I recently started commuting by bike and, living in Los Angeles, I don’t have much experience with rain - or opportunity to experiment with the best approach. I’d like to prepare for the few times I have to commute in the rain ahead of time, and am wondering what the pros and cons are of my jacket hood going over versus under my helmet? Any advice and tips are appreciated!
I think this depends on the jacket. Most of mine don’t fit over my helmet.
If the jacket hood fits, I much prefer having it over my helmet if it’s more than a light rain shower, so my helmet stays drier..
If riding fast this requires careful adjustment / tightening of the hood so it doesn’t blow off.
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I have a Rapha jacket that the helmet fits under the hood. I was wearing it yesterday and even with a low profile helmet I realised it was pulling down and causing neck pain. Something to think about.
Spare clothes to change into, leave shoes and trousers at work if possible.
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This is why cycling caps exist. The brim does a surprisingly effective job at keeping the rain off your face for visibility. Merino cap ideal for thermal regulation. I avoid wearing a hood while riding on the road to not effect rearward visibility when looking behind.
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I don’t like hoods because they interfere with seeing traffic and anything coming up behind you.
I have very short hair and don’t bother with a hood because I can always dry off quickly, and even the most torrential downpours really don’t result in water getting under my waterproof jacket. If it’s particularly cold and wet, I have a Showers Pass helmet cover that keeps out the rain and has a little flap in back to prevent any moisture from dripping down your neck between the helmet and jacket. It did come in handy on an 80-mile ride in a 50-degree rain.
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I drive to a ferry (Seattle). Then finish out the commute on bike afterwards.
I forgot a hat once, and put my hoodie hood on under my helmet, just to keep my ears a little bit warm.
I hated every minute of that, do not recommend a hood with a helmet.
On a side note, I forgot my gloves the same day. I rode as much as I could sitting up with my hands in the hoodie pocket
When it’s torrential (living in the north of the UK) I wear my hood over the top of the helmet. In such bad conditions I’m usually in a mountaineering jacket where the hoods are designed to fit over a helmet and usually have one or more adjusters to get a tight fit. As an added bonus they often also have pit zips to stop you overheating too much.
For sure the hood restricts visibility, but I tend to ride much slower and more cautiously in the rain because somehow it brings out the worst drivers.
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I agree that it’s very jacket-dependent. Some jackets will be designed to go hood-over, others hood-under and yet others seem to have designed the hood in such a way that any interaction with a helmet turns the whole jacket into a torture device.
I’ll second that the simple cotton cap remains undefeated as rainwear. Great visibility and breathability and seems to fly in all of the received wisdom that cotton is a poor technical fabric.
I recommend just testing for yourself. I’m a number three myself.
Best of three:
1 Hood over helmet
2 Hood under helmet
3 No hood. (Or actually hood flapping in the wind)
God luck
Lars
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@Lars_Birger_Nielsen do you really prefer your hood flapping in the wind?? I hate that - I make a point of tucking the hood into the back of my jacket if I’m not using it. I really wish my fantastic Velocio hooded jacket was not hooded!
Waterproof or wool hat under helmet, no hood. Personally.
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