Riding in the Rain
 

I have a bad fear of riding in the rain. I have a new Cannondale R600, and i fear that rain will do very bad things to the bike. I know i am just mostly paranoid but will the rain for a prolonged time do any damage and ehat will it do. Also I have relatively new Sidi Genius Shoes in Silver. Are these waterproof?

Most Sidi shoes use Lorica:

A microfiber that exudes all the positive attributes of leather, yet none of the negative characteristics. LORICA is supple, conforming, highly breathable and will not stretch. In addition, LORICA is water repellent, highly abrasion resistant, easy to clean and will not rot or dry out. SIDI was the first cycling shoe company to use this advanced material, which is now considered an industry standard.

It is water repellent but not state waterPROOF.

I see the black ones are but it doesnt state if the mesh ones are or not.

Somebody knows their materials:D

More like Sidi knows what they use :)

Haha.....was wondering if you were going to take credit for that or not:D

No problems in terms of riding in the rain. Also, you may find that you really like it! You may want to consider popping out your seat-post and hanging your scoot upside down to dry afterwards, though.

Try it ... you'll like it!! :)

Yes, the mesh ones are also. They actually only have 4 tiny little places that are mesh, 2 nickel size places at the toe and 2 at the top of the ankle.
My SIDI mountain bike shoes are almost 6 years old and have been through combat. I have done nothing in the way of taking care of them and they still jam.
Probably the only reason I just bought a pair of the silver/black/red Genius 4. Plus they totally match the Zurich.
Not to worry, wear em.

Ride the bike, rain won't do jack to it. Wipe it down after a ride in the rain if you're anal about it.
Regular maintenance (bearing greasing) will take care of anything else.
Bikes aren't made to ride in only perfect and ideal conditions.
I have a steel bike that I bought in 1981 when I lived in Hawaii. I rode it there for 4 years and about 3 years in Florida.
The bike is 22 years old and sitting on my back porch. I've done other than regular bearing maintenance and there is nothing wrong with the bike. If those salty environments didn't harm that bike, your's is fine.
Not to worry, ride it.

As long as you clean it up after riding in the rain and add a little lube to the chain and some potential rust areas you should be fine. This is assuming you don't get hit by lighting. The only reason I say this is that was the only thing on my mind today when a thunderstorm erupted on me. Half way through my ride out in the middle of no where at the start of a 7- 8 min climb. Oh ya gotta love the excitment that lightning and thunder can bring.

I actually think the pleasure of riding in the rain (which is much more enjoyable than riding without rain) is worth any damage to the bike. A decent clean after the event pretty much makes the damage point a red herring anyway.

Here in rain central we chuckle at these kind of threads :D

LOL, me too.

djbowen1: Ride the damn bike and stop worrying. :D A good coat of grease on the inserted section of seatpost will stop any water from getting down there. Wipe the bike with a rag after a ride if you want. Relube the chain only if it needs it (use a MTB lube if you want... I like Pedro's). Do so after every rainy ride and you'll have a mess.

Depending how ofter you ride in the rain you *might* want to wipe the rims down just to get the grit off. That'll help the lifespan of brake pads.

As far as shoes go, it really doesn't matter if they're waterproof. Your feet WILL get wet when the water hits your legs and run down them to soak your socks. To avoid this, wear neoprene covers and tights.

Also, what do you folks with carbon seatposts do to prevent water from trickling down into the seat-tube since you're not supposed to grease carbon posts? To complicate matters, I have an Easton CF post which has a flattened clamping area presumably for stress relief directly on the forward-facing section of the post which leaves a gap for water to run down.

I've also heard that using grease to trap the water can be bad because while it keeps the water from running down into the BB area, it also keeps the water in the emulsion which could potentially lead to corrosion. Be sure to regularly dry, clean and regrease that area.

Better still, forget about keeping dry (it's overrated anyway). I know from riding in tropical downpours and flash floods that there is no such thing as genuinely waterproof anyway. Concentrate on keeping warm, and as I don't live in a cold climate, this is something I know absolutely nothing about.

The 'Dale is an Al frame, so wont rust. There are a few bits of steel on your bike but there are no real rust problems on modern bikes. Keep the chain lubed. You dont need to keep the bike looking spotless. Most regular training and commuter bikes carry a fair amount of grime and last for years. Some people like to keep their bikes looking new and shiny, and if you have the time, there is nothing wrong with that.
I apply car wax to the clean frame, so dirt falls off. I also apply wax (it is cleaner than grease) to any exposed cables and even some bolts. The bearings in the wheels are well sealed against normal road spray, and should last about 3-6months of rain riding before needing any maintainance. Some well sealed systems last even longer. The most exposed bearing is probably the lower headset one, and some winter riders cover it with a section of old inner tube.
Using fenders will cut down most of the road spray of dirty water, and will keep this away from you and the bike.

I don't know about you, but for me it's not the best thing to ride in the rain. :) since I don't have mud guards and all the sand and water splashes all over me and the bike. Last time I rode, around 7000 feet elevation in Sierra mountains, it was also cold.

The only thing rain does to the bike is, it washes it :D Reasonable amount of rain doesn't hurt bearings all that bad, as long as the bike isn't being sinked under water for coupple of weeks :D

I got caught in my first downpour on my new Cannondale R600 last week and I'm glad to report that the bike didn't shrink <g> and the tires seemed to grip OK on the wet roads (although I wasn't about to push my luck in any hard corners) The worst part was the shoes full of water that took about 3 hours with the blow dryer to get dried out. I'm either going to get a pair of sandles or find something to cover the shoes with. (any suggestions?) Riding in the rain wasn't too bad but I did get questioned by my husband about why the bike was in the den and why I was using the blow dryer on it <g>

Neoprene booties are the thing to use if you know you're going to get caught in rain.

For surprise rain... when I get home I'll stuff the shoes with newspaper until most of the water is absorbed then air dry.

I was going to be posting about this myself very soon. The forecast around here looks terrible for the next week or so. Riding in the rain will be my only option.

I like to ride in the rain. Makes me feel like a little kid splashing around in the puddles. ;)

It keeps me cool and the water on the face feels good. Just make sure you keep moving. I find after a good soaking I get cold when I stop, so I don't until I get home. I then shower right away to keep from catching a chill or cramping up.

I handle the bike a little differently as well, usually slower in the corners and easier on the take off(s). Once you get going its easy.

I wouldn't worry about getting water on your bike and its parts either. Unless your taking a pressue washer to the bearings, they are pretty well sealed. I have noticed a few times though after a heavy rain, the BB threads usually need to be regreased. Not a huge deal IMHO.

I'd make sure you have a good pair of clear lens glasses to wear too. Water and road crud in the eyes is annoying.

First, make no mistake, Al does corrode.

Riding in the rain will hasten rim wear from braking. It's not significant enough to worry about unless you do it all the time, like our friends in jolly old blighty or the pacific NW.

Same with a lot of the other post rain maintenance... if you're riding in the rain all the time, why bother? Otherwise...

I ride in the rain occasionally. I hose the bike off afterwards, low pressure only. Always a couple of redworms pasted to the fork and downtube. What's up with that? I use one of those quicky chain cleaners with Simple Green afterward and hose chain thoroughly to rinse. Spin the wheels (outside unless you want spouse to kill you), dry chain with paper towels and relube chain the next day after it is completely dry. My *opinion* is that the rain carries the road grit and grime into the chain links where it will wear the chain faster. 'Sides, it's wet and dirty, what's to lose by cleaning it?

You might want to take the tires off after riding in the rain to see if you've gotten water in the rims. If so, drain and leave tires off overnight to rim and rim tape to dry. If not, don't worry about it next time.

Sidi shoes are not waterproof, but Lorica is like fricken' plastic or something... unlike leather, getting it wet won't damage it.

Yep your right, but you really don't need to clean your chain every time you ride in the rain, but definitely more frequently than in the summer. It doesn't really do that much damage to your rim, but it does eat brake pads up like crazy. In a good rainy season I end up going through a couple pairs of brake pads.

Some of you guys get more rain in a day than we see all year. Damn!

That's alright. One day in last February, we got more rain that we'd had in the previous two years! (I'm not making that up or exaggerating in any way)

I think I was out riding that day. It was a tad damp.