When the weather turns bad, you have a couple of options as a bike commuter: drive, switch to public transport, or gear up and ride your bike. The latter is always my preference.
There’s not much excuse not to ride when you have high quality gear from a company like Shower’s Pass. Their rain gear is intended for even the very worst wet weather days.
I’ve been testing out the Shower’s Pass Transit jacket and pants and Crosspoint gloves and socks. We’ve had an unusually wet fall where I live, and these items have helped me stay dry, warm, and out of the car.
Transit Jacket
Pros:
- Keeps you dry
- Room for another jacket underneath
- Reflective accents
- Plenty of pocket space
- Drop down tail
- Large under arm vents
Cons:
- Looks a bit boxy / not very fashionable
- No hood
Price: $199
The Transit jacket is designed for urban riding (aka commuting). Because I try to drive my car as little as possible, and because we’ve had a wet fall, this jacket definitely helped keep me riding my bike rather than resorting to a vehicle.
Although it’s designed for urban riding, there’s really no reason you couldn’t use it for road or mountain biking as well.
Waterproof But Still Breathable
The best thing about the Transit jacket is that it with keep you DRY. Even in heavy rain, I didn’t have any trouble with getting wet underneath.
The fabric is heavy-duty, DWR treated Artex.™ All the seams are fully taped, and the overall quality and durability of the construction feels high end.
Of course, the issue with waterproof items is always the breathability. Fortunately, the Transit Jacket has LARGE zippable vents under each arm. I found opening these got rid of any overheating issue pretty quickly.
Reflective Accents
Because the jacket is made for urban riding, it has LOTS of reflective details. There are reflective pieces across the back, at the elbows, around the cuffs, at the neck and shoulders.
In fact, the jacket was so reflective, I found myself grabbing it for low light riding regardless of whether or not it was raining outside.
Additionally, there are lights you can add to the tail of the jacket. These are sold separately and I haven’t tested them out, but this is a cool feature if you frequently bike in the dark.
Fit Is Large Enough To Layer
The fit of the Transit jacket is large enough to wear a fleece or down jacket underneath. I appreciated this as it means I’ll be able to continue commuting with the Transit all winter long.
That said, the boxier fit does look a little dorky (in my opinion). It isn’t the most fashionable cycling jacket I’ve tested.
Still, if I have to choose between dorky and driving a car, I’ll choose dorky.
No Hood
There isn’t a hood on the Transit jacket and this could be a good or a bad thing depending on your preference. I enjoyed not having the hood to get in the way on my rides around town.
That said, for touring and traveling, I’d rather have a jacket with a hood. While I might not need a hood on the bike, I’d like a jacket to be able to do double duty on or off two wheels. If I’m camping or touring, I don’t want to have to pack two jackets.
The Transit jacket is designed for urban riding which probably explains the lack of a hood. If you are planning on using the jacket for travel, Shower’s Pass has other options that might work better.
Velcro Cuffs
The sleeves cinch down nice and tight at the cuffs. I have small wrists so I appreciated this. Not all jackets have velcro that will work with thinner wrists.
Drop Down Tail
Nobody wants to show up at work with a wet bottom. For that reason, I loved the drop down tail on the jacket. It did a good job of keeping my bum dry even with wet splatter from the road. It’s magnetic, so you dont have to worry about spending time fastening it up when not in use.
Plenty Of Pocket Space
There is plenty of useable pocket space in the transit jacket: two roomy hand pockets and a chest pocket. The chest pocket has an audio port for headphones. I try not to ride on the road with any distractions, but if you like music or podcasts while you ride, that could be an attractive feature.
The hand pockets also have a lining which help with warming up hands when you get to your destination. Or, for warming up at a red light.
Transit Pants
Pros:
- Fit easily over your regular pants
- Reflective stripes
- Stay dry!
- Comes with a bag for storage
Cons:
- Look a little dorky (like all rain pants)
Price: $129
Waterproof pants for commuting can be tricky because you need to be able to fit regular pants underneath. The Shower’s Pass Transit pant does a good job of fitting over your pants and still cinching down so as not to interfere with your pedaling or drivetrain.
Fabric
Like the Transit jacket, the pants are made with 3-layer waterproof Artex. They stay DRY.
The fabric is also fairly windproof which can help keep your legs warm. With pants on underneath, I found these pants toasty enough to wear all winter long.
While the Transit pants are designed for urban riding, again, I wouldn’t hesitate to throw these on for road cycling or even fat biking in the winter.
Reflective Stripes
The Transit pants have reflective stripes down the side of both legs. This does a good job of providing visibility even in the dark. That said, I was suprised that there wasn’t a reflective accent at the ankles. Since this is an area that’s in constant motion, it would have made sense to include a strip there as well.
Roomy Fit Cinches Down
The Transit pants are BIG. This is to accommodate whatever pants you are already wearing underneath. They are easy to slip on and off once you get to your destination.
The waist cinches down well with a draw cord. I didn’t find this irritating on my waist, and it wasn’t too tight.
At the ankles, the pants also cinch down. This is to keep the pants from getting caught in your drivetrain or interfering with pedaling.
When not cinched down, there was plenty of room to get the pants on and off, even over my shoes.
Like the Transit jacket, the overall look wasn’t terribly flattering or hip, but I’ve yet to wear a pair of rainpants that are, so that’s just sort of par for the course.
Comes With A Bag
The Transit pants fold up into a small included bag. This is handy as it allows you to store them in your panniers of backpack. Never get caught out in the rain without appropriate clothing again!
Crosspoint Essentials Waterproof Socks
Price: $29
These socks may have just replaced my SmartWool socks as my new favorite wet weather socks. Unlike wool socks that just stay warm while wet, these socks actually keep my feet totally dry. They are 100% waterproof.
The socks have 3 layers, one of which is the same Artex™ material found in the Transit jacket and pants. While Shower’s Pass claims that the knit interior layer “feels like a regular sock,” I definitely didn’t find this to be the case. To me, it felt a bit like wearing neoprene fishing wader socks. That wasn’t a bad thing, but the socks do have a unique feel.
Unfortunately, the Crosspoint socks aren’t quite as warm as my SmartWool socks, and probably not suited for real winter riding. For wet shoulder season riding, however, they are perfect.
Crosspoint Wool Gloves
Price: $50
Waterproof wool gloves?! Yes, please!
I’ve actually never owned a pair of truly waterproof gloves until the Shower’s Pass Crosspoint, and what a difference! These gloves stay dry AND warm even in wet weather.
The wrists are long and narrow so you don’t end up with any gap between your sleeves and the glove. There’s also no room for water to get in thru the wrist.
The palms have silicone grippers to help keep your hands firmly planted on the bars even in wet weather.
In terms of comfort levels, I wore the gloves down to around 40 degrees and felt comfortable. For colder winter riding, I’ll opt for more substantial gloves (or pogies), but for shoulder season and warmer winter days, these are perfect.
My only regret is that after reading some reviews that said the gloves run small, I ordered up a size. I should have gone ahead and got the small gloves. If you’re a woman with smallish hands, definitely stay in the smaller sizes as these are unisex gloves.
Overall Thoughts
I’ve been impressed with every piece of Shower’s Pass gear I’ve tried–both for warm and cold weather riding. As their name would imply, however, it’s the waterproof gear where they really shine.
Shower’s Pass makes high-quality rain gear for cycling. If you live in a wet climate, splurge for the good stuff and stay outdoors all year.
More Stuff You Might Like
- Showers Pass Review: Women’s Apex DWR Shorts & Apex Tech T-Shirt
- 9 Best Women’s Mountain Bike Pants
- 7 Tips for Biking in Cold Weather Plus Cold Weather Cycling Gear
About The Reviewer
Kristen Bonkoski is the founder and owner of Femme Cyclist.
An avid cyclist for a few decades now, she took to cycling during her late teen years — a time when she needed something to help boost her self-esteem and confidence.
Mission accomplished, the sport has become an important part of her life. Kristen’s favorite disciplines are mountain biking and bike commuting, although you can also find her cranking out a century on her road bike and touring with her husband and son. If it has to do with two wheels, she enjoys doing it.
Kristen is a certified USA Cycling coach, and she runs Rascal Rides, a website about biking with kids.