General Cycling Discussion - Has anybody else ever noticed this?

On my commute yesterday I got two downpours (one each way) and I noticed something. When one is riding in the rain, the very air itself actually seems cleaner than at other times. Has anybody else seen this? Does anybody know if it's actually true or not? Just wondering.

Chris (who is looking more and more like a drowned rat!)

God is on our side.

He pours the clean rain on bicyclists.

When it rains the air IS much cleaner 'cause I don't need my wrap-around sunglasses to protect my eyes from the crud in the air. But when it rains I generally have to take them off because I can't see much with the rain drops on the lenses. :D

I don't particularly like the rain. You'll notice my avatar is a big sunshine. Or maybe that's the sunshine god himself smiling on all cyclists.

I've always assumed the rain "washes" the air, attracting and carrying particles (both visible and sub-visible) out of the atmosphere.

I suppose that's one reason the air smells different (cleaner, too), when it rains--but that's also partly due to negative ions that accompany showers and storms. Those who've studied such things claim that the buildup of positive ions in the atmosphere prior to a storm contributes to the uneasy feeling a lot of people get at that time; the tangible relief experienced during and after a storm is said to be owed to the increase of negative ions.

You can get negative-ion-producing air cleaning devices for home or (shudder) automobile.

The air also seems cleaner to me in the winter, especially below 20 dgf. I love those cold days, this heat wave we're having here is making me miserable :irritated

Moose

Chris,

I recently rode home during a sharp rise in smog levels. Then it rained.

The smog levels dropped about 65%.

I love summer rain. :D

Cool! ;)

Enjoy, mate!

Originally posted by Moose
The air also seems cleaner to me in the winter, especially below 20 dgf. I love those cold days, this heat wave we're having here is making me miserable :irritated

Moose

A moose after my own heart.:)

I love the rain for that very reason Chris. If it weren't for rain, I wouldn't want to be alive.

You know folks, I was just looking at some of the photos I've taken of places that I ride (I'll post them here soon). I just think about the green rolling hills or the waterfalls that I see quite often and realise they wouldn't be the same without rain.

Even winter rain (which is what I had last night, if you can call this winter :D ) has that effect on people. Of course, it will be back to reality (i.e. the reality of having to clean my bike) when the rain stops, but I'll enjoy this while it lasts.

Chris

I b*tch about the rain sometimes, I know--but it also reminds me how fortunate I am to live where it does rain. Think how many people in the world don't have ready access to drinking water, or water for bathing or cooking or any of the other uses we generally take for granted.

All we have to do is turn a handle. Some people have to walk for miles.

you know, i get to thinking about stuff sometimes. and this is not good, because i usually go too deep into what i am thinking about and then begin to analyze and then whatever beauty was once found in said object is no longer.

and so it is with the rain. rain was once beautiful, but then i took high school chemistry, and realized that those little hydrogen and oxygen atoms that compose the ice in that frosty beverage you're sipping on were once the urine of some dinosaur about 63 million years ago...and then the beauty fades. immediately.

i can do that with anything. some say it is a gift, but i say it is a curse. just call me the witch doctor....oo

Need that ice freshened up, Tomas? :D

Growing up in Hilo Hawaii (rain every night), I love the rain, I love storms, you can almost always find me sitting on my front porch durring a major storm, if not riding my bike :)

The smell, or freshness after a good downpoor is one of the best things in life, i love that smell, and yes, the air is cleaner.

My cat (16 years old) likes storms, too. She doesn't mind the thunder at all (unless it's really loud and makes me jump), and will go watch the rain with interest, or even go out on the porch--till her fur gets a few draindrops on it! Then she'll hightail it back indoors so as not to spoil that gorgeous appearance.