In praise of rain bikes
Originally Posted by
Andy_K
I know a lot of people use a beater bike of some sort for foul weather commuting and I totally understand that, but there's just something satisfying about having a well-tuned machine that's comfortable, reliable and pretty much down for anything.
This morning was 36F and raining, the kind of weather that makes you look out the window and question whether you really want to spend 45 minutes riding you rbike in this slop... I rarely regret making that decision anyway, and today was no exception. I have the clothing to manage the moisture, and my commuter was purpose built for riding in the rain. Despite the cold and the wet, I honestly enjoyed the ride.
Who else has a rain bike that they love to ride? Let's see 'em!
Recently I posted,
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
After 40 years of cycle commuting on a year-round minimal one-way 14 mile route [and road cycling and touring], I have [last] year finally assembled
IMO, the perfect bicycle fleet:
- One nearly year-round dry,clean-road bike (carbon fiber road bike,except for deep winter with lingering salt)
- One year-round wet,dirty-road bike (aluminum road bike, just recently acquired) [outfitted with 30 C studded tires for winter, fully outfitted with trunk bag with fold–out, panniers, computer, clipless pedals and fenders]
- One winter bike for anything (steel mountain bike with Marathon Winter studded tires always on, for the least possibility of ice
The first two bikes are smooth, easy riding, and easy to carry upstairs; the third is a heavy and significantly tougher ride…I'mvery happy with my Specialized S-Works for dry weather riding but my Cannondale Mountain bike was pretty heavy and cumbersome as a Wet/Winter beater.
So I recently bought the Specialized Diverge Elite aluminum bike as a wet weather beater, and it rides nearly as nicely as the S-Works.The ride and shifting of the Diverge is as smooth as the S-Works, but the feel is more "solid," with 30 C tires. I think this is a great all-purpose bike…
So now, the Cannondale will be reserved completely for only miserable, studded-tire riding, maybe about 3 to 4 weeks during the winter and my riding needs are completely met. I liken my three bikes to a Lamborghini, a Lexus, and a Humvee.
Just yesterday, I rode in similar freezing, sharply pelting rain producing slippery slop on the Roads and sidewalks. I even almost took some nasty spills while walking. Nonetheless I was secure on my 30C studded tires at full pressure (90 psi). This was my first serious challenge to them. Last year I wrote:
Originally Posted by
Archwhorides
The Xerxes is an interesting design for a relatively minimal studded tire. The central ridge makes it a relatively fast-rolling tire in dry conditions at higher pressures, and
you must lower the pressure quite a bit for the studs to engage the pavement. They are finicky that way, but I've learned to deal with it.
Today we had some interesting conditions to deal with…I'm happy that I threw the Xerxes on this morning,
started them at 40 psi front and 55 psi rear, let additional air out of the front tire until I could hear the studs digging in at 35 psi. Once I got used to the relatively squenchier ride with the front wheelat lower pressure, I felt pretty comfortable and stable, but avoided leaning into any turns (you want more numerous studs for that), to avoid throwing the rear wheel into a death-slide.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Thanks for the review of those Xerxes tires, @
Archwhorides. …I already have Schwalbe Marathon Winters for the Cannondale but I’m eagerly awaiting Back Bay Bikes to get the
Schwalbe 30 C studded tires, because I like the wide ones so much. BBB does have the Xerxes currently, but I can’t hold out much longer.
I’m hoping I can ride the Diverge with Marathon 30 C tires safely at usual pressures, as I have done on the Cannondale mountain bike.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 02-08-17 at 06:25 PM.