Commuting - Bike Maintenance and rain.

It rains so infrequent here, we rarely think of riding in rain. Wait for the perfect weather to return. In fact, people go a little nuts initially, driving cars-when it rains.
Anyway. I think I have great gear, I could ride in the rain.?
So unused to and have not considered riding in the rain. Tend to dismiss it. Do you enjoy riding in the rain? What bike maintenance precautions are needed when you ride in the rain? Final question. What safety precautions do you take when you ride in the rain? Thanks.

I usually strap a bumbershoot to my handlebars.

Whoops! Never mind, I was channelling someone in the UK.

Seriously, a raincoat works. Be a bit more aware that you might not be as visible to the motorheads.

It depends on the climate where you live. If you ever get heavy rain, basically, you're going to get wet. That actually isn't so bad. You'll generate enough warmth when you're riding for that not to really be a problem. What you'll need is something dry to change into when you get to your destination, which brings me to part 2 of the rant.

Don't bother with so-called "waterproof" panniers. The additional protection they will give you is negligible compared to the additional price you'd pay for them. It's better to pack your stuff in plastic bags inside the panniers. It's cheaper and more effective.

I always ride as though I am invisible to traffic, so riding in the rain is no different in that respect. Just watch out for really inept drivers skidding out of control.

Bicycle riding in the rain is not too bad, but bicycle COMMUTING in the rain sucks.

As Chris L said, if it rains, you are going to get wet. That means you are going to arrive at work (or your destination) sloppy.

Of course, rain doesn't stop the hard-core bicycle commuter, but it does make it less attractive because you have to spend extra time cleaning up upon your arrival.

Originally posted by cyclezealot
What bike maintenance precautions are needed when you ride in the rain? Final question. What safety precautions do you take when you ride in the rain? Thanks.

Maintenace for rain? Well make sure that all your loose ball bearings are packed with an abundance of waterproof grease. Phil Wood, and Park makes some real good H2O proof grease. Grease all your cables inside the housing and glaze the exposed stuff. Have boots on any suspension fork. If you have a steel frame spray the inside of the tubes with frame saver. Grease your seatpost. Grease the part of the fork that is inside the steer tube. Grease your pedal spindles. Use a wet lube for the chain. Apply the same to any exposed pivots and springs on the derailleurs. Grease the bosses that the brakes bolt too. Grese the bolt threads of the brake fixing bolts.
Of course when you have dry weather you are going to want to take the grease off the chain, and the springs in the derailleurs. The rest can stay.

Water from above is pretty clean and harmless. Its the oil/grit/rubber emulsion from the road that gums up your bike. Fenders will protect you and the bike from this muck, and avoid that charming brown stripe on your lower back. A helmet peak will keep rain of your glasses.
In warm rain, its best to get wet.
In cool rain, wear a waterproof, but you have to modulate your work-rate so as not to sweat.
In cold rain add rain pants, you need to pay special attention to your feet, either neoprene overboots, gortex under-socks, or more sensible, keep the darned water out in the first place with waterproof boots.
Wear bright colours, lights if neccessary, keep your rims dry with braking, and maintain extra stopping distance.

Originally posted by cyclezealot
It rains so infrequent here, we rarely think of riding in rain. Wait for the perfect weather to return. In fact, people go a little nuts initially, driving cars-when it rains.
Anyway. I think I have great gear, I could ride in the rain.?
So unused to and have not considered riding in the rain. Tend to dismiss it. Do you enjoy riding in the rain? What bike maintenance precautions are needed when you ride in the rain? Final question. What safety precautions do you take when you ride in the rain? Thanks.

Living in the northern San Joaquin Valley, I similarly have a long dry season in which to ride. I did, however, commute last winter making a commitment to ride rain or shine. Face it, if it's raining you're going to get wet. The key is to be warm even when it's raining. For all but the heaviest rain, this equipment worked pretty well, layered as needed depending on temperature:

Lightweight nylon windbreaker shell, treated with Scotchgard
Microfleece vest
Long-sleeve jersey
Polypropylene long-sleeve T-shirt

Microfleece cycling pants
Polypropylene long undies
Leg warmers

Regular summer-weight Coolmax socks
Microfleece socks
Gore-tex oversocks
(all worn inside my shoes. The Gore-tex oversocks work really well; feet stay dry even when the shoes get soaked.)

The microfleece pants do surprisingly well in the rain--you can reach down with your hands and feel that they are really wet, but they still keep you warm, and don't feel all that wet on your legs.

I also add velcro reflective safety straps around my ankles, and if I'll be out when it's dark I'll add some additional ones to my wheels.

My bike has a really bright dual-headlight setup, and the back of the bike is lit up like a christmas tree: it's got an older single headlight that's been converted into a taillight using a red photographic filter, plus two additional strobe/reflectors. With a fresh charge in all the batteries, I'm good for over an hour, which is plenty of time to get from home to work, or vice versa.

When rain is forecast, I add a set of Zefal clip-on fenders (mudguards). These work pretty well, but I found they were a little short in length--the front lets spray from the tire splash up onto the BB, shoes and pedals, and the rear one will keep the spray off my back, but not off a backpack or something strapped to the top of my rear rack. This year, I'm adding some homemade extensions to them--clear plastic sections cut out from otherwise recycled dish-detergent bottles.

Maintenance-wise, the most important thing is to keep the chain well-lubed. Forget wax-based lubes in the wet, they won't last. Good old Tri-Flow does quite well, though.

I've also found that the grit splashed up from the road will get onto your brake shoes. You'll hear a bit of scraping when you hit the brakes, and you'll also find this black crud on your rims after riding in the rain. Get this stuff off the rims and brake shoes, and clean the road grime off the frame frequently, and things should be fine.

After the rain stops in the spring, the bike goes in to the LBS for a thorough maintenance and cleaning.

Ive noticed some nasty little fenders creeping back on bikes.
They seem to end at the 2:00 position on the rear, instead of full length 3:00 position ones. Following such a bike in the rain can be a wet experience. The weight and wind resistance of an extra 10" of plastic is negligible, yet the extra utility is considerable.