mcours2006

My winter commuter is a steel bike. It was converted from a hybrid. It works because of the clearance for fenders and 35mm studded tires with cantilever brakes. I upgraded all the components on it, put on a rack and got panniers. It could very well have been an aluminum, but that's what I had. The frame material did not figure into the decision to make it a 'rain' bike.

For just the rain when there's not possibility of snow or ice, I ride an aluminum bike with 25mm tires and MC2 fenders, which are very slim ones designed specifically for road bikes.

BoSoxYacht

We have plenty of variety. Some months hot and sunny, and other months are cool and sunny.

People that claim to like rain are just telling themselves that, hoping that one day they will believe it.

Even with the tiny amount of rain we get here, I know people that have a few bikes they call "rain bikes", but most people I ride with call their older bikes "loaners". One friend even has a couple of loaner tandems.

Lazyass

A heavy rain kind of sucks. But there's nothing like an early Saturday morning ride in the light rain. If you don't like riding in the rain you need to toughen yourself up and stop being soft

pdedes

my rain bike is an older aluminum neuvation f100 with sks race blade fenders that never come off. it sees all the worst of the weather here in SW Ontario. It fits great, handles nicely, and if i show up to a group ride with it, it isn't going to hold me back. it probably gets the most of the annual kms i do.

BoSoxYacht

There's no such thing a light rain in this area. We get soaking downpours(usually with heavy winds) for 30 mins that cause flash floods. The minor flooding will usually wash every thorn in the desert onto the road, and cause puncture flats on the next ride.

Light rain would be refreshing on a hot ride, but that never happens here.

Lazyass

I've lived in the southwest desert and I know how it is there. No one is going to ride in a flood. But you should amend your previous comment about no one really liking to ride in the rain to specify heavy rain or flooding.

BoSoxYacht

I'm not going to amend anything.

the "wink" is enough, or maybe you should just toughen up and stop being so soft

mcours2006

I don't mind the light rain, and it doesn't bother me much, but I never go out on a ride hoping for it. I have, however, often hoped that it wouldn't rain until I got home though. The 'rain' bike is sort of like 'rain insurance'.

BoSoxYacht

Does it ensure that you'll get caught in the rain if you ride the rain bike, or insure your good bike from rain damage?

Marcus_Ti

Says the one living in an area under severe drought and fire warnings.

Try fitting fenders on a carbon bike. You can't

rms13

Why not? One person already brought up Raceblade. Their entire selling point is that you can use the on your race bike so you don't need a back up bike for foul weather

SKS Raceblade Fender Set - Fenders | Competitive Cyclist

The only compelling reason for the rain bike I've seen so far is that you may be more likely to crash in the rain and not wanting to take chance with your main ride. I certainly don't understand the one guy who was saying you should have bar end shifters on a rain bike. If I had to deal with a lot of rain and decided I needed a back up I would build cheap carbon frame up with Tiagra 4700, 700x25 or 700x28 tires with rain tread on them and Raceblades. That would be under $1k so no huge loss if it gets wrecked but would feel similar or identical to my main bike

Marcus_Ti

As someone who owned Raceblades....they suck...

They just suck. They don't stay in place aligned with your wheels, so they rub your tires making noise as well as wearing down your tires. The rubber straps flap in the breeze and don't stay secure and start whacking your spokes too. Shoot they don't even keep you dry as they don't adequately cover your wheels. They are just a small step above useless.

Until you've ridden full proper fenders...you don't get how badly the raceblades suck. Even Sheldon Brown agreed with me: https://sheldonbrown.com/fenders.html


Also most carbon road bikes cannot fit 28s...many cannot fit 25s without rubbing, and tires rubbing on carbon mean frame damage.

mcours2006

It helps you to have a less miserable ride if you get caught in the rain. Let's face it, riding in the rain is miserable already, but if you've got even a bit of protection, it makes it just a tad less so.

mcours2006

I've got these on my aluminum bike with 25mm tires. They're about as wide as you can go though. I might be able to squeeze 28's, but haven't tried.



That's not my bike. But I do have one just like it.

Carbonfiberboy 

I've ridden both. Full fenders are great, sure. But Raceblades are also nice for when you need them. You just don't know the tricks!

#1 , they aren't long enough. So take an old Raceblade or other similar fender material and pop-rivet a section on to make them longer to protect your feet, drivetrain, and the bike behind you. You can make these extensions even better by using a heatgun to soften and then flatten them.

#2 , the rubber straps complaint, you aren't using them properly. Keep wrapping them around, both above and below the wire, until you've used up the whole strap. Then they are very securely attached. Mine never rub.

Most full coverage fenders have the same problem of not being long enough. That's the reason that everyone who rides here in winter adds mudflaps to both fenders.

TobinH

I think it's just because for a long while, the only bikes that had proper threaded mounts and clearance tended to be steel. 'Light touring bikes' or something. Also maybe it's just because steel is comfy, and you might as well be comfy if you're not racing.

gregf83 

Carbon cross bike with full fenders.

Marcus_Ti

Thx for making my point for me.

That is a cross bike. This is the road bike sub-forum in a thread about why anyone needs a second bike for rain riding.

I have done #2 . Still fenders didn't stay put. And eventually in the wet and rough the straps came undone enough on their own and rattled about.

The raceblades are a bad kludge. Through and through.

f4rrest

Raceblades are long enough if you swap the front and back. This makes the front long enough to keep water off your toes.

Raceblades straps won't flap if you trim them after install.

They do require an occasional adjustment if they rub.

It rained here today, and I stayed home, lol.

colnago62

I haven't had a problem with race blades not staying adjusted. They are not better than full coverage fenders, but they do work.

gregf83 

I'e had race blades on a bike for years without any problems. I used it extensively in the winter and they do tend to collect grit under the rubber pads so you need to be reasonably diligent about keeping this area clean and using some protective tape on the frame. I have them on an older aluminum bike so don't care that the paint gets worn away.

They are quiet and stay put for me. Regarding the straps flapping, I just cut them to length.

mcours2006

It can be done.

hyhuu

I discovered long ago that when it rains outside, my bike instantly becomes my rain bike. And when the rain stops, it magically returns to just a bike.

indyfabz

Because droughts leading to forest fires leading to mud slides when it finally does rain suck?

BoSoxYacht

Mudslides aren't an issue in AZ, and we don't have droughts in the desert.