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Great Local Bike Gear for Wet Riding

As is evident by this week’s weather, winter is just a hop, skip and a puddle jump away. But that doesn’t mean you have to hang your bike up for the season. In fact, pedaling in the rain can be a really enjoyable experience. It just means knowing how to ride on wet streets—a little slower, making sure to hit the Muni tracks perpendicular and being visible. It also means having the right gear.

If you’re an urban rider who takes your steed from your home stable to Zeitgeist and a few errands in between, you probably aren’t drawn toward the suburban safety bike gear. Lucky for you (and me) there are some great, local companies that are making stylized wet riding gear. Here’s a curated collection of some of the best wet riding gear and where you can find it in San Francisco:

Chrome Yalta bag, Chrome, $120
Keeping your stuff dry is even more important than keeping yourself dry. Your skin dries a lot quicker than your iPhone or those important papers you’re carrying. I’m a big fan of the Chrome roll-top bags. Made of thick 1,000 denier Tarpaulin and a truck tarp liner, this bag is waterproof enough for SF’s foggy, drippy winter days.

Honjo Fenders, Box Dog Bikes, $125
Fenders are the most important gear for winter riding, since most of the water comes splashing off the ground. Box Dog Bikes sells Honjo Fenders, handmade metal fenders that bolt directly to your bike. Gorgeous, lightweight and these babies might make winter your favorite season to ride.

Chuey winter wool cap, Mojo Bike Shop, $30

Chuey’s reputation as the best cycling hat maker extends around the globe. Lucky for us, he’s based right here in San Francisco. His hand-made wool hats, made from vintage fabric, will keep you dry, warm, and stylin’. Check out the ear-flaps!

Orion Jacket, Mission Workshop, $395
Fully-taped, waterproof, breathable jacket by local company Mission Workshop. Thoughtfully designed for urban riding, with rear pocket, detachable hood and secret, waterproof iPod/iPhone interior pocket.

Gemini USB lights, Mash Transit, $42/pair

When it’s raining, visibility is extra critical. These small, USB charged LED lights are some of the best on the market. No batteries necessary. Charge them up on your computer and ride safely for hours.

 

Kristin Smith started riding bikes at 3-years-old and hasn't stopped since then. A long time rider, racer and commuter, Kristin has spent the last five years writing about San Francisco's active bike culture. She is the newly appointed Communications Director for the SF Bicycle Coalition.

UGG Classic Tall Stivali,Alto in fondo rotazionale machineGenerally, verticale macchine di stampaggio rotazionale utilizzano un compatto camera che produce queste macchine energia efficace di riscaldamento e raffreddamento.Anche se questi tipi di macchine detengono il potere simile, come appena come quelli con unità multi-arm orizzontale carosello, sviluppano una camera o spazio minore.Altalena arto machineThis prodotto si muove lo stampo particolare avanti e indietro tra il riscaldamento e raffreddamento chambers.Per essere un singolo fornire macchina, questo può essere un'opzione di costo produttivo solitamente impiegata dalle scuole o possibilmente nella prototipazione.MachineIt carosello è tra la maggior parte delle macchine molto popolari disponibili sul mercato.Esso sarà disponibile in una varietà di formati e avrà circa 6 bicipiti e tricipiti.In generale, macchina può essere acquistato in due diversi modelli, fissi e anche indipendenti.Un carosello dura e veloce anche 3 armi risolti questa mossa con a vicenda.Qui, un braccio sarà probabilmente essere situato dentro il passo di riscaldamento, in cui uno supplementare è presso la camera di raffreddamento della cpu come pure altri con il punto di carico/ricarico.

yay chuey!! i love his hats. especially the chrome customs! http://tinyurl.com/ChromeCHUEY

yay chuey!! love his hats. especially his chrome customs! http://tinyurl.com/ChromeCHUEY

The bike in that picture is like the one my grandmother rides. She makes Eggo waffels with Jimmy Dean sausages every Sunday. Did you notice that the woman in the picture is taking an illegal right on red? The green light is for the other direction. She should have come to a full and complete stop. If she had, her foot would be on the ground. How do I know she didn't already do that you ask? The shadows on the rain puddles indicate reverse time lapse up to five minutes. How do you like them poodles?

Yes, use good lights, even during the day when it is raining. Many car drivers don't use their wipers during light rain, which diminishes their ability to see you. Good lights (front, back, and side) are your best protection.