What came of me almost losing my mind while riding underwater a few weeks ago? I finally got to test my rain gear from Royal Distributing. It did the business in light rain, but after a couple of hours in steady downpours they leaked through the waist leaving me with a nasty case of wet crotch and a foul attitude.
The key to happiness seems to be a zip up coverall rain suit. No seams means no leaks. Failing that, a pair of pants with a bib would prevent rain from working its way into the front of the jacket. I’m bound to want something not sold here, so I immediately found a rain-suit that I’d like that isn’t available for sale in Canada.
The Kawasaki rain-suit is sold in Europe and Asia, but not North America. Sigh. Fortunately, a German bike accessory company has it for sale on ebay and is willing to ship to Canada.
I’ve put in a request for sizing and shipping information, we’ll see what comes of it. In the meantime I found some waterproof bib-rainpants at the local TSC for $85. Since the Kawi-rain suit is only $40 more, I’m going to hold out and see if I can nab one, but the cost of importing it might make that impractical. Why doesn’t Kawasaki offer this suit everywhere? It does rain in Canada.
If you’re ever looking for stuff tough enough to bike with TSC offers an interesting alternative. TSC sells farm-ready work-wear, so everything is super tough. It doesn’t come with fancy bike related logos on it but it’ll do the business. A set of work boots that cover the ankle would be half the price of bike boots. Leather work gloves (they have very nice mechanic’s ones) are double reinforced at 1/3 the price of ‘bike’ gloves. Jeans and jackets can be found with double stitching and thick material for a fraction of the cost of bike specific gear. Likewise, their rain gear is classed to industrial levels of water resistance and durability at much less than branded bike wear. If you’re looking to bike on a budget TSC might be the ticket.
In the meantime I’ll keep the Royal Distributing rain suit handy and hope it isn’t too torrential while I wait for a reply from zee Germans.
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| Neck to ankles – that should keep it out. |