💦Wet commuters: what do you use? 🦆💦

[chrisjunlee]

What's your go to gear for commuting through a *downpour* - none of that 4" lightweight drizzle. We're talking about firehose can't see through car-windshield-wipers-on-max four horsemen downpour.

My criteria for rain commuting: on/off within 30 seconds with bone dry office clothes underneath

The gold standard for moto touring is the Roadcrafter classic. American made, tailored to fit even the most petite/slim builds, armored, on/off within 10 seconds 🔥. 

🦆💦

What do you guys use? And what are some other alternatives?

Edited September 8, 2019 by chrisjunlee
🦆💦

[atdlzpae]

A car. 

[RayRay]

What could go wrong?

 

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by RayRay
ELECTRIC! unicycle forum

[atdlzpae]

Not much, actually. Movies lie.

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by atdlzpae

[Sidewalk Enforcer]

The build quality of these devices does not let me commute through down pours with any confidence. They certainly seem better than other PEVs in that regard and sure I've been caught in the occasional shower and then I just get wet, but the owner's manual makes it clear ... "Please do not drive for more than 10min in the light rain". I imagine evidence of water ingress on electrical components renders your warranty null and void.

So I'm with the other replies above - if it's chucking it down outside, the EUC doesn't go outside.

 

[atdlzpae]

2 hours ago, Sidewalk Enforcer said:

They certainly seem better than other PEVs in that regard

I can't agree. On an electric scooter you won't fall if your motor stops. Also, their electronics is way simpler - some of them don't even have a motherboard.

Same with electric bicycle and skateboard.

Edited September 9, 2019 by atdlzpae

[Sidewalk Enforcer]

19 hours ago, atdlzpae said:

I can't agree. On an electric scooter you won't fall if your motor stops. Also, their electronics is way simpler - some of them don't even have a motherboard.

Same with electric bicycle and skateboard.

Seen it first hand. Went on a PEV group ride that started at the top of a hill, and as we set off a short but intense cloud burst broke on us and soaked the group. We had around ~ 20 riders at the start with a mixture of scooters, esk8s and EUCs. After the rain cleared and we regrouped, there were ~ 8 left and a few of the esk8s that continued the ride with us spun out on the wet roads on the way down. Scooters with stuck throttles, esk8s with fried motors or dodgy remote controls, tyres that are not all weather/ all terrain capable.

The EUCs shrugged off that weather incident like it was nothing, but I'd still like to see rubber gaskets or something sealing the shell before I'd willingly take an EUC into torrential rain.

[The Fat Unicyclist]

21 hours ago, Sidewalk Enforcer said:

The EUCs shrugged off that weather incident like it was nothing, but I'd still like to see rubber gaskets or something sealing the shell before I'd willingly take an EUC into torrential rain.

We're about to launch a new addition to our range...

The EUC Body-brella!

 

[Rywokast]

On 9/10/2019 at 1:57 AM, Sidewalk Enforcer said:

Seen it first hand. Went on a PEV group ride that started at the top of a hill, and as we set off a short but intense cloud burst broke on us and soaked the group. We had around ~ 20 riders at the start with a mixture of scooters, esk8s and EUCs. After the rain cleared and we regrouped, there were ~ 8 left and a few of the esk8s that continued the ride with us spun out on the wet roads on the way down. Scooters with stuck throttles, esk8s with fried motors or dodgy remote controls, tyres that are not all weather/ all terrain capable.

The EUCs shrugged off that weather incident like it was nothing, but I'd still like to see rubber gaskets or something sealing the shell before I'd willingly take an EUC into torrential rain.

the V8 is waterproof,, as all inmotions are.. it does have rubber seals and separate compartments for the mainboard and battery.. i have taken apart many eucs and none give me the confidence that inmotion does, thats why i only use them in the rain or take a rain cover but i dont like using those.. my v5f and v8 have been in dozens of downpours absolutely no signs of any water intrusion on either of them.. search amazon for nylon backpack cover those are what i use on my eucs when i have to

[Sidewalk Enforcer]

Waterproof?  Me thinks he doth exaggerate. 

[Tazarinho]

8 hours ago, Rywokast said:

the V8 is waterproof,, as all inmotions are..

Wasn't there an issue with the V10F and water? It's actually one of the things holding me back from buying one.

Edited September 13, 2019 by Tazarinho
spelling mistake

[mrelwood]

5 minutes ago, Tazarinho said:

Wasn't there an issue with the V10F and water? It's actually one of the things holding me back from buying one.

Just a few spontaneous fires later on, no biggie. Should be fixed though, but trusting that or not is a personal decision.

On 9/10/2019 at 11:57 AM, Sidewalk Enforcer said:

The EUCs shrugged off that weather incident like it was nothing

Developing issues instantly is one thing, having water do damage in the long run is a completely different one. It is what made the V10s go poof.

The MSX is pretty much an open book, and for the sudden light drizzles I have a piece of see-thru packaging tape covering the power button. That would hopefully prevent the instant issue of the button not working, but I would definitely dismantle the wheel for drying up the internals if I were hit by a proper rain. I do avoid rain, since I don’t even find riding enjoyable in one.

[Rywokast]

2 hours ago, Sidewalk Enforcer said:

Waterproof?  Me thinks he doth exaggerate. 

nope.. i have ridden thousands of km in heavy rain.. and like i said took apart many eucs including both the v5f and v8.. they have an ip rating and are as waterproof as an euc can get.. yes, the v10 did have first batch issues which have all been resolved under warranty and fixed in batches from then on.. the v5 and v8 had no such issues ever.. take it apart yourself if you think for some reason im making it up lol.. the location of the batteries and the fact they they have a plastic casing of their own as well as being wrapped makes them impervious to water ingress and the boards like i said have their own separate compartment which is sealed with a gasket.. nothing less than throwing it in a lake is going to cause water damage if you ask me.. as for every other euc ive opened, they have no such waterproofing and depending on how tight the shell is and the location of the board, they could be susceptible to water damage, even though i have never personally seen it and know that tons of people on here ride all sorts of wheels in heavy rain it could happen especially if you were to have the euc tilted or laid on its side

[Rywokast]

50 minutes ago, Tazarinho said:

Wasn't there an issue with the V10F and water? It's actually one of the things holding me back from buying one.

first batch only.. that was a long time ago in euc terms lol.. the issue has long since been completely resolved and everyone was covered under warranty... you should have zero worries whatsoever buying one now its just as good as the v5 and v8

[Tazarinho]

20 minutes ago, Rywokast said:

first batch only.. that was a long time ago in euc terms lol.. the issue has long since been completely resolved and everyone was covered under warranty... you should have zero worries whatsoever buying one now its just as good as the v5 and v8

Cool, thanks! But was there actually an official recall of the product from Inmotion?
Cheapest option for me in Belgium seems to order online from Fnac, which is specialized mostly in books and multimedia. Since I don't think they sell a lot of EUC's, I have no idea if I'm ordering something that's been sitting in a warehouse for over a year or something that came in recently.

[Rywokast]

3 minutes ago, Tazarinho said:

Cool, thanks! But was there actually an official recall of the product from Inmotion?
Cheapest option for me in Belgium seems to order online from Fnac, which is specialized mostly in books and multimedia. Since I don't think they sell a lot of EUC's, I have no idea if I'm ordering something that's been sitting in a warehouse for over a year or something that came in recently.

yes there was.. you should ask them and if they say they dont know i would go with any euc reseller, or even ali or ebay.. because if you know nothing at all about eucs then youre right maybe they never heard of anything and its just been sitting there who knows, i doubt it but i wouldnt risk it if they say they have no idea lol

[greentung]

The NW rain is one of the I am keeping the Z10. It handle great on wet pavement all last fall and winter. I combined that with a Mission Workshop bike jacket, waterproof over pants, and goretex  gloves. I think the Nikola+ has s up for the task as well. But I will seal the shell seams with waterproof tape just in case. 

Like you, I am thinking waterproof motorcycle jacket and pants this season. It’s a hassle putting on and taking off protection over or under rain gear. With the motorcycle stuff the protection is built in. Easy on and off. 

Full motorcycle gear including race helmet will look cool as you pass bicycles on the tiny mten3. 

[LanghamP]

I like using an umbrella the most, but at plus 8 mph I have to grip the umbrella high, tip it quite a bit so it doesn't go inside out, and even then it only shields the top of my body. Still, 8 mph is a decent running speed, and twice as fast as walking.

The first couple of times I tried to use an umbrella I failed, and it seems impossible. Trying again a year or so later, riding with one was surprisingly easy, and gusts were not a problem.

So I'm guessing all the skills you pick up from riding translate very well to riding with an umbrella, but that we try to ride too early with an umbrella. Every experienced rider should try riding with an umbrella at least once to see if what seemed impossible has now become an non-issue.

[Rywokast]

5 hours ago, LanghamP said:

I like using an umbrella the most, but at plus 8 mph I have to grip the umbrella high, tip it quite a bit so it doesn't go inside out, and even then it only shields the top of my body. Still, 8 mph is a decent running speed, and twice as fast as walking.

The first couple of times I tried to use an umbrella I failed, and it seems impossible. Trying again a year or so later, riding with one was surprisingly easy, and gusts were not a problem.

So I'm guessing all the skills you pick up from riding translate very well to riding with an umbrella, but that we try to ride too early with an umbrella. Every experienced rider should try riding with an umbrella at least once to see if what seemed impossible has now become an non-issue.

ive always wanted to try this.. but only if there was barely any wind... sometimes its so windy here that its very hard to even hold an umbrella at all lol

[atdlzpae]

I tried umbrella once and the wind resistance proved very annoying. I prefer a rain coat + backpack cover combination. :-)

Edited September 16, 2019 by atdlzpae

[LanghamP]

5 hours ago, Rywokast said:

ive always wanted to try this.. but only if there was barely any wind... sometimes its so windy here that its very hard to even hold an umbrella at all lol

I fell off the wheel several times over several days determined to ride with an umbrella, then gave up. It was impossible to do safely; I would be ok but then a wind would come and I would crash. Some time later I was showing someone how impossibly hard it was to ride with an umbrella.

Of course I hopped on the wheel, and it was a complete non issue. It would take effort to crash.

In retrospect I believe new riders will tip the wheel left or right even if most of their turning comes from twisting, but tipping the wheel is useless when your body now has double the surface area; tipping the wheel cannot match the speed of twisting the wheel in order to bring it back under your center of mass. Carrying an umbrella magnifies poor wheel control.

[Darrell Wesh]

It’s simple. The gold standard for waterproofness and breathability is Gore Tex. Gore Tex jacket, over pants, gloves, socks, hat. Add on some Oakley clear sunglasses. 

[greentung]

9 hours ago, Darrell Wesh said:

It’s simple. The gold standard for waterproofness and breathability is Gore Tex. Gore Tex jacket, over pants, gloves, socks, hat. Add on some Oakley clear sunglasses. 

Some of the Japanese and European high tech fabric makers have matched or exceeded Gore Tex performance. But like Gore Tex you're going to pay a premium for them; Toray, Schoeller c_change, Neoshell, etc. I have some these in outer wear. I think they're worth the premium if the goal is to stay dry in adverse weather.  

[chrisjunlee]

9 hours ago, Darrell Wesh said:

It’s simple. The gold standard for waterproofness and breathability is Gore Tex. Gore Tex jacket, over pants, gloves, socks, hat. Add on some Oakley clear sunglasses. 

I see your noobish GoreTex and raise you the true Gold standard.

[Darrell Wesh]

1 hour ago, greentung said:

Some of the Japanese and European high tech fabric makers have matched or exceeded Gore Tex performance. But like Gore Tex you're going to pay a premium for them; Toray, Schoeller c_change, Neoshell, etc. I have some these in outer wear. I think they're worth the premium if the goal is to stay dry in adverse weather.  

I’m sure they have and failed to realize that exceeding Gore Tex waterproofness doesn’t make them better. 

Gore-Tex is the best because of its BREATHABILITY combined with waterproofness. I could make my own rain coat that has better waterproofness than Gore Tex but I’d be sweating like I was in a sauna. The higher the waterproofness the less breathability. There’s no reason to go higher than what Gore Tex has done unless you’re getting blasted from all sides by pressure washers. 

Combine that with the lifetime guarantee/warranty of all Gore Tex products and you can’t beat it.