Riding in the rain
Originally Posted by
DBrown9383
POURING rain here and of course I want to ride but pondering getting drenched and having to clean and re-lube everything. I know there are die-hard riders here but does anyone INTENTIONALLY set out to ride in the rain?...
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I have been an avid cyclist, as a lifestyle since about 1972…what I have gotten directly from BF are:
- the motivation and tips to ride in rain, and wintry roads, i.e. studded tires…
Most of my riding, especially from April through October is for training/fitness, and I follow a pretty rigid schedule with daily mileage quotas. Furthermore I incorporate that schedule into my commute, so I do accept riding in the rain, but only on my beater mountain bike with fenders and wide tires. Getting wet personally was not a major concern, and as
tsl has written:
…forget the motorcycle rain suit. You will become drenched in sweat inside it--just as wet as you would be from the rain, but now, with bonus stickiness and stinkiness. I've found that even cycling-specific rainwear becomes a liability above about 50-55F. Over those temperatures, I dispense with rainwear entirely.
The key is simply accepting that you're going to get wet…Just remember that once you're drenched, you can't get any wetter….
A perfect answer to that incessant querying about how to stay dry. However, below about 50⁰ and especially into the 40-30⁰ range my hands demand neoprene gloves, and IMO riding in cold rain is worse than freezing cold. Also, I find drenched feet to be uncomfortable and I wear waterproof layers to keep them dry; sweat is not uncomfortable. (Note the plastic baggies over the sneakers, to make the rubber overshoes easier to slip on, and provide a further barrier to the rain.)
One other important item for me is a baseball cap with a visor (longer that a cycling cap) to keep the water off my prescription eyeglasses, with an occasional finger wipe when they get wet. Rarely do I wear safety goggles over the eyeglasses (less than than about 35⁰).
While getting wet was not a problem for me, I hate the grime that gets kicked up. The one post on BF that dispensed my concern about tedious clean-ups was similar to this one:
Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
...It's a good idea to take a rag and wipe the chain after a rain ride. Nothing more. After the bike dries, have a look and if the chain looks dry, add lube and wipe again. ...
Now that was a regimen I could handle, suitable for my beater bike.
Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
I miss riding in the rain, no seriously...The rain used to make it interesting...
Now I'm just a boring fair weather rider.
For those who like riding in the rain though, and claim rainwater is so pure, I’m reminded of a post where the subscriber said the rainwater kicked up off the road is a
mixture of oil, grit, and liquified roadkill. 
Finally, the Rules of the Velominati praise those who ride in bad weather:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Rule
#1 - Velominati
If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a
badass. Period.
Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards. Those who ride in foul weather be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face.
This is a rider who loves the work.
The last time I rode in such a drenching rain, about two years ago, I got so wet that I developed a presumed blister and subsequent abscess, “down there,” and was off the bike for two weeks. So if you ride in bad weather you may be a
badass in more ways than one.
So drenching rain is now my only limitation.