To illustrate the "humanely fulfilling": while students in Rotterdam, we had to ride our bikes back 5km from a pub... it just started raining, but while biking the sky literaly fell on us. We arrived soaking wet, drenched. Among us, this remains one of our best memories.

Funny how that works. I have had many many occasions of traveling while soaking wet for miles, and they always make great stories, and weren't all that bad.

Now, on the other hand I've had times where it's just downright miserable, and I was pretty sure my fingers were on the verge of serious frostbite, and that was NOT fun and never will be. But, that's not too common.

The difference is probably mostly due to the windspeed, not due to the amount of water that fell on you.

Well, it was windspeed combined with enough water falling on me, but you're right- that's a given.

I hear you. I remember when I lived in Manhattan on the Upper East Side coming back from a party somewhere in deepest darkest Queens, getting off the subway and biking up the path along the East River. Middle of the night and bucketing with rain. My roomie and I were riding mountain bikes and played all the way home, jumping off every little bump in sight and charging through all the puddles. We got back to our apartment soaking wet, grinning from ear to ear like little boys. And yup, it's one of my favourite memories from living in Manhattan.

That is awesome -- it's almost unfathomable to your average commuter that the journey itself can be even better than what awaits one at the destination.

Getting soaked on the way to work can be a pain, but if one just carries a rain suit in his/her bag then this will never be an issue.

I've had some amazing experiences getting drenched too. But I'm not sure that it would be that amazing on my way into work. (Likely carrying a laptop).

I live without a car in a rainy area. I've showed up at work a handful of times simply drenched. Not fun, but it actually happens a lot less than I thought it would. It doesn't bother me particularly in other situations, like on the way home from work or when going shopping. But, yeah, showing up at work drenched kind of sucks. Of course, as others have mentioned, how you dress matters so with planning this can be ameliorated if you travel by foot or bike regularly -- which seems to be an alien concept to folks who are very dependent on their cars.

There are plenty of high-quality waterproof bags you might carry a laptop in.

True. But with public transport and an umbrella 0 I can use a normal laptop bag.

Speaking of the Netherlands, one of their contributions to cycling are the Rainmates overtrousers: http://www.rainmates.nl/?ln=en

I've got a pair of those and they are really convenient: I can put them on quickly, even while wearing shoes, and my legs don't get as sweaty because the rainmates are open in the rear side.