Rain gear for cycling in Portland

You don't need rain pants and a rain jacket. Here's what we ride in, and why.

Clever Cycles has sold rain gear in Portland on SE Hawthorne Blvd. for almost twenty years, and most of what we sell is not a shell jacket and a pair of rain pants. It is fenders, capes, chaps, hoods, pogies and the layers that go under them. This page is how we actually dress for a Portland winter commute, what each piece costs, and where each one stops working.

What is Portland rain really like for cycling?

It is drizzle, cold and dark far more than it is a downpour. About nine tenths of our rain falls between mid-October and mid-May, and November is the wettest month with around 17 wet days, but the airport only sees 35 to 37 inches a year, which is less than Houston or Atlanta.

That shapes the gear. You are dressing for a 20 to 40 minute ride in light rain at 40 to 50 degrees, in the dark half the time, not for a storm on a mountain. The riders who give up in November usually bought gear for the wrong weather: a heavy shell that soaks them in sweat, or nothing at all because the forecast said "showers." Heavy rain cuts Portland bike traffic by about a quarter; light rain barely dents it, because the people riding in it have the three things below.

Why are fenders the first thing to buy for riding in the rain?

Because some of the water that soaks you on a city street comes off your own tires. Full-length fenders with a long front mudflap keep spray off your feet, your back, your drivetrain, and the rider behind you.

Clip-on fenders are better than nothing, but they leave a gap at the bottom of the front wheel, which is exactly where the water that hits your shoes comes from. Our pick for a road or commuter bike is the PDW Poncho Fenders at $69, made by Portland Design Works a few miles from the shop, with a flap that reaches close to the ground. For bigger tires we fit SKS Bluemels or Planet Bike Cascadia, and for e-bikes PDW makes a wide 20-inch set. Brompton riders already have fenders; the upgrade there is a longer front flap. If your bike has no eyelets, come in and we will find a set that mounts anyway. See every fender we stock.

Rain cape or rain jacket: which is better for bike commuting?

For upright riding at commuting speed, a cape. It covers your hands on the bars, your lap and your thighs, and because air moves underneath it you arrive dry from the inside too, which no breathable shell manages on a hill. A jacket is better when you're riding really fast, it's really windy. 

The cape we sell the most of is the Cleverhood Rover 2.0 at $129: light, packs to a fist, reflective pattern woven through the fabric, thumb loops and a waist tie that keep it from lifting. The Rainger is the heavier all-winter version, and PLUVO and Danefae make capes and ponchos in prints that do not look like bike gear at all. For riders who want a hood and sleeves, the Cleverhood Anorak is the middle path: cut long, vented, and happy on and off the bike.

The honest limit is wind. Above about 20 mph, a cape starts to act like a sail. If you ride a road bike fast in all weather, a cycling shell from Showers Pass might be for you. See every cape, anorak and poncho.

How do you keep your legs dry on a bike without rain pants?

Cover the thigh and knee, and let the rest dry. On a bike the rain lands on the top of your thighs; your shins mostly get spray, which fenders handle. Rainlegs are chaps that clip on over your own pants, cover exactly the thigh and knee, and leave the back of the leg open so you don't sweat through. They roll up into a belt when the rain stops. They are made for drizzle and light rain on a shorter commute, not a downpour, and they pair with pants that dry fast; denim is fine for a short hop and miserable for anything longer.

Our Rainlegs sold out this fall and are back in stock the week of November 2, in black and reflective. Under a cape, some riders skip leg cover entirely.

If you really want rain pants, the Showers Pass Transit Pants at $149, in women's and men's cuts, are the ones that breathe well enough to wear over work clothes; they are the only full rain pant we keep on the shelf, and we sell them to people with long rides or office trousers to protect.

What keeps your hands warm and dry riding in Portland winter?

Pogies, if you are not under a cape. They are mitts that strap to the handlebar; your hands go inside with the thinnest gloves you like, and they stay warm and dry in a way no waterproof glove manages once it is 38 degrees and raining. Under a cape your hands are already covered.

The Bar Mitts commuter pogies at $78 fit flat bars and most e-bikes; there is a version for swept-back townie bars too. If you want gloves instead, the Showers Pass Crosspoint knit gloves are waterproof and feel like normal Gloves and pogies.

What do you wear on your feet to bike in the rain?

Either shoes that are fine wet, or covers over shoes that are not. Wet feet are a cold problem more than a wet problem, so wool socks matter as much as the shoe. Blundstones are our favorite. We don't sell them, but there Portland is hosting one of the few Blundstone stores.

For riders in regular sneakers or cycling shoes, the Showers Pass Club Shoe Cover at $55 pulls on over the shoe and stops both spray and rain, and it packs small. Waterproof socks are the other route; they work, and they are warmer than they sound. Whatever you choose, a long front mudflap is what keeps the shoe from being soaked from below in the first place.

How do you keep rain off your face and glasses while cycling?

A cap with a brim under your helmet. It is the oldest trick in cycling and it still works better than anything: the brim sheds rain off your glasses and keeps drizzle out of your eyes without a hood blocking your side vision. A wool cycling cap is warm wet or dry.

If you wear a hood, wear it over the helmet, not under, so you can still turn your head; cape hoods and the anorak hood are cut for that. Clear or yellow glasses keep road spray out of your eyes on dark mornings. We carry caps from Walz and others on the apparel wall.

How do you stay visible biking in Portland rain and dark?

Oregon law requires a white front light visible from 500 feet and a red rear light or reflector visible from 600 feet, but in the rain the law is a floor. We run two lights at each end, one steady and one flashing, in the daytime too, because wet windshields and low cloud take away the contrast drivers rely on.

Reflective fabric is the other half: drivers see movement before they see a light. The Cleverhood Rainger at $269 has reflective thread woven through the whole cape, so every pedal stroke lights up in headlights.

The reflective Rainlegs do the same for your knees. Under a cape, mount the front light on the fork crown or run a dynamo, so the cape doesn't cover it. Lights we stock.

How do you keep your laptop and clothes dry on a bike?

In a pannier or a bag made for rain, not a backpack. A backpack makes your back sweat under any jacket and takes the spray off the rear wheel; a pannier sits behind the fender and stays dry, and the waterproof roll-top kind from Ortlieb and Tern keep a laptop dry through anything Portland throws.

If you must carry a backpack, put a rain cover on it or a dry bag inside it, and ride under a cape, which covers a small pack. Brompton riders have it easy: the front bag sits in the lee of the cape. Bags we stock.

What rain gear do kids and cargo bikes need in Portland?

A kid on a bike is not pedaling, so they get cold faster than you do. Cover them head to toe and add a layer you would not wear yourself. The Cleverhood Kids Rain Poncho at $89 covers a child on a rear seat or a longtail deck with their legs and hands inside, and Rainkiss makes bright kids' ponchos for less.

For the box or bench, use the cover made for the bike. We stock the Tern Rain Shield and Storm Shield for the GSD and HSD, and the Urban Arrow Raincover Plus for the Family, plus the FamilyNext cover and the rider poncho that attaches to it. A wool blanket in the box and a small work light clipped inside the cover make the difference between a kid who likes winter riding and one who doesn't. Cargo bike covers and accessories.

What should you wear riding an e-bike in the rain?

The same things, with more emphasis on fenders and less on breathability. An e-bike at 20 mph throws constant spray, so full fenders with long flaps are not optional. The assist means you sweat less, so the Cleverhood Anorak at $119 is may be the right choice: hooded, vented, and long enough to cover the saddle.

The bike itself is built for rain. Motors and batteries are sealed; wipe the charging port before you plug in and keep the battery indoors on freezing nights. Brake earlier than you think, because the extra weight and speed need more room on a wet street.

How do you take care of rain gear and a bike that gets rained on?

Wash the gear in a technical wash, never with fabric softener, and re-treat it when water stops beading. Nikwax Tech Wash and TX.Direct do it in one load, and a cape that has gone flat will shed rain like new afterwards.

For the bike: use a wet-weather chain lube, swap to softer brake pads if you have rim brakes, and let five to ten psi out of the tires for grip. Bring it in for a tune before winter; wet grit wears a drivetrain faster than a dry summer does. Our belt-drive bikes are low maintenance and don't require lubrication.

What do you do when the rain is too heavy to ride?

Put the bike on transit. Every TriMet bus has a front rack, MAX takes bikes at the doors with the bike symbol, and the Community Cycling Center and PSU have practice racks if you have never loaded one. A rider who knows the bail-out rides more days, because the worst case is a bus ride, not a soaking. A Brompton folding bike allows you to take public transit or hop in a Lyft or your friends car.

How can you get set up for rain riding on a budget?

Fenders first, then a cape, then a cap. That is under $200 and it covers most of a Portland winter. Capes last for years, so a good one is cheaper per ride than replacing rain pants every other season.

Written by Dean Mullin, who has been riding through Portland rain for twenty years on his way to Clever Cycles on Hawthorne. Updated 2026-10-30.
Changelog: first published 2026-10-30.