Brompton repair shops along the West Coast of Ireland

[Tenkaykev]

This.
Make sure your comfortable changing a rear wheel puncture and start off with decent tyres like Schwalbe Marathons, rather than anything lightweight. Your brommie is very unlikely to disintegrate just because its ridden on consecutive days. How often does it let you down at the moment? - very very rarely i'd imagine.

Very much this ^^^^
Practice removing and refitting the rear wheel in the comfort of your own home. It seems a bit awkward at first but soon becomes second nature. There's an excellent instructional video on the Brilliant Bikes YouTube channel. I'd go for the Marathon Plus tyres for their puncture resistance although they can be a bit challenging to remove and refit ( again, practice makes it easier ) I'm running the Continental Contact Urbans at the moment and am very impressed. They seem quite puncture resistance and I find the ride to be smoother, plus they are lighter and a doddle to fit.

 

[Kell]

WRT waterprrof cycling gear...

The biggest problem with a lot of the jackets I've bought over the years is that they're not vented or breathable enough and you end up as wet as you would have done without it. I commute year round and have actually found the Altura Night Vision jackets offer the best blend of warmth, waterproofing and breathability. My latest one is actually very thin so doesn't offer the warmth, but is 15k for both waterproofness and breathability. Unfortunately, they change them every year, so I don't know if the one I own is even still available.

One thing I do have that is quite useful are 'Rain Legs'. They're a Dutch invention and only cover your thighs - and only the front. Fold up relatively small, aren't ridiculously expensive and are fairly easy to put on.

https://www.rainlegs.com/en/about.html

My only criticism is that they have a mesh part at the top (or at least my ones do). In use, I sometimes experience the rain water sheeting off the front of my jacket and seeping in through here. But so long as you make sure they're pulled up, this shouldn't happen.

 

[berlinonaut]

I do own rainlegs as well and can also recommend them. Have been part of my standard rainwear for years. However, in the pouring rain I've switched back to using a Carradice poncho as this way you are well ventilated and get rid of the sweating problem. Plus it is very quick to put on and off, comfortable to wear and easy to carry. The downsides are of course a higher air resistance and as you are a big sail massive wind is not preferred - maybe suboptimal when riding on the coastline in Ireland or if you want to reach the fastest speed. In general still a very good solution in my eyes - for me riding in the rain does not matter any more. In the heaviest rain on tours you may want to combine spats with it.

 

[Tenkaykev]

I do own rainlegs as well and can also recommend them. Have been part of my standard rainwear for years. However, in the pouring rain I've switched back to using a Carradice poncho as this way you are well ventilated and get rid of the sweating problem. Plus it is very quick to put on and off, comfortable to wear and easy to carry. The downsides are of course a higher air resistance and as you are a big sail massive wind is not preferred - maybe suboptimal when riding on the coastline in Ireland or if you want to reach the fastest speed. In general still a very good solution in my eyes - for me riding in the rain does not matter any more. In the heaviest rain on tours you may want to combine spats with it.

I’ve led quite the charmed life having visited Ireland many times over the years and can only remember one day when it rained.

 

[T4tomo]

I’ve led quite the charmed life having visited Ireland many times over the years and can only remember one day when it rained.

you must be confusing Ireland with a Greek Island?

 

[Tenkaykev]

you must be confusing Ireland with a Greek Island?

Haha No, it was definitely the bit just to the left of Wales / England. The one day it rained when I was there was either the 16th or 17th May 1989 and I was in the vicinity of Cork City.

 

[u_i]

I do own rainlegs as well and can also recommend them. Have been part of my standard rainwear for years. However, in the pouring rain I've switched back to using a Carradice poncho as this way you are well ventilated and get rid of the sweating problem. Plus it is very quick to put on and off, comfortable to wear and easy to carry. The downsides are of course a higher air resistance and as you are a big sail massive wind is not preferred - maybe suboptimal when riding on the coastline in Ireland or if you want to reach the fastest speed. In general still a very good solution in my eyes - for me riding in the rain does not matter any more. In the heaviest rain on tours you may want to combine spats with it.

I use a poncho in summer and Tucano Urbano Magic Parka during the rest of the year. With the latter, you do not even stop when it starts raining, just rearrange the Parka around. I have rainlegs, but basically quit using them - too much bother relative to the gain.

 

[classic33]

I’ve led quite the charmed life having visited Ireland many times over the years and can only remember one day when it rained.

It only rained for seven minutes when my cousin was cycling south from Mayo to Clare. Unfortunately he was caught out in it, over three inches of rain and visibility reduced to a few feet.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I’ve led quite the charmed life having visited Ireland many times over the years and can only remember one day when it rained.

To be fair the day lasted 168 hours.

 

[Tenkaykev]

It only rained for seven minutes when my cousin was cycling south from Mayo to Clare. Unfortunately he was caught out in it, over three inches of rain and visibility reduced to a few feet.

It’s a long long way from Clare to here…

 

[classic33]

It’s a long long way from Clare to here…

...it gets further day by day...

And I've cycled from here to there...