I agree with you about going ahead and riding in the rain if it were an older bike. However, I understand why someone would not want to ride a new bike in the rain. The new bike probably did not come with water restraint grease. I have a bike that is only 2 months old and I would not hesitate to ride it in the rain. However, when the bike was new I completely disassembled it and repacked all of the bearings (including the freewheel) with Mobil 1 Synthetic grease. That grease is not water proof but it is water restraint. Since I know what kind of grease is in my bike I will ride it in the rain. I know many people will tell you not to take apart a freewheel and put grease in it but I have done it with every bike I own and have never had a problem.