Keep it covered, possibly a bit more maintenance than normal. Worth greasing the bolts so they don’t seize if moisture does get in.
Also would recommend removing the handles bars after winter and checking. They can corrode inside the clamp and you won’t know till they snap. I know of two people tat happened to, although that was from sweat on a turbo.
Brilliant, thanks guys. It’ll be well covered and maintained
Ok group think.
Talk to me about waterproof jackets and commuting. As noted on a previous thread, my running OMM jacket has lost it’s waterproofing in key areas, and following @FatPom’s suggestion, it does look like it was my running pack that has caused the damage. So that leaves me without a decent waterproof for running, every day use and now cycling.
I highly doubt there’ll be a Goldilocks jacket that will cover all of these areas … but if you know of one, do tell!
Looking at cycling waterproofs, they seem to be either super lightweight (expensive) and fitted or bulky, stiff, and baggy. I rarely ride in the rain on a ‘normal’ ride. So i guess i can be more specific to the commuting needs which will be riding in with a backpack once or twice a week. It would be an advantage if i could then use the jacket during the day in work as well.
It needs to be robust enough to cope with a reasonably heavy backpack - journey is just under an hour each way, pretty exposed up and down the river. I get hot very easily, so needs decent venting or breathability. It may get occasional general use (not commuting) so i don’t want it to be big and stiff and flappy.
As much as i’d like a nice sleek packable waterproof, i thikn writing down my requirements here is suggesting that’s not what i need unless i seriously start riding outdoors for my training/social rides in the winter. Reality is Zwift will be kicked into existence again pretty soon.
Sorry, bit of a ramble … but any ideas?
ETA - A few that seem to fit the bill if anyone has them/ has any thoughts.
The Gore C3 jacket covers most bases really well as a commuting jacket. Not fully fitted, but not baggy. waterproof, breathable. And not too delicate like the more expensive shakedry gear…
get a big stiff and flappy, and modulate temperature with the layers underneath. It’s a commute, spend just a few quid and don’t waste those expensive things on being trashed by having a back pack on or stuffed inside a backpack etc.
I’m not sure I’d want to wear a jacket over my work clothes that I’d been sweating in for an hour on my commute. Even the most breathable jackets get a bit sweaty, especially it you’re carrying a rucksack.
Good point, but as we’re hot desking now i can’t leave a jacket in work. My work is on a reasonable sized campus, so i’ll often have to walk to meetings on either side of site (about 1km from end to end).
@JibberJim This is sort of what i’m trying to decide on - will a nice jacket just get trashed?
I’d probably happily ride with just a gilet unless it’s really cold, as i’m a proper hot, sweaty you know what! I’ve got this old one, can’t remember what it is now. But the moment taht stuff so much as touches the skin on my arms, it’s all clammy and wet and vile.
Everyone is going to have an opinion on this one 
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IMO if you need to put on a waterproof you need a proper waterproof & not a lightweight showerproof one that packs down into the size of a squash ball. I’ve got an old Altura one that is still waterproof & reasonably snug but leaves room for nothing else in the pocket but that’s a sacrifice I’m happy with.
If buying tomorrow it would be no surprise that I’d be looking at what Galibier have & at the moment it’s the Tourmalet, but not sure what it’d be like for running.
ETA I don’t know why a jacket would get trashed in your commuting rucksac. I’ve had my waterproof rolled up tight, secured with a rubber band in a small plastic bag for years & it’s been totes fine.
The people who are doing full waterproof cycling jackets, what are you wearing below the waist?
You’ll need to look at the specs. They should give waterproof and breathability ratings. Waterproof is usually given in mm. Anything over 10k is considered properly waterproof. Make sure they have taped seams as well.
Breathability there are a few different measures. It’s quite tricky to create a fabric that keeps water out without keeping sweat in. A lot of jackets have underarms vents as well you can un zip.
When I was commuting I used a decathlon trail running waterproof. It had decent specs and rolled up into the size of a coke can and fitted perfectly into the bottle pocket on the side of my ruck
Bib tights or shorts. Waterproof up top is about keeping your core warm and dry. Wet legs is annoying, but less critical to keep dry.
This is of course only if you have a sizable commute. 20mins in a shower I would be tempted to layer up to keep warm and accept I’ll get wet. I’m a big sweater as well so any jacket is likely to make me wet one way or another.
Yep, thanks. I’m all over the various ratings, and understand there’s no perfect balance between waterproof and breathability. To be fair my Omm was as good as i’ve tried, i was just disappointed at how quickly it degraded with the pack on the shoulders - and that was just a running ‘vest’, so not very heavy. I think it was 20k hydrostatic and breathability rating (yep just checked).
This is pretty much me as well! I can handle the cold and wet, but i guess it’ll be less funny arriving in the office literally drenched heat to toe after fighting a northerly headwind and driving rain for 55mins hunting for a warm shower and somewhere to get my body to come back to life!
I bought a really nice commuter pack, so space isn’t really an issue for the waterproof.
Yeah the other issue I found was finding somewhere to hang wet clothes to dry. We put in chit to facilities for a heated drier but that went nowhere.
Yes this is a constant point we’er talking about in work at the moment as well. They’re hugely pushing the ‘don’t drive to work’ thing from a sustainability perspective. Trying to encourage people onto bikes and public transport. “Oh we have all these great facilities and showers on campus”. Yeah great, but what to do with my wet towel and kit?!!?
It’s bad enough now in the heat. I have to stuff my bibs, top and socks into a plastic bag in my bag. Then i get the joy of crawling into cold, damp, stinky, sweaty lycra at 4pm. Oooohhh yeah. Lovely feeling and smell!! Once you get riding again, you don’t notice, but that first 5 mins is pretty vile!
I like the look of that one and the Rapha one. Both reasonable prices as well.
Yeah. In my last place there was a small gym, basically an old office with a couple of bits of kit and a small changing room and shower. I used to leave kit hanging up in their to dry. Often would bring spare socks.
My current places has great showers and towels daily, but again no where to hang wet kit.
When we were in our old building, out of the way. There were old radiators and stuff we could get away with leaving stuff out on. That or hanging them out of the window, as it was right on the edge of campus in the middle of the residential areas.
Now we’re hot desking in the main admin building in the centre of campus, where all the execs etc are. So no more window airing for us!
Our new office has great cycling facilities. As well as loads of bike racks and large changing room with lots of showers, lockers and towels provided, there’s also a drying room. The drying room is basically just a small room with the heating turned up and a rail with a load of coat hangers. It seems to work pretty well, but we’ll have to see how it copes as the office reaches full capacity and more people start to use it.
One thing I have noticed recently though is that people have started hanging their freshly laundered shirts and their work suits in there. Feel free to do that, but don’t get too upset if your clean white shirts come into contact with my filthy wet cycling kit 
I think the problem we have is it’s a campus of ~3k staff and 15k students but there isn’t much space available. Apparently research and teaching is more important! 
I don’t mind once a week, it should be fine. We’ll see if i still hold that opinion in December!
Just need to install those washing lines on pulley things across all that wasted space at the top of the lecture theatres, the clothes can be dried by all the hot air spoken by the lecturers.
And no-one will be dripped on, 'cos who turns up to lectures anyway?