Originally Posted by
Korina
It was 45F this morning; throwing rain into that is beyond cooling and into hypothermia.
That said, I'm curious; how does rain affect bikes? My husband is convinced a light sprinkle causes them to rust into a solid blob.
No hypothermia at all.
45deg is wonderful cycling weather, and rain doesn't affect that at all. An average winter ride could be in high 30s with plenty of rain, and I find it no problem at all to ride in that with shorts, one or two good layers and a cover. Key is to protect hands, neck, ears, and then just dial up your effort (go find an extra hill to climb) to build some heat. It took me a while to convince my wife to work harder in the saddle, and you find yourself unzipping layers pretty quick.
My favourite feeling on the bike is working so hard in inclement weather, and unzipping my chest and feeling that ice cold current bask my chest and back, and titrate it ever so perfectly with different body movements to completely cool down!
Originally Posted by
banerjek
I have studied this exact question for well over 100,000 miles in the PNW which you may recognize as a rainy environment. My experience is that rain causes bikes to get wet. It doesn't hurt them.
BTW, 45°F and rainy is quite comfortable if you have right gear
Agree, rain doesn't affect the bike so long as regular care for the bike is maintained. Biggest difference for bike longevity and performance is indoor storage of the bike in my opinion.