Rapha, nice but a bit pricey?

It’s a...

1 Attachment

Which rather reminds me....

1 Attachment

Assos baselayer lolz

Heading to the Pyrenees in May to do the Col Du Tourmalet. A friend a mine was over last year and the weather turned nasty on the decent. So the buyer in me is wondering to I need a new packable rain jacket?

I have a Gore Oxygen (not really packable), Gabba (too warm for climbing) and the Rapha Pack Jacket (not waterproof, commuter fit) already so what's missing?

I'm thinking the Race Cape fits the bill but don't fancy paying full whack for it. I saw the Castelli Idro on sale in Evans for half price. Anyone any thought on that? Or maybe I could get away with arm warmers and a gilet?

Dammit, this is the wrong time of the year to be buying Rapha.

Check the weather before you leave in the morning?

And if the weather looks like it might pour I'll need packable rain jacket

What jacket to buy/bring is my question.

If its going to pour, take a proper rain jacket. You'll also want gloves, hat etc. as if it rains up at 2000m it's also <5deg and you'll freeze on the way down. Just take a small bag.

This.

Don't worry about going up, as you'll keep warm from the effort, it's coming down you have to prepare for.

Pack a gabba?

SS gabba with castelli nanoflex armwarmers and a rain cape you can shove in your jersey pocket. Easy as.

You should be ok to just have an extra rain jacket in your back pocket (which is quite sensible for any ride, anywhere). For this purpose the Race Cape is great.

If it's warm in the valley and you feel you're slightly over-dressed for the climb then undo your zip and let your jacket/jersey flap about.

Don't dress like an eskimo based on the fact you're going to possibly get very cold at the top. Because you probably won't.

It's pretty shit descending in the cold and the rain, but having extra clothes only makes it slightly less shit.

+1 for dress normally and take race cape and suck it up

I went up in the Alps in September a couple of days before it snowed and tied a LS Gabba around my top tube for the way back down along with some gloves.

Definitely worth taking a framebag or something to keep shit out of your jersey pockets as going up can get hot as hell.

Took race cape to the Alps for exactly this purpose. Turned out to be perfect for a descent in a thunderstorm!

+1 for a race cape.

Not in the spirit of the thread I know ... but producing a race cape for descending isn’t rocket surgery so needn’t be expensive. Castelli do something for £40 that’s fine.

You could add a buff and full fingered gloves.

It's pretty shit descending in the cold and the rain, but having extra clothes only makes it slightly less shit.

On the North Downs this may be true. Halfway down a mountain, trying to mend a puncture with numb fingers, this may be very not true.

Ok, so you're descending a mountain in terrible weather [so cold your fingers are numb] and you get a puncture.

Why not take a bivouac and really prepare for the nichest niche of niches?

It's the Tourmalet not Mount Everest.

As well as a jacket, if there is chance of poor conditions, I would take:

• armwarmers
  
• kneewarmers
  
• thin but warm full finger gloves (apparently some people take plastic disposable ones)
  
• thin but warm hat/buff.
  
• shoe covers of some sort, e.g the condom ones or even plastic bags you can put inside your shoes
  Put the lot in freezer bags and wrap rubber bands round them to pack them down.
  
  

@Señor_Bear: I think you are underestimating both how changeable and how serious bad weather can be on a mountain (or have a team car...). Went to Ventoux last year, 23 C variation in a single day (max 34 C, min 11 C). It doesn't take a lot of descending in the cold to really cause problems, and it's not a big deal to carry a few extra items.

If conditions are that bad, stay in bed.

The point is they change, especially in mountainous areas.

Does the Race Cape have a wrap band like the insulated gilet? I really like that feature.
Also the gilet looks like a pretty flexible bit of kit haven’t worn it on the bike yet but I’d recommend on its fit and weight and pack ability

It doesn't

Boo!!
I like it so much that I’m going to get one added to my Haglofs gilet

Really? Who knew?!

lol