Bought this as a snow bike, but liked it well enough that it gets a lot of rain use. I thought I'd buy studded tires this winter but we have not had enough icy days to justify the purchase.

out in this morning's rain. The creek/ditch was up at trail height yesterday so it came way down overnight.

http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa784b1f1.jpg

Not a dedicated rain bike, but it's the bike I use most in rain.

I could probably deduce this from the pictures, but what do you value in a rain bike?

Obviously fenders. I think wide-ish tires are important. In the winter the bike lanes here are always chock full of gravel, tree shedding and various other mystery debris. Riding a bike with skinny tires in that muck just isn't fun. I look for tires with a good "wet grip" rating and a fairly minimal tread. Because punctures are more likely in the rain puncture protection is even more important than usual, but I'm still not willing to go the Marathon Plus route. While I know any brake will work, I really like disc brakes for rain riding and especially hydraulic discs.

I'm a bit surprised to see so little IGH representation in this thread. I've always been tempted to build an IGH rain bike, but the weight deters me and I just don't have enough problems with a good old chain and derailleur to make it compelling. I do have a singlespeed that seems like it "should" be a good fit as a rain bike, but frankly while I find singlespeeds to be fun in good weather I feel like having gears reduces the psychological weight of the ride and in bad weather I'm always looking for whatever makes things feel easy. I choose a rack and trunk bag over a backpack in the rain for this same reason.

My current town bike, as have all iterations for decades, have the same '50's AW/Cyclo 3 cog hybrid drive train fitted.
The best and worst of IGH/Derail systems combined.
Finicky, obtuse and requiring an advanced degree in mathematics to divine the correct shift pattern to engage the "next" gear:

"Let's see is it one cog Down and shift Up on the hub, or the other way 'round?" :foo:

See post #2.

-Bandera

Yes, fenders for sure, and ones with mudflaps in the front, as I recently learned. But beyond that any bike with fenders would serve as a rain bike, or just a bike that can be ridden in all weather conditions. All other criteria are not so much weather-related as it is really personal preference, or perhaps terrain related--IGH vs geared vs SS, road bike vs hybrid vs mtb vs dutch-style, caliper vs linear pull vs cantilever vs hydro, etc. Yes, disc brakes are best for wet conditions, but unless you're racing crits I don't see a huge benefit to them. I don't recall ever having to make an emergency stop that my calipers or cantis couldn't handle. Maybe if I were stronger ride who rides 25+ mph all the time I would feel differently.:rolleyes:

Many here extol the virtues of IGH and coaster brakes, and I'm sure they work fine for maintenance free operation. For me, however, I don't mind a bit of maintenance, and honestly, I've ridden my geared bikes through three winters now and the amount of maintenance I've had to do is pretty minimal. I wash the bike every now and then, especially when I've ridden in slush and snow and lube the chain regularly, but I'd have washed any bike that's gone through that muck. Aside from changing the brake pads every 5000 km or so I've had to do very little to maintain it.

But I actually like the maintenance aspect of having bikes. It's half the fun, tinkering it. And it's the same reason I have multiple bikes.

I normally avoid riding when rain is possible or likely, but on the occasions when I decide to risk it, I take one of my rain-ready bikes.

1982 Univega Viva Touring

http://i.imgsafe.org/fca51cf803.jpg

1985 Ross Gran Tour

http://i.imgsafe.org/fca14a9820.jpg

I've got the same Trans-It panniers on my beater bike. Love 'em, cause they maintain their shape, like a basket.:thumb:

Mine is one of the few - Nexus 8. I like the low maintenance (drilled for an oil port) and has been trouble free for 26,000kms so far. I'd like a full chaincase too.