Bicycle Commuting, Kids, and RAIN

I almost got rained on Friday evening.  There was stuff falling from the sky, but just barely, and any Portlander will tell you that that is NOT rain.  I rode calmly to the daycare provider’s house, picked up the kids, and rode home.  No sweat.  Well, actually, I sweat a lot, but it’s completely unrelated to rain.

The forecast for the next couple of days looks good, but on Wednesday there may be showers.  I’ve got to get myself and the kids ready for whatever happens.

What do we need?  Let’s see.

Raincoats for kids:  check

Rain poncho for me: check

So far so good.

Shoes/boots? Well, the kids aren’t going far.  They will probably be fine.  Will my feet get overly wet in 2.5 miles?  I guess I’ll find out.  I understand that some people cover their feet with grocery bags.  I haven’t done that since I was a kid out in the snow (who needs snow boots for 2-3 days per year?), but I’ll do it if I have to.  I’ll stick bags in my backpack just in case.

Bags to cover seats:  I’m sure a grocery bag will protect my saddle nicely.  I’ll need a bigger garbage bag to cover the child seat while there’s no child in it.  And I guess I need to secure it somehow so it doesn’t fly off.

Fenders:  All of the bike commuting sites I’ve visited say that you need full fenders for riding in the rain, but until recently, I never knew why (no, I am not smart about that sort of thing).  If you don’t know either, the reason is that they help keep water and mud from flying up onto you and your clothing.  You can even get a mudflap to extend the effectiveness of your fender.  My bike, fortunately, does have fenders.  Hopefully they will do what they are supposed to do.

Lights:  Eek.  We don’t have lights on our bikes.  I know we need to get them.  It’s not in the budget for this paycheck (I have $3 and change left right now, folks).  I think we can get by this time.  I know the lights would help our visibility in the rain, but at least it won’t be dark.  I am also not riding with kids on any non-residential streets.  Lights are definitely on the ASAP list.

There are other clothes and things you can get, but I’m broke and not riding very far.  I also think it’s not necessary for the average person to buy a ton of bike gear in order to commute.

Speaking of which, are you an average person with an interest in bike commuting?  I just found out that Monday, September 22 is World Carfree Day.  Many cities around the world will hold carfree events on this day, but if there’s no event in your area, you can still give bicycle commuting a try — just for one day!