Bicycle Rainwear
Next weekend is the Dunwich Dynamo - 120 or so miles overnight from That London to Dunwich on the Suffolk coast. This year, one of our friends from university, Dr Strangelove is coming for the first time.
He’s been asking all sorts of questions about what to bring, as well as making the usual joke about Dul wich not being that far from That London. Anyway, the conversation has now turned to what to do if it rains. The obvious answer is to just keep pedaling - your skin is pretty much waterproof.
He sent through a link to this site instead:
I’m not entirely sure about this idea for three reasons:
- Practicality. Knowing what I know about head winds, I think it’s a sure bet that no matter how you positioned this thing, none of your body would be sheltered from the rain.
- Obvious lack of conviction in the manufacturers / distributors. The above image is the only one on their site, which isn’t so much trying to sell the thing as attract "trading partners from around the world". Hmmm.
- I think the whole thing might be a cover for the Quantum organisation in its continued struggle against MI6. Yeah, I know this sounds far-fetched, but just take a look at the site’s owner, "Mr Rob McAlister":
Does he look familiar to you? No? Well how about this more recent photo from our files:
*GASP* It’s Mr White!
Still, the idea of keeping the rain off while you ride isn’t totally without merit. The Dutch have come up with this version, which looks a little more sturdy / practical, though there’s still a definite dorkiness about it:
Or how about this, which no-doubt will raise the hackles of anyone interested in a bicycle helmet mud-slinging contest:
No, don’t laugh. This cunning device is also the perfect way to keep the rain off when you’re walking around & trying to look chic:
The only trouble I have with this (apart from the obvious) is that it’s the stuff of the nightmares I had when I was four years old. Despite the above’s obvious charms, whenever I look at the picture, all I see is the Sontaran warrior from the Doctor Who episodes I was forced to watch from behind the sofa:
Time to put my analyst on danger money, do you think?
I thought the dorky raincover was invented by some French guy. The Dutch just hold the umbrella in the hand.
I can confirm that I’ve never seen the dorky raincover. However, I have seen thousands of umbrellas in use. Dutch people often buy “storm umbrellas” because they are more sturdy when used on the bike, but most are just normal umbrellas.