Riding in the Rain
05-05-16 | 09:48 AM
#51
Banned
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 43,586
Likes: 1,380
From: NW,Oregon Coast
Bikes: 8
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..
which I promptly Re sold to a Seattleite.
In a Commercial Fishing Port town The Grunden's foul weather gear name is well Known..
05-05-16 | 10:51 AM
#52
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,960
Likes: 1
From: Arizona
Bikes: Trek Domane 4.5, Trek 1500
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
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
05-05-16 | 11:32 AM
#53
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 3,509
Likes: 2
From: SW Ohio
Bikes: 3 good used ones
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.
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.
05-05-16 | 05:27 PM
#54
just another gosling
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 20,583
Likes: 2,690
From: Everett, WA
Bikes: CoMo Speedster 2003, Trek 5200, CAAD 9, Fred 2004
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.
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.
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05-05-16 | 07:09 PM
#55
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Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 263
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From: Mentor, Ohio
Bikes: KHS Grit 400, Redline Conquest SS, Redline MonoCog SS,2014 Felt TK3,
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.
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.
05-06-16 | 08:48 AM
#57
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 160
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From: Central Pennsylvania
Bikes: litespeed blue ridge
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!
05-16-16 | 02:21 PM
#58
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Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 30,506
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From: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
05-17-16 | 07:32 AM
#59
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 76
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From: Palmyra, Virginia
Bikes: Specialized Sirrus Comp 2006, Diamondback Ascent Ex 1989
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.
05-17-16 | 08:38 AM
#60
Other Worldly Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 1,540
Likes: 139
From: The old Northwest Coast.
Bikes: 1973 Motobecane Grand Jubilee, 1981 Centurion Super LeMans, 2010 Gary Fisher Wahoo, 2003 Colnago Dream Lux, 2014 Giant Defy 1, 2015 Framed Bikes Minnesota 3.0, several older family Treks
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.
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05-17-16 | 09:30 AM
#61
Billd76
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: South west Florida
Bikes: 07 Trek 1000 and 014 Giant Escape
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!!!
05-17-16 | 01:25 PM
#63
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Joined: Nov 2008
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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.
05-19-16 | 04:32 PM
#64
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 435
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From: Richmond, VA
Bikes: ’83 Bianchi Special ’96 Specialized Stump Jumper Comp ’09 Gary Fisher Paragon ’09 Surly Cross Check ’11 Surly Long Haul Trucker
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.
