MrCjolsen

Thunderstorms. Rain. Headwind both ways (20mph on the way home.)

I made the biggest mudflap ever out of an old plastic binder. Goes almost to the ground. about 6" wide.

ax0n

Calling for T-Storms here in KC, too. Damn the hail! Full speed ahead! Without fenders. Muahahaha!

fat_bike_nut

Geez, thunderstorms? I'd have no problems handling the other conditions, but thunderstorms?

ax0n

It's just rain. And sometimes hail, which is just rain in a different matter state.

I know it's not impossible to get hit by lightning on a bike, but the odds are slim to none.

Sir Lunch-a-lot

Especially if you're in a city where practically every man made structure is taller than you!

ax0n

Indeed. I ride through 3 miles of suburbia to the bus, then it's downtown, where there's no chance in hell I'll get hit. The group ride tomorrow night will be trying, though.

fat_bike_nut

Well, to be fair, I was referring to the lightning bolts. I've got no beef with rain. Long as I got disc brakes or Koolstop Pads on rim brakes + fenders, rain's nothing.

MrCjolsen

But this is what I'll be riding on for 3.11 out of 12.15 miles. Half is elevated 20-30 feet off the ground on cement pylons. The other half is like a big wide levee.

So what tire has the best insulating properties for a lightning strike?

I guess this is one place where steel might not be the best frame material.

And what about my Brooks saddle. In the event of a strike, do you think I'll need to retension it afterwards?

SSfreak

Ohh, the lovely cosway. I was going to ride into downtown sac and back home in the rain after work but my wife just told me I have to pick up my daughter after work so no riding for me.

ax0n

I put about a mile on a similar structure on my ride.

I got robbed this morning anyways. No rain, no lightning, just a headwind full of mist for the first 3/4 mile of my commute, then a dry headwind for about a mile after that.

Actually, it was quite pleasant and I'm glad it didn't rain.

Let us know how it went!

jeff-o

After riding through the winter, a little thunderstorm is no problem at all! I'll probably get soaked, though.

ItsJustMe

Think of it this way. My house is many feet taller than I am, and it's got a grounded metal thing on top (TV antenna). It's never been hit by lightning and it's been "out" in every thunderstorm for the last 13 years.

What are the odds that I'll get hit while riding? Especially since there are trees and houses and stuff taller than me all around? Practically non-existent.

The small hail I rode through last year was a little irritating, especially the stuff that came in through the helmet vents and sat on my skull until it stopped and I stopped and shook them out. Also when hail hits your face, especially lips, it stings a bit. I need a longer visor. Why do they make visors only 1.5 inches long anyway?

MrCjolsen

So far, the morning will be kind to me, aside from a 5mph headwind. For the afternoon, there's always the bus.

The problem is that I'm three days away from a solid month of not driving my car to work.

chipcom 

Naa, but you might need to clean the crap off it!

CBBaron

You have to remember not every place is like where you ride. Some places like the picture above are an elevated road in the middle of low lands. Others are open fields with barely a tree in sight. In those circumstances the chance of getting struck by lightning while standing tall in the middle of a plain is much better than getting struck in a city or a forest.
I ride urban roads so thunderstorms don't worry me. However high winds, hail, and tornadoes can put a damper on a ride.
Craig

wheel

Well I have blowing dust in my forecast.

twobikes

I grew up near to a farming community in Iowa. The local insurance adjuster's office had a picture on the wall showing about ten dead cattle under a tree that had been struck by lightning. Shortly after we moved to Idaho there was a newsclip on a local TV station showing a man driving a horse-drawn wagon in a parade. Other people were on the wagon with him. The sun was shining in the video clip. Out of nowhere came a lightning strike and the wagon's driver fell dead right on camera.

The reason an automobile is a safe refuge in a lightning storm is that the steel body acts like a cage to conduct the lightning charge around you to the ground so that you are not part of the circuit. It is not because of the rubber tires. A lightning bolt that can jump hundreds of feet can jump around a rubber tire to get to ground. A carbon bicycle frame will in no way give you more protection than a steel frame when it comes to lightning.

When you see a flash, begin counting out about seven seconds. If you hear thunder, that means the lightning strike was about one mile away. I have been known to wait until the thunder comes at the count of three before seeking shelter, but I figure I am tempting fate at that. A lot of farmers thought they could stay on the tractor and do just one more round in the field before heading home to get in from the storm, only to end up a statistic. A few survive a lightning strike, but very few. Those who do will never forget the experience and would never do it again.

skyrider

If your tires are rubber does that mean your grounded. So you cant get hit Yes or No?

hobbsc

Preach! I've been braving storms here for the past week or so and it's been a blast.

twobikes

See my post directly above yours. The man struck was on a wooden wagon with rubber tires much bigger than bicycle tires. The farmers who die in the field while on their tractors are on rubber tires, although they may also have a steel implement in the ground. Rubber bicycle tires will not protect you from death by lightning.

jeff-o

Just remember: if you feel the hairs on your head begin to tingle, your spidey-sense is telling you to stop and get as low to the ground as possible!

caloso

No storm yet. It's beautiful sunshine here in downtown Sacto at 11:15 am.

Wulfheir

5-15cm snow forecast here.

MrCjolsen

An iPod makes the Yolo Causeway about a mile and a half shorter. You can also literally put your head down and look up every minute or so to see if anyone is coming.

GGDub

...and I'm still riding.