My bike clothing for rain falls into two categories: ones that repel water and ones that stay warm even when soaked. My heavy-duty raincoat and knee-high boots do a stellar job keeping things dry underneath. But I couldn’t find any comfortable water-repelling gloves, so I settled for fleece-lined gloves with a synthetic shell.
How do I avoid putting on clammy, damp gloves at the end of the day? Newspaper. Good old newspaper.
If I cram wadded up balls of newspaper tightly into my gloves, shoes or anything else I want to dry out, within an hour the moisture is wicked away. Then my hands will be dry and warm for the ride home, at least until the rain comes down again. So when the rain starts coming down, I head for the newspaper rack.
About the Bike Commute Diaries: Launched in May 2012 for National Bike Month, this series explores the unexpected and surprising things I’ve seen and learned while bicycling for transportation.
fossilcyclist
December 10, 2014 at 8:27 am
Nikwax do waterproofing stuff that might help http://www.nikwax.com/
Richard Masoner (@cyclelicious)
December 10, 2014 at 1:18 pm
I used to use a glove dryer meant for ski gloves in those bygone days before the drought. This winter is shaping up to look almost like a normal winter, so perhaps its time to dig it out.
sevencyclist
December 10, 2014 at 6:44 pm
Cool tip! Never even thought of that. I wonder if the same trick will work, with the newspaper in the shoes?
Are you riding in the storm of the decade?
Christine Holmes
December 11, 2014 at 4:56 pm
Great idea. I also have found that wool holds up pretty well in wet weather conditions, keeping you warm. DeFeet wool gloves is one option. Another idea is to consider latex gloves inside or outside your hands, or even dishwashing gloves.
Madame Walkowiak
December 11, 2014 at 9:36 pm
Thanks for the tip, Janet!!
Dishwashing gloves! Hahaha!! What a funny, brilliant idea. That could quite possibly be the most practical (and thrifty) idea to keep hands dry in the rain. And if you get the yellow ones, your hands will be more visible to boot!
ChrisS
December 24, 2014 at 6:16 am
I have read that the ink of newspapers can damage the fabric of the inner layers, especially the water-repelling and/or windproof layers! So, I would be carefull. I’d recommend household paper or something similar.
Roeckl makes some fine gloves. The Rimini has been made with a layer called ‘Roeckl Tex membrane’, much alike Goretex. It keeps you dry and warm. My favorite gloves in the winter. I had to search a long time before I got these. (I have no commercial affiliation whatsoever with this brand).
For what it’s worth! ;-)