Let’s break all the records for biking during Seattle’s rainy and dark months

I love biking in the dark and the rain, as I wrote last year. Given that we are on a Fremont Bridge bike counter record-breaking streak five months long (and counting), Seattle is on track to have more people biking through the dark and rainy months ahead than ever before.

As of Monday morning, we are only 64,640 bike trips away from breaking the all-time record for the Fremont Bridge, which will be a fun thing to watch. Depending on the weather and how many of you decide to join the proudly-soaked ranks of rain-or-shine riders, we could hit that mark by Cranksgiving (November 21 this year, details coming soon!). November was the strongest record set in 2019, and we will not break it unless riders buck last year's trend of a 25% drop in November ridership compared to October. We need to get that figure down to 21%, which means we need a lot more people to acquire quality rain gear and establish habits of biking regardless of rain.

The good news is that Cascade Bicycle Club has relaunched their November Ride in the Rain Challenge, which encourages people to form teams (or enter solo) to log their miles for a chance to win prizes. They also have a series of November events from bike maintenance classes to film screenings to a book event.

If you are interested in taking the plunge into all-year biking, below are some tips:

• Reliable, rechargeable bike lights. Lights are NOT optional. A headlight and rear reflector are required by state law, but a taillight is highly recommended. Most importantly, lights help prevent collisions. If you have a very bright headlight, angle is slightly down so that it doesn't blind other people and because the splash of light on the ground in front of the bike helps others know you are coming. Lights can also help make you more visible through sun glare on a windshield, so turn them on either all the time or at least once the sun starts getting low. More on lights in this post.
• A rain jacket that is actually good at being waterproof. If your old jacket soaks through, you can try rehabbing it by cleaning and washing with a product like Nikwax (consult the tag or the manufacturer's website for tips). But if that still doesn't do it, it's time for a new one. Don't let a leaky jacket keep you from biking. Wool clothing typically wicks water decently well, and a warm wool layer (or two) is often enough for misting and light drizzles. But most wool layers will soak through in medium to heavy rain. A lightweight waterproof jacket is my favorite because it packs up small in whatever bag I have and I can wear whatever layers I want underneath.
• Fenders. Pro tip: If you buy fenders from a local bike shop, they will likely install them for you for free or at a discount. Fenders not only save your feet, shins and back from road spray, but the person biking behind you will be grateful you aren't also hitting them with your rooster tail.
• Gloves that work for you. My fingers get cold easily, so I have found many gloves marketed toward cycling to be too breathable and not waterproof enough for me though they work well for some. As readers helpfully noted in this post from a few years back, you may have better luck and save some money by looking for gloves marketed for work rather than recreation (this advice can apply to many items on this list). If your hands aren't comfortable in the rain, keep trying new things. Snow/ski gloves work very well to keep you warm and dry on the coldest rainy days, but you might find them too warm at other times. Or you can get a set of pogies that stay on your bike's handlebars, then even light gloves (or no gloves) may be enough.
• A water-resistant bag. There are many options out there, and your existing bag might be up to the task already. It doesn't need to be submersible like a kayaking bag, just something that won't easily soak through.
• Rain-ready pants. Most days you can get by without anything special on your legs. In the light rain or mist, it doesn't really matter. This is especially true if your pants are made of wool or another material that wicks water (cotton tends to be quite absorbent). But especially for longer rides in medium to heavy rain, there's nothing like rain pants. I suggest loose-fitting pants so they are not a big hassle to take on and off. For light to medium rain, rain chaps (like the Rainlegs brand) can be quicker to take on and off and may work better with more outfits. A poncho or rain cape can also help keep at least parts of your legs dry during light to medium rain.
• Keep your feet dry. Fenders will do most of the heavy lifting to keep your feet dry most days because it's the road spray from the front wheel that really gets you. But your shoes also matter, of course. There are many people who swear by cycling booties or waterproof socks. Most of the time, I wear whatever shoes I would wear normally, but I have started wearing my hiking boots if the rain is heavy and it's amazing. If you have been wanting to buy quality hiking boots, now you have another excuse.

Biking in the rain also requires a bit more attention to road surfaces. Wet leaves can be surprisingly slippery, as can metal grates or even some painted lines. If you cannot go around a potential slick spot, slow down before you reach it then relax and avoid significant braking or turning while on the slick spot. You do not want your front wheel to slide out, which can happen fast.

On safety and permanent Daylight Savings Time

Also as a side note on all this, I have noticed a bunch of new discourse and fear mongering going around in opposition to the idea of permanent daylight savings time following this UW research project that found the change would result in as many as 2 billion more dark commutes to school.

In Washington, there would be almost 35 million more trips to school in the dark under permanent DST compared to the current system of switching between DST and Standard Time twice a year," a UW press release stated. Traffic injuries are statistically more likely in the dark than in the light, so the concern is that more kids will be injured or killed on the way to school. This research is a good reminder that schools will have work to do to make sure we are prioritizing student safety when setting school times when time zones shift, which is the sort of task a functional US Education Department would help accomplish. Since we don't have one of those, this responsibility will fall to states and school districts.

Aside from being confused by their choice to ignore how dark morning trips would be offset by evening trips and afterschool playtime that would no longer be in the dark, I just want to add that we are capable as a people of adjusting our schedules with the light. Local schools set their start and end times each year and can set them according to whatever works best under their local conditions, and surely student commutes will be part of their decision-making. Workplaces can and will do this, too. It's so odd to assume that nobody would change anything if the time zone were changed. We aren't Lemmings!

We need to stop these hour jumps, which plunge certain tasks into darkness in a single day. It would require a lot of work to try to change hours of operation twice a year to offset the unnecessary time zone change, so we mostly just suck it up. OK, maybe we are a little bit like Lemmings. But the point is that when the light conditions change by a few minutes per day, we adjust gradually. Today the sun will set an hour earlier than it did on Friday, which means a lot of evening trips and activities will suddenly be fully in the dark. This week always makes me nervous because I worry about people not being prepared for a dark evening commute. It's the suddenness that's the problem and that creates many safety concerns (as well as the sleep problems caused when everyone loses an hour of sleep in the spring). I don't think it matters whether it is permanent standard or daylight time, we just need to pick one and stick with it. The bill that already passed the House says Daylight Savings Time, so that's the one I'm all for.