Originally posted by kobyj
It's raining again in my part of Indiana. On earlier this week I commuted in the rain to find that my brakes are worthless when wet.
I know that most of my problem is probably my cheap pads, but do any of you have any tips for braking when it is wet?
I did find that putting one foot on the ground can help. The only problem is when you bring your foot back up onto your pedals, your soles are really slick from the oil on the roads. (I don't have clipless or clip pedals on my bike. I just have regular metal pedals.)
First, be aware that while a bike's brakes do lose effectiveness when wet, they should definitely
not be "worthless." If they truly are, either your brakes are woefully out of adjustment or you're riding a Huffyoid with steel rims. You can get caught by rain on even the sunniest days, and it's not a good idea to be without working brakes!
Yes, definitely clean the rims, and use some very fine sandpaper to clean the pads. Clean out the grooves in the pads with something pointy; if the grooves are almost gone it's time to replace the pads. Make sure the brakes are properly adjusted so that the pads sit no more than an eighth-inch or so from the rims.
If you can brake with your feet it seems very possible that your saddle is much too low. In any case, this is a bad idea; it invites injury and it avoids the real issue.
RichC