christie133

Yes! EMBRACE the rain! I try to take this attitude during difficult rides (embrace the wind, the hail, the sand, the hills, whatever).

Or, you could move to Colorado, like I did, where every day is filled w/ wildflowers and bunny rabbits.

vrkelley

You go East Coasters! I'm still nursing temporary nerve damage in 2 fingers from last weeks crash in the rain...So here are my thoughts...

It'd be good to do a couple of hard-stops on wet pavement. If you get any skidding, replace those brake pads with ones that will do rain.

https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/109500-best-brake-pad-rain.html <---brake pad recommendations

bostontrevor

Yeah, the brake on my rain bike is inexplicably worthless. One day I pulled it out and found my braking power was totally gone. I didn't change ANYTHING and all of a sudden my brakes don't do nothing. I degreased the rim, I swapped in a set of koolstop pads, neither worked.

So this weekend I'm going to take it all apart, hit the rim up with a light sandpaper to scuff it up some, drop the pads in some soappy water or clean them off with degreaser, rebuild the brake. Enough. I just about died a couple of times yesterday.

It's kind of cruelly ironic when you rain bike has bad brakes. Luckily it's also fixed gear, so I just fell back on using my legs to stop.

JohnBrooking

Yeah, yeah, yeah, you and your d*mn wildflowers and bunny rabbits...

Hey, the dandelions are out here!

christie133

I'm actually a native east coaster (baltimore), and I remember all too well some of the miserable weather. Maine IS beautiful--just as gorgeous as Colorado, but I really don't know how you do it--I've become so spoiled by sunshine and mostly dry weather out here. I think you're on the right track though, forcing attitude adjustments on myself during miserable rides helps a lot. That and knowing that there's usually a hot shower and dry clothes in store for me at the end of a ride...

JohnBrooking

I'm happy to report that a deity somewhere must have had pity on us today. The sun actually broke through Friday, for just about 1/2 hour in the afternoon, but today (Saturday) was absolutely GORGEOUS! Sure, there were some clouds around, but the sun stayed out all day, with temps that must have been in the 70s! This is about our first real spring/summer day here! The downside is I wasn't commuting, but the upside is I wasn't going to work! At least we got out tonight for a short family ride. (Down to the playground; the kids are still only 5 and 7.)

Here's hoping the spell is broken.

vtjim

If only I worked Saturdays...

Today was indeed a glorious day. I spent most of it outside doing yard work. Then my wife and I started drinking. So much for yard work.

bostontrevor

Today was freaking gorgeous here. I actually woke up early this morning (for a Saturday) and had to get up to get some riding in on such a fine day. Later I decided I needed to make a run to the package store, too, just to get a little more saddle time in. Man it was nice.

grolby

I am eternally grateful that I'm done commuting for the summer - my last day at work was literally the day before the Week of Rain arrived. Also, bostontrevor - I was in the city for a concert on Wednesday, and it was a challenge to frickin' walk from the Kenmore Square T stop to Lansdowne street, it was so windy - must have been quite a time on the bike. I actually did see some hardcore commuting dude that evening, so I suppose that you're not the only one who sticks to it.

And now the weather seems to have cleared up just in time for me to leave for my tour up the Maine coast! Here's hoping it stays beautiful. I've had quite enough rain for the month.

*crossing fingers*

bostontrevor

Man, that sounds like a nice tour. I've resolved to do some light touring this summer. If nothing else, tool out 40 miles to a park, camp over night, and come back home. Go super light, backpacker style.

So I fixed up my brake just now. I'd been running it with the QR open and hadn't noticed that the bottom of the cable barrel dropped down far enough that the pinch bolt would run into it when fully actuated. So my braking was pretty compromised. I had been crunching that barrel hard enough that it was actually a little bit kinked. Oops.

vrkelley

Maybe check for play in the calipers too...

JohnBrooking

Anyone who's biking in Maine this summer is welcome to look me up; I'd love to put a face to some of these names! I'm just outside of Portland. Just PM me if you are interested...