Many people use bicycles for commuting and running errands. We love the fresh morning breeze, the easy parking, the health benefits, and the financial savings. Besides, what other commuting option has its own ’80s theme song? (Cue Queen’s "Bicycle Race"). Yep, while the sun is shining and the weather’s fine, you can’t beat bicycling for a great way to get around town.

But what happens when the going gets wet? With autumn and winter just around the corner, it’s easy to let the wet weather dampen the excitement of the ride. As the days contract and sunshine turns to rain, do we trade in our bazillion-mile-to-the-gallon peddling machine and our great summer biking legs for a piddly twenty-five miles to the gallon? Not a chance.

It turns out that year-round bikers have a second theme song: "Riders On The Storm." Feel free to hum along as we look at some fairly easy ways to bike safely and arrive dry, even in the rain.

1. Always use front and rear bike lights for early morning, evening, and wet weather rides. You may be able to see without a headlight, but drivers have a more difficult time seeing you. A flashing taillight makes you more visible from behind as well.

2. Reduce your speed for greater control of your vehicle. Most times, we have fewer than 10 miles to go on our daily rides, so going slower will only add a few minutes onto the time of our ride.

3. Give yourself more time to stop. Wet brakes need to burn off water before they can grip properly. This translates into a greater stopping distance.

4. Apply even pressure to both the front and rear (or left and right hand) breaks to avoid skidding.

5. Keep in mind that motorists have poorer visibility and less control over their vehicles as well in the rain. Bike defensively and make yourself visible with bright clothing (more on clothing to follow bellow).

6. Put rain guards or fenders over your tires. College campuses have an affectionate term for the line of muck and water that wet tires can spin up onto your back: they call it the "freshman stripe." By the second year of college, most people have learned to appreciate fenders on their bikes.

7. Keep a wide enough distance from parked cars that you won’t have to take evasive action if someone opens his or her car door in front of you.

8. Bike predictably. When you are biking next to parked cars, maintain your place on the road. Even if a crosswalk or some empty parking spaces give you the chance to bike further to the right, keep biking in a straight line. You’ll be more predictable to motorists and you won’t have to worry about merging back into the flow of traffic.

9. Follow the rules of the road. This is true all year long, but is especially important in wet weather.

10. On roads with no bike lane, make yourself clearly a part of traffic. Be confident and assertive about your position on the road. When you come to a stop sign or red light and there’s no bike lane, maintain your place in traffic by coming to a stop in the line of traffic and waiting your turn to cross the intersection.

11. Where possible, avoid biking over metal manholes, painted pavement, subway ventilation grates, and construction plates. These can all be slippery when wet.

12. Also avoid puddles and wet leaves. Puddles can hide potholes and wet leaves can be slippery. Also, there’s no telling how deep puddles are. A friend of mine shared the amusing story of biking under a walkway during a period of heavy rain and ending up in chest-deep water. No harm done, but certainly a situation worth avoiding.

13. When bicycling over slippery surfaces, keep your wheels perpendicular to the ground and balance your weight evenly. Avoid sharp turns or leaning in the direction of your turn.

14. As usual, cross railroad tracks at an angle, preferably a perpendicular angle. Never attempt to cross railroad tracks with your wheels parallel to the tracks.

15. When locking your bike, turn your lock so that water doesn’t run into the keyhole.

16. Save your morning shower for after your ride. If your office does not offer showers, find a gym neaby your workplace so that you can rinse and towel off when you get near work. This rearrangement of your schedule will allow you to arrive refreshed and dry to work.

17. Bring a change of clothes. Either keep dry clothes in a plastic covering that you take with you to work, or leave a change of clothes in your desk.

18. Bring a plastic bag or shower cap to put over our bike seat if you park your bike outside. This will keep your seat dry until you’re ready to bike home.

19. Dress for the drizzle. If there’s one place that knows about biking in the rain, it’s the University of Washington in Seattle. The weather-savvy folks at this university have compiled their own list of wet weather clothing for cyclists:

• A cycling rain shell. This is different from a rain "jacket" or a rain "coat." Generally it will not have a hood, and it will have underarm and side ventilation (zipper or mesh). The advantage is that you can put what ever cold weather insulation you need on underneath of it, using your hoodie or favorite sweater for warmth. Beware of cheap imitations! You want something made out of plastic, or heavily coated nylon. Get it a little big, so that you can wear layers underneath. The underarm ventilation works to keep it from turning into a little greenhouse as you ride.

• Foot covers and wool socks. Nothing is quite as annoying as spending the rest of the day with wet feet. Not all of us have a locker or an office to keep a change in, so spend the extra few dollars on some Merino wool socks by SmartWool or Sock Guy. Wool will stay warm, even if wet. Combine wool socks with some kind of neoprene or other water resistant booties that go over your shoes, and you could have toasty warm toes all day! Booties also extend the life of your expensive bike shoes.

• Legs. Rain pants are a great option, but expensive and should be tried on before buying. Second Ascent (used!) in Ballard and REI are good places to go. Some folks swear by using mountaineering gators just on their calves, others prefer full leg rain pants and others think that having wool or polyester pants over Patagonia long underwear or cycling tights is the way to go. It kind of depends on your own sense of style.

• Visor and helmet cover or a cycling cap. It is important to keep something under/over your helmet to keep your head warm, and equally important to have a visor (especially if you wear glasses). Cycling caps are a cheap way to take care of that, but they are cotton and don’t dry well. Helmet covers are a good option, but tend to wear around where your helmet sticks out. It’s a personal decision, but it’s important to have something keeping your body heat in and the rain out.

• Gloves! Preferrably padded, and full finger or half finger with regular knit gloves underneath. They are very important to help keep your grip when it’s slippery.

20. Most winters only have a small number of truly pouring wet days. On these days, you can follow these tips to stay as dry as possible, but there’s no harm in jumping on the bus or the subway either.

Additional references and resources:

Riders on the Storm (bicycling video) | San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Biking in the Rain Tips | The University of Washington

Cycling in the Rain | Suite 101

The Ultimate Resource Guide for Commuting by Bicycle | 21st Century Citizen

Better Living Through Biking | GO

How to Ride Your Bike to Work | GO 

Lighter Footstep: How to Buy a Great Used Bicycle | GO

Environmental Defense: Bicycling to Work Pays Off | GO

Photo Source:

A Bicycle in the Rain | Flickr