family are committed to not owning a car because of the environmental impact. That means no matter what the weather he is riding more than an hour from South Auckland to his workplace near the city at the environmental organisation Greenpeace.

Often, his five-year-old son is on the bike with him for 25 minutes before he gets dropped off at school. Parada sets up a special biking tent over his son’s seat in the case of lousy weather.

“It's got plastic windows and he can look through and he's like nice and warm and cozy in there while you are getting wet riding on the bike.”

The major benefit to commuting on a bike even in the rain is car traffic typically is worse when it is wet, says Parada.

“It's a guilty pleasure, passing all the cars that are stuck in traffic and you're on your bike and you're just flying next to them. That's really cool. That's a good feeling.”

Here’s how to ride to work in the rain and somehow turn up dry and presentable:

Like the others RNZ spoke to, Shaw’s rainy day set up is a quality raincoat and a pair of waterproof over-trousers worn over on top of the pants she will wear during her work day. A pair of gloves come out when it is really cold.

Morgan advised wannabe rain cyclists to splash out on quality gear if they can. He recommended Christchurch-made brand Ground Effect.

“I mean, after years of cheaping out on rain gear, I finally worked out, you get what you paid for and investing in good gear makes all the difference in staying dry and warm when you're cycling."

A cheaper option is a poncho or a rain cape, but that can be problematic in windy Wellington, says Morgan.

Shaw wears a thin beanie under her helmet to keep her head warm and Morgan’s partner uses the hood of a snow jacket to keep her hair dry. Shaw wears glasses and the raindrops can get annoying, but she just perseveres for her short commute.

If it’s bucketing down, Parada wears a pair of gumboots on his e-bike with rain trousers over the top to keep the rain out. He brings his day shoes and stores them in the waterproof pannier bags that are strapped to his bike.

Parada keeps a spare change of clothes and shoes at his office encase everything goes to custard and he gets soaked.

“To be fair I use it once or twice a year.”

Morgan wears waterproof hiking shoes if it rains. He has seen the odd rainy-day cyclist encase their feet in a bread bag with a rubber band.

“And that’ll do in a pinch. You will sweat, but it’ll keep most of the rain away from your feet.

“So there are some low-tech winter hacks as well as paying top dollar.”

If your start time is flexible, keep tabs on the rain radar and time your trip outside of heavy downpours. A weather forecaster friend told Morgan that if you can delay or move your trip earlier by half an hour you will likely miss the heaviest showers.

“So it’s possible to ride all year round in Wellington and skip most of the worst heavy showers. Light showers are much less of a problem.”

Normal bike tyres will be fine during winter in all but the coldest parts of New Zealand. In Dunedin, black ice on the roads is an issue between May and September so Prior puts spike tyres on his bike. The studded tyres improve traction.

“You could ride it round on an ice skating rink without any problems with those on it,” says Prior, adding that he had to purchase them in the UK because the spike tires were not stocked at domestic bike stores.

Mud flaps over the tyres can also help prevent water spitting up from the ground.

Prior uses flashing lights on the front and back of his bike when it is rainy. Morgan’s raincoat is orange so it stands out and he is cautious about speed since wet roads make it harder to stop.

“You know what's the saying, ride to the conditions.”