I took my fenders off this week. I feel a sense of foreboding.

I like commuting with fenders, but I feel that they don't really offer much in the way of protection while it is raining. However, I love the fact the fact that they keep me dry from ground spray after the rain has stopped.

I think I need to upgrade to breathable rain gear, the last time that I rode in the rain with rain gear I was just as wet as I would have been without rain gear. I actually rode the following day in the rain without my rain gear, since it was still saturated, and I was actually more comfortable. I actually stayed a lot cooler without the rain gear, even though my rain gear is supposed to be vented.

Finally ! Someone else who has seen the light !

one day this week it was drizzly - just enough to kick stuff up and spray me and my bike on the ride in. when I got to work noticed clumps of road gunk and sand all over, so I used a few water bottles worth of water to hose it off. I concentrated on the mechanical moving parts, brakes and derailers, but also on a few cosmetic areas. it cleared up to be a nice sunny day and it was nice to have a clean bike to ride home on.

I just wiped down my backup bike's rims with paper towels and lighter fluid to be sure the rims were free of grim. lighter fluid was handy - anybody see a problem with a solvent like that used sparingly with a cloth (never sprayed)?

I love riding in the rain. You keep cool and the release of control (well, i'm gonna get wet) is liberating. I reign in my speed a little and don't take as many chances as i usually would.

Riding through puddles on purpose always brightens up my commute.

I disagree, mostly. You don't have to clean the frame. But you absolutely have to clean the drive train and rims on a regular basis, unless you plan on destroying them by the end of the winter. This is especially true if you're like me and only have one bike, which has to be ridden in all conditions.

I think he covered that under "keeping it mechanically sound". I would also add "road" to that.

Sometimes mountain bikes need washing.

I find braking or rather "slowing" to be a real bother. I really wish I could retain my ability to STOP my bike.

I took my fenders off because the warm weather filled me with a false sense of optimism. In retrospect, especially in light of last Wednesday night, it was a terrible mistake. I think they're going back on this weekend.