Finally, no lightning and able to ride in the rain. Kinda of fun, until I saw 4 other crazy bikers.

Forgot a couple of things about riding in the rain, like
-- don't use the wrong glove
-- you ride slower cause the pants are heavier
-- it takes longer to make sure all the lights are on, and finally
-- I ride more cautiously so I don't play kiss the payment.

But still fun. Maybe there will be another rain day this year. I know snow coming, but if lucky there will be one or two more days in the rain.

Is that sick or what?

I'm out there, too, with plastic bags over my shoes (I can't stand putting on cold, wet shoes at the end of the day or the next morning.) Hope to see you out there!

It rains all the time here in the winter, lightning, sleet, hail...I love it! There's nothing better to increase your own credibility as the "crazy biker" than walking in to work with ice sheeting from your pants or clothes so wet an hour in the drier doesn't help them at all....but how do you keep your feet on the peddles with plastic bags?

clips and straps. i use galoshes with a hole cut out cause i ride clipless. works great. i love riding in the rain, especially the skid stops.

LMAO... HIYO!!!

I was one of them "crazy" bikers in Northern Colorado...
I was on a long straight road... and was "mesmerized" by the water shooting off the front tire...watching it go left then right then left with the WIND!!!

Man, my inagaural ride on this bike saw the roads FLOODED...I was riding through two a foot and a half of water at one point, praying my mechanic did a good job of locking the deraileur hanger on their and that it wasn't going to be shot...

But hurricanes are fun to ride in. I learned my lesson very quickly: When the winds are over 40mph DO NOT GET OFF THE BIKE! I almost got blown off the bridge (I was 175lbs) because I didn't want to get blown off the bridge with my bike...If I go down, my bike doesn't have to be sacrificed! Yeah, the wind goes around you on your bike instead of attempting to go through you when walking/running.

Hey! How many people get offered rides in the rain? I've had three people (one guy went out of his way to make two u-turns to get to me) to ask me if I would rather ride in a nice dry/warm truck instead of being in the cold/wet rain...the responses when you say, "No, thank you, I'm having too much fun but I do appreciate your kindness" are hysterical! "You freaking lunatic!" and the like...all kindly given, not said in a mean way like the people who honk and pass...

I understand. That is another reason I was going slower, just to watch the water fountain display off the front slick. It was really cool to see the way it danced with each change in side wind speed.

I probably was over conservative and didn't turn as fast as this was the first time I had rain with the slick. No gives, so if I catch another this season, I'll try more normal speeds.

This was a great pickme up this am. Thanks for the story. We'll have 80-90 mph winds, but rarely with much rain. Heck we only get 14 inches a year, send some our way.

My wife wanted to pick me, but I respectfully declined. I'm been waiting all year for a good rain with no lightning to relive the rain experience. I could have waiting it out, it was only about an hour storm, but no joy that way.

It was fun to see some dumb roadie with a wet streak up his rear because a light plastic fender is just too heavy. Yeah, right. Just give up that McD's supersize.

What was your first rain experience like? I remember mine...Nice, crystal clear day, all of a sudden I heard a really bad car accident...which apparently took place in the sky, then the monsoon came...It was raining so hard I couldn't see my hand in front of my face but learned the invaluable car-aversion skill of getting onto a curb without having your feet on the peddles, then 15 minutes later it was all over and half way home it didn't even look like it rained...

Got stuck myself here in Southern Colorado yesterday. Normally, rain is fun, but when you don't plan for it (SS jersey, no booties, left fenders at home) and it's the coldest afternoon of the season, there's no fun involved. My ass was so cold, I coulda had a gaping hole in my shorts and would not have noticed. Normally I don't wear rain gear because, let's be honest, wet is wet, but does anyone have advice on good waterproof booties and pants for the colder months?

I like rain because it gives me a chance to tune the equipment. I make it a game to be able to ride in the pouring rain, arrive at home/work, pull of the rain gear, and be totally dry (except, unfortunately, for perspiration).

The second best part of riding in the rain is getting to work and hearing the "you rode IN THE RAIN?" remarks.

I have a helmet with a solid top and a visor so my head stays dry, and the usual rain jacket and pants. For the feet I have the somewhat dorky solution of using as my standard "biking" shoes a pair of waterproof six-inch hiking boots. The rain pants overlap the tops of the boots, so I shed water nicely. For the hands, there is a brand of gloves called "sealskinz" that are nearly waterproof, and the jacket sleeves overlap the tops of the gloves, shedding water in that direction.

I got caught in a brief hail storm once. The hail beating on the solid top of the helmet was fun.

I also have had the annoying experience of having it start to rain, me pulling over to a sheltered area and putting on all the rain gear, and just as I get it all on, the rain stopping.

I find that in rain gear I sweat so much, I might as well have done without. So I usually do without. I usually wear a cap with visor under my helmet and slightly more clothes than is dry weather but otherwise I just get wet. Once it starts getting cold I will wear a wind proof jacket and booties to keep the heat in. Many times the rain is quite enjoyable.
Craig

I'm in Oregon...Scotchgard is my best friend! I spray it on everything. My coat, my pants, my converse tennis shoes...the dog...opps, watch out Maggie! She's OK!

I rode home in the rain on Friday. It was fun as ever . It was also night, so I had my lights on and all. Riding on the road is no big deal, there are so many street lights and headlights and all, but riding through that park on my way home was a little dark... I had to work late so I didn't have my 10w "night" headlight, just my AA emergency backup headlight.

I guess my reputation as a nut is firmly established because my coworker who was also working late didn't bother to offer me a ride home even when we walked out after dark in the rain.

Gotta do something about my feet though. A polyester wicking shirt and shorts don't really feel bad when they're wet, but shoes do.

I don't use rain gear in the summer. However, if it's raining and < 50*F I want rain gear. I slow it down a couple MPH and open the vent zips to keep the sweat under control.