Bike Forums - Riding in the Rain

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i got one of these as soon as I saw it Grunden's Bike Poncho, had just gotten a Carradice Pro Route cape ,

which I promptly Re sold to a Seattleite.

In a Commercial Fishing Port town The Grunden's foul weather gear name is well Known..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick@OCRR (Post 18741697)

Good timing on this post! Thanks for all the good advice. I'm heading into a ride (well, it's timed so kind of a race) with a 70% chance of rain and a high temp of 48 Deg. predicted at 5,000 ft. of elevation but we're going to 8,400 ft. so it will likely be colder there (at the finish line).

Then we have to descend back into Redlands, about 40 miles and to about 1,000 ft. of elevation. Climbing I generate some good heat. Descending, not so much . . . not much at all. Should be mid 40's at the start in Redlands (5:30 AM) get a bit warmer through Beaumont and up Oak Glenn (steep climb that one).

May be cold on the Oak Glenn descent but should be okay (mid 50's) climbing up Damnation Alley to Forest Falls, then the temps should start dropping again and probably rain falling by Angelus Oaks. From there it's only 20 miles and 3,400 ft. of climbing to the finish line but I expect ever falling temps as I climb. Could be snow at the summit.

Hopefully I'll make it by the cut-off time (3:30 PM) but should have some epic (if not tragic) stories to tell after it's all over.

Rick / OCRR

Good luck Rick. April 9th was the first time I had a chance to ride after being away form home on business for 2 weeks, and I had only 5 day before the Hemet DC staff ride. Even though it was not raining when I left home, I knew it would. I needed the saddle time, and I needed some saddle time in the rain. 20 min into the ride I felt sprinkles. I pulled over and put on my rain jacket, but it felt too warm to put on arm warmers. 5 minutes later it was a steady shower, but I continued on my planned route of 36 miles. About 15 minutes later I was starting to get cole, but there was no place to pull over, get out of the rain, and put on my arm warmers, so I decided to change my route. By the time I got close to some buildings I had warmed up, and kept riding. I ended up wit 36 miles. I rode my old bike, and old shoes and shorts. The only thing I would change about that is the shorts. as the old shorts got wet they moved around more than newer ones might have.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlstrat (Post 18735490)

I rode to work on Friday in a steady rain in 42 degree (Fahrenheit) weather. Took a longer ride and was cold, wet, and miserable. Couldn't see for the fog and rain on my glasses. I used to ride in the rain before I semi-retired, but I may just have to pass on it in sub-60s weather. I was sore the next day, but I also developed some stomach discomfort, so I think I caught a bug, which would not have anything to do with the ride. I just wonder: Is it age (I'll be 60 in a few months) or just good sense that tells me I don't need to ride in the rain, even with good gear. Maybe next time I'll ride directly to work and not do a long ride in.

Depends on how you look at things, I guess. I don't mind rain when it's over 70 degrees outside. On the flip side, I really am not a big fan of riding in rain when it is a few degrees away from turning to snow. But, I certainly do like riding in a snow squall.

Rain riding for me has only one major drawback: wet feet. Unless I am on the bike with full fenders, I cannot keep my feet dry while in clipless shoes. Booties keep water off the top, but nothing prevents it from seeping in underneath. And, I hate wet feet. So, for all intents and purposes---if it rains, I complain.

Quote:

Originally Posted by baron von trail (Post 18743431)

The solution is to use winter mountain boots like Lakes. SPD only. Then put dry suit leg seals on your bare ankles so that they cover the boot tops. That 70 miles in 36 and pouring that I did - feet at the end were damp with sweat but neither wet nor cold. I learned that from randonneuring. 200k with sleet is no fun once you lose the feeling in your feet. However I did learn that even though the feeling is gone, you can't frostbite your feet in above freezing weather! Learning something every day is a good thing.

if it ain't rainin', it ain't trainin'!

for me, rain has no bearing on if or when i ride. rain jacket, cap, seal skin socks and decent gloves is all i need. training in the rain helped me out last year. i had a race on a day when a monsoon came through. lots of people freaked out because it was POURING. no joke, it was REALLY coming down hard. since i trained for and in it, i was more than prepared for the race.

In Oregon we don't let a little wet weather stop us from riding!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=520053

Thanks for the many helpful responses. I think as I get older, some things will bother me more and if it's under 50 I may just skip riding and add miles to the next few riding days. I've been dragging for a week, but I think it's from a bug, plus I helped three college students, one of them my daughter, move into an apartment. That was more work than a 100K ride!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlstrat (Post 18735490)

Is it age (I'll be 60 in a few months) or just good sense

you've earned the right to veto any activity whenever & wherever you want

When I lived in Colorado and was only about a mile from work I commuted in the snow in winter but never was willing to ride in the rain unless it was very light rain. Nothing about being wet is appealing to me. But this spring is so wet where I am in Virginia now that I am having to reevaluate my stance on riding in rain especially since I want to do an extended tour at some point in the next year or so. I just hate being wet with the inevitable cold that comes with it.

The OP's thought regarding age is not idle speculation. The various flu bugs circulating are incredibly virulent and can strike any time of year. I've had bronchitis twice in the last 18 months...once in July and once in March. At 61, I'm aware that how my body recovers from a tough outing is way different than...40 years ago. I live right on the coast and rain is usually accompanied by wind, lots of wind. Now I don't mind a drizzle, mist, sprinkle, brief shower, but I draw the line at wind/storm driven rain. I'll dress/prepare for rain but I've no desire to ride out into a driving rainstorm and arrive home hours later exhausted, cold, sweated out, in the winter or "summer" and get spanked by some damn mutant virus. The other downside is that our maritime climate usually means 50 degrees plus and raining and 90%+ relative humidity. That means profuse sweating while riding and any stoping can mean instant chills. Thus layering.

I'll ride in the rain, but only if the vis is good. I feel that car drivers (cage drivers) are dangerous when texting and even more dangerous when driving and texting when its raining!!!

I live in Oregon. I ride my bike. Ergo, I ride in the rain. That is why God invented fenders, wool and goretex.

SP
OC, O

When I decided to bike commute year-round, I decided that weather was not going to alter that plan (this is Northern California, so it's not like we get a "real winter" anyway, at least according to my sister in Chicago). So, I ride in the rain - my old road bike (aka winter commuter) is equipped with fenders, I have rain pants, I have rain jackets, I have rain gloves, and occasionally I'll get caught without any of it. In that case, I get wet. Fortunately, I must not be related to the Wicked Witch of the West, since I haven't melted yet. As I tell well-meaning co-workers who sometimes offer me a ride home, "As near as I can tell, I'm not water soluble." Actually, during heavy rainstorms I prefer to ride my bike since most of my commute is on a protected bike path and MUP, versus driving my car on the bumper car ride they call a freeway.

If you want to ride for transportation you need the right gear and attitude to do so. If you want to just ride say for exercise, with friends, to show off, etc. it really doesn't matter.