Living Car Free - solutions to rain

well i decided to go car free for the next few days, just to try it. my plan was to ride 15 miles to the lightrail (metro). Take that into downtown baltimore. then ride to my office.

So i wake up this morning with my bags already packed from the night before, eagerly throw on my shorts and strap up my shoes. go outside to only see that it is raining.\

now i have like racing tires on my bike, and this scared me... im not trying to die haha

can anyone offer solutions to rain? is it even good for my bike?

or maybe everytime it rains i should just take the day off :)

Its mostly a mental thing. In the summer it feels refreshing. There are tons of tips floating around..... Fenders, waterproof panniers or plastic garbage bags for the change of clothes... If you want to stay dry in summer, I like cheap ponchos but there are more expensive biker ponchos. At night in the city is when it seems dangerous because the lights from cars and what not reflect off the street masking your reflectors and lights. I rode 10 miles or so this morning, the rain was very light her in DC, not a problem.

yeah i live outside of baltimore and work in baltimore. getting wet really isnt an issue i guess, was just wondering if it would be good for my bike and other gear

Ridden several times in the rain even done a complete century in a downpour on a hot summer day and my bikes don't mind. I try to clean the drive train and rims/brakes when I get home. Really the only thing I do different when riding is take the turns a little slower and plan on giving myself a little more time. I also do seem to get more flats in the wet weather. In summer no special attire cycling gear or shorts and t-shirt, here it is to hot for ponchos, in winter I do wear some rain gear.

A friend of mine from India once told me that in India people like to go out in the rain and, in fact, they prefer it. Although she didn't like the cold of winter, she was very much enjoying all the rain in the US as opposed to that terrible sun beating down.

now i have like racing tires on my bike, and this scared me... im not trying to die haha


The racing tires make no difference. It is impossible to bike fast enough to hydroplane. Of course, you still have to watch your cornering speed in the wet, and stay away from diesel fuel.

http://sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#hydroplaning

Your bike will be fine. All you have to do is when you get home give it a quick wipe down with an old towel/shirt/something you don't mind wiping your bike down with, throw some lube on that chain, wipe off the chain with afore mentioned bike wiping item, and you're good. Your slick tires are actually quite good in the rain. The smooth texture gives them more contact with the road than a knobby mountain bike tire would have, and it is not within human limits to hydroplane on a bicycle.

So yeah, riding in the rain is not only fun but is good for your soul.

alright thanks guys...

I mean i dont care about getting a little wet, i just dont want to mess my bike up or crash and die


but thanks for the help!

There are a couple of traffic issues, and a couple of bike issues. You're washable. In fact, carry some soap, you can lather up on the way home, save time on a shower. :)

The traffic: Two big issues here...

First: Visibility. If a driver can't see a 4500lb SUV in front of him, he ain't gonna see you. Wear a Hi-Vis rain jacket, get some BRIGHT bike lights, go nuts with blinkies, and generally behave as if you were invisible... That is, stay as far away from the motor traffic as you can, and always be looking for an escape route... side street, sidewalk, verge, parking lot entrance.

Next: Traction. You won't hydroplane, but slick spots can take you down, feels like someone's kicked the bike right out from under you. Oil comes to the surface just after rain starts, especially if it hasn't rained in a while. Be especially wary of this in curves and turns. Keep the bike more upright than you would on dry pavement. Oh - Tires don't make much difference, as long as they're not worn-out.

Advice to you: Make sure they see you, be smoooooth.



The bike:

I ruined a bike riding a dirt & gravel levee top road downtown in the rain. It didn't happen with just one rainride, but was cumulative, over a decade. Water & sand got into wheel, headset, & BB bearings. Cables rusted. Drivetrain was easy to clean, so it didn't suffer much. Biggest surprise was that the bonded aluminum frame started to corrode at the lugs. Big bubbles in the paint, and eventually, it became a DIY folding bike. :crash:

Advice to you: If riding in the rain is an every once in a while experience, go for it. It feels kinda good, especially in summer. If, however, you intend to make a habit of it... and if you do, I salute you... I'd suggest buying or building a beater "rainbike."

There are a couple of traffic issues, and a couple of bike issues. You're washable. In fact, carry some soap, you can lather up on the way home, save time on a shower. :)

The traffic: Two big issues here...

First: Visibility. If a driver can't see a 4500lb SUV in front of him, he ain't gonna see you. Wear a Hi-Vis rain jacket, get some BRIGHT bike lights, go nuts with blinkies, and generally behave as if you were invisible... That is, stay as far away from the motor traffic as you can, and always be looking for an escape route... side street, sidewalk, verge, parking lot entrance.

Next: Traction. You won't hydroplane, but slick spots can take you down, feels like someone's kicked the bike right out from under you. Oil comes to the surface just after rain starts, especially if it hasn't rained in a while. Be especially wary of this in curves and turns. Keep the bike more upright than you would on dry pavement. Oh - Tires don't make much difference, as long as they're not worn-out.

Advice to you: Make sure they see you, be smoooooth.



The bike:

I ruined a bike riding a dirt & gravel levee top road downtown in the rain. It didn't happen with just one rainride, but was cumulative, over a decade. Water & sand got into wheel, headset, & BB bearings. Cables rusted. Drivetrain was easy to clean, so it didn't suffer much. Biggest surprise was that the bonded aluminum frame started to corrode at the lugs. Big bubbles in the paint, and eventually, it became a DIY folding bike. :crash:

Advice to you: If riding in the rain is an every once in a while experience, go for it. It feels kinda good, especially in summer. If, however, you intend to make a habit of it... and if you do, I salute you... I'd suggest buying or building a beater "rainbike."

+1

Most people think a little shower is less of problem than heavy rain, not so, a little shower after a dry spell is when to watch out!

My usual line when people ask me if I ride in rain, "Skin don't leak!"

I had to commute or ride in rain 4 times in the past couple weeks. If you wipe the bike down after, and perform regular lubing, you should be fine. The biggest issue I have is that my drivetrain seems to pick up a lot of gunk, so I normally do a full DT cleaning every couple of weeks. if I have been riding in the rain.

From a riding perspective, I just try to cross all metal 'things', like train tracks, bridge expansion joints, repair plates, at perpendicular angles, and brake before them, but not while crossing over them. A slower pace in traffic is good, I find, since cars can sometimes drive erratically. Puddles are fun, but dirty, and can sometimes mask potholes, so be careful. Also, I have V-brakes and tend to test them periodically to make sure they are not fouled. My bike packs are only 'resistant', so I double bag everything in plastic. As long as my clothes, etc are 100% dry, I just enjoy the rainride.

Wet metal is very slippery (manhole covers, plates). Wet leaves are also very treacherous. Wet streets at night suck up all the light for some reason -- cyclists become even harder to see.

Wet metal is very slippery (manhole covers, plates). Wet leaves are also very treacherous. Wet streets at night suck up all the light for some reason -- cyclists become even harder to see.

The plates they use to cover construction on the roads are very slippery at the first rain, they get a thin coat of mud and oil and you have no traction.

Here is what I do for rain: (0) fenders (1) for myself I ignore it and dress exactly the same as usual, although in cold weather I might go one layer more than usual (2) for my gear, garbage bags for the school work and changes of clothes (3) spare change of clothes stashed at work in case something does get wet (4) for the bike so long as you are staying up on your maintenance its not a big deal, wipe the bike off when you get home, if the drive chain components are on in age you may have to step up the lube schedule some (5) hard learned lesson, if a bearing is submerged it probably should be disasembled and repacked at the next convienient time. (6) ride gingerly -- metal, paint, leaves, and fresh asphalt can all get slick. (7) put a plastic baggie over the seat if you park outside.

Taken on the whole I love rain riding, it really thins out the crowds along the MUP and I have had some of my fastest commute times in rain because of this. I also forgo the usual thick layer of sunblock I wear which is a pleasant change.

Already tons on here about fenders, lights, etc. For your bike you'll just want to clean and lube everything more often. I live in Seattle and get plenty of drizzle during the winter so I clean/lube my bike about every week or two during the winter. During the summer it's more like once a month.

IMHO, I prefer wider tires with some tread in the rain. But the slicks work fine too.

It's just weather. There's no reason to stay inside. If your tires are so thin that they cannot get traction on wet concrete, just use different ones.

One trick I have learned about dealing with rain: always carry a poncho in your pannier. It's like having an insurance policy.

I bought a $30 rain poncho from Campmor last year. The funny part of this is that I almost never use the poncho. We've had over 18 inches of rain in June and July and I haven't had the poncho on since May.

Around here, if it's pouring rain outside, I just wait 5 minutes....

It's easy to carry a small umbrella in case you're on the open road and want to stop.