Categories: Accessories and GearEtiquetteLa Vie VelominatusLook ProMusings from the V-BunkerThe Rules

The Nine Kit

Misty Mountain Hop

Riding in bad weather is an incredible experience assuming you don’t fall off and break your hip, or you don’t get hit by a car. Those realities aside, the weather adds a dimension to the ride that you simply don’t have on a sunny day, lovely as they are. The other day I was riding early on a cool morning with a light mist. The humidity in the air seemed to dampen the sounds of the city a bit, and the warm moist air wrapped about me like a cloak. At sea level, it was raining, but the clouds were low enough that as I climbed up away from the coast, I rose out of the rain and into the clouds which seemed to cling to the treetops as they clawed their way along the hillside. The early rays of the sun were trying to penetrate the clouds, and in some spots where the could cover was thinner, the rays burst forth with stunning clarity.

I was in another world entirely.

I keep wearing my S-Works Evade helmet when the weather gets bad outside. And every time, it’s a fresh disappointment that I don’t look like Boonen or Lizzie, who both look amazing in that festering turd of a helmet. But I don’t. I blame my grapefruit-shaped head and the vaguely bewildered look on my face. I’ve thought about ways to make my head look less like a fruit of a popular primary color, but everything I try leaves me with this same stupid round head. If you can’t choose your parents, you should at least be allowed to choose your face; it seems like a basic humanitarian issue.

Ugly as it is, however, it is very warm and keeps the wind off my wet, flowing locks, and it also has enough surface area that I have added various strips of black reflective tape to help make me more visible in order to satisfy to my lingering desire not to end up on a texting-driver’s bumper. (I’ve also covered bits of my Nine Bike with the same tape, and it is awesome.) The Castelli Gabba jersey is the go-to wet weather riding jersey, also with some reflective materials on it, and in Spinal Tap Black it matches the V-Bibs perfectly. This is a jersey that will make even the most stubborn fair-weather rider get excited about rain.

Finally, I’ve been wearing DeFeet’s orange Cyclismo socks in bad weather along with the Orange Damsels, but with the mercury dropping, I’m going to switch over to the orange Slipstreams to keep my feet toasty in the coming cool rain. And, I’m considering designing an all-orange V-Jersey. You heard me.

There is a fine line between being safely visible and looking like a bicycling traffic cone, but the best rides are the rides we come home from. Indulge in the magic that only a Rule #9 ride can bring you, but make sure you stay safe, and keep your Nine Kit in good taste.

Vive la Vie Velominatus.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

Teocalli says:

Oct 14 2015 at 9:00 am

Celebrating L'eroica Brit 2016 entries opening went for a vintage run on The Butler in suitable vintage attire. Wool jerseys are great right up to the point it starts raining. It rained.
chris says:

Oct 14 2015 at 9:51 am

@frank

As far as fenders go, you can go ride on the front if you don’t want to chew on my rooster tail.

Paragraph 3. Recognition of one's own flaws is the first step to redemption.
chuckp says:

Oct 14 2015 at 11:25 am

@osbk67

Yours is the BFAM (brother from another mother) of my Hollands (not specifically a #9 bike but it's seen plenty of miles in the wet).
Ron says:

Oct 14 2015 at 1:08 pm

Since we're talking Rule 9 riding, can someone suggest knee warmers for cool, wet weather? I'm talking about the ones that have a fleece lining and then the sheer protective outside. I have some cheapos for commuting, would like some for actual road riding.

I have DeFeet Kneekers and those are great in the cold, would like some better suited to the wet. Thanks!
Teocalli says:

Oct 14 2015 at 1:33 pm

@Ron

Since we’re talking Rule #9 riding, can someone suggest knee warmers for cool, wet weather? I’m talking about the ones that have a fleece lining and then the sheer protective outside. I have some cheapos for commuting, would like some for actual road riding.

I have DeFeet Kneekers and those are great in the cold, would like some better suited to the wet. Thanks!

I'm using Sportful NoRain arm and knee warmers. Good value and seem to work well and shed moisture. Sizing is skinny.
gilly says:

Oct 14 2015 at 3:11 pm

@chris

After an unseasonably warm September it’s beginning to cool down in the UK so the woolly kit was dug out the back of the kit drawer for Sunday’s club run: DeFeet socks, arm and leg warmers and a Rapha base layer. Combined with brand spanking new club kit, it was a pretty fine look.

Only problem is that, no matter what I do my right leg warmer wants to make a break for my ankles. It doesn’t take too many kilometers for a gap to open up and my handsfree riding isn’t up to rolling up my bibs and resetting a leg warmer.

I suspect that, as with Rule #65, decorum would dictate that one sits up an allows the group to ride on before making repairs but there hadn’t been a warm up phase to the ride and I was concerned that after closing the gap, I’d never close the gap.

A couple of hasty grabs did enough to hide the flesh but it wan’t pretty and it wan’t until the cake break that I was able to restore decency fully

Rapha Merino? Go to base layer, superb bit of kit
gilly says:

Oct 14 2015 at 3:13 pm
Beers says:

Oct 14 2015 at 3:17 pm

@Ron

Castelli nanoflex or sportful norain knee warmers mate...
chris says:

Oct 14 2015 at 3:56 pm

@gilly

It is good, but when it gets colder, the DeFeet merino is better.
universo says:

Oct 14 2015 at 6:38 pm

@gilly

@chris

After an unseasonably warm September it’s beginning to cool down in the UK so the woolly kit was dug out the back of the kit drawer for Sunday’s club run: DeFeet socks, arm and leg warmers and a Rapha base layer. Combined with brand spanking new club kit, it was a pretty fine look.

Only problem is that, no matter what I do my right leg warmer wants to make a break for my ankles. It doesn’t take too many kilometers for a gap to open up and my handsfree riding isn’t up to rolling up my bibs and resetting a leg warmer.

I suspect that, as with Rule #65, decorum would dictate that one sits up an allows the group to ride on before making repairs but there hadn’t been a warm up phase to the ride and I was concerned that after closing the gap, I’d never close the gap.

A couple of hasty grabs did enough to hide the flesh but it wan’t pretty and it wan’t until the cake break that I was able to restore decency fully

Rapha Merino? Go to base layer, superb bit of kit

Rapha base layer(s) now 25 percent off