Originally Posted by
cooleric1234
I've often heard the argument that bike tires can't hydroplane. That's all well and good, but is hydroplaning the only cause of a tire slipping? I honestly don't know, but I doubt it. It seems like debunking hydroplaning is a bit of a straw man argument, people don't care how they go down in the rain, just whether or not they do.
I think you're right.
Like most people in this thread have pointed out, anything other than pavement ( or dirt ) is dangerous when things get wet. Metal grating means your tires have very little traction, and could lose their grip if you messed up. Same with paint, like road striping. Or leaves on the edge of the road. Or even some pavement - stuff you're more likely to find in urban parks where bikes shouldn't be anyway. Watch out for all of this stuff. Don't turn too steeply here.
I've locked my rear wheel a couple of times when it was wet and I had to make panic stops. The back wheel starts to slide sideways in an arc ... it's scary for a split second, until you let up. Rely mostly on the front brake; the weight moving forward as you stop keeps the tire pressed up against the roadway.
This is probably obvious, but don't lean as far into turns because you have less contact area with the road this way, and your tires already have less grip.