Wet road
 

I went out this morning around 8:30 .The temperature was 53 and so I wore the long bike pants. It was a good idea as I later found out. There was a fine mist of rain; the type that you don’t see much of anymore. I love riding in weather like this. At one point I was making a sharp turn and the bike went out from under me on the wet ground. I was not travelling fast. The bike was fine but I landed on my left arm and leg. I later found that I had slightly skinned them both. Had it been summer and I'd been wearing shorts and a t-shirt it would have been worse. Of course, had it been summer the ground would have been dry and I probably wouldn't gone down. I was a bit sore but nothing was damaged too much. My left wrist is a bit strained. That's the one that I keep injuring. A couple of Ibuprofin seems to have helped.

I was sore enough to pack it in and headed home. The fun of the ride had left me for the moment. . I am very careful when it comes to leaves but was fooled by the wet ground. It should be dry and I should be healed by the time Tuesday rolls around.

I did that on ice once turning not a good move. Broke my hip landed right on it. Lucky me not displaced but 3 screws able to go back running in 12 weeks. Spinning on bike in trainer 4 days after surgery. Be careful!

That describes most of the rain we have had around here since July.

Yes, you do need to be careful on wet roads, that type of rain dampens any dust or dirt on the road and makes it really slick.

I hope you feel better soon.

Exactly right, the roads can be like ice when I light mist brings all the old oil up off the surface.

Years ago while doing a driving course at Summit Point Racetrack they misted one area by the skidpad and had us walk on it. Hard to stay upright.

Glad you AND THE BIKE, not necessarily in that order :innocent: , came out OK.

Wet road + slight mist = no bike riding for myself and my bikes.

I guess I need to consider getting a trike as my rain ride.

Especially after a long dry spell (speaking from experience).

Fall brings leaves which can be tough once they get wet.

I tend to take my turns square when the ground is dodgy. Rather than lean into a turn (where the wheel can slip out from underneath you if wet), I just take it more upright. Yeah it's slower but the bike won't slide out from underneath you.

I also start to ride my fat tire bikes in the fall as a fatter tire run at lower pressure helps deal with poor road conditions like lots and lots of leaves.

Watch out too for the white painted stripes and any metal plates.
I usually go slower than my regular speed around corners/turns
and brake earlier:

the sharp corner may have been the problem, Paint does not help or steel plates & manhole covers..

First rain of the season is always the scariest.

Not just turning - braking too. And if you aren't smooth and careful with weight, climbing too. (I'm ignoring sprints for town lines....)

The biggest problem is different slippery on different parts of the road. PAINT, metal, lubricants, rubberized asphalt sealer, leaves, pine needles, and of course, wet or dry - acorns.

-mr. bill

Ibuprofin seems to have helped. My hand/wrist is a little sore this morning but no swelling. I rode down to the post office to pick up the mail. It's a beautiful fall day.

Glad all is okay.

This episode reinforces why I won't ride, even if the rain has stopped, but the roads are still wet. I don't want to take the chance of me getting hurt or damaging my bike. There are just too many dry days to ride, so why chance it (for me anyway)?

Hoping for your full recovery.

Yea the cars leave oil and grease on the pavement.. but after all those years that should be no surprise..


:50:

Yep. In addition to the seeped up oil, Sacramento drivers seem to lose their minds the first rainy day of the season.

I live in Salem Oregon where the winters are wet. I rarely ride in the rain unless I get caught in it but if I waited for a dry sunny day I'd never get out on the bike. Misty rain is fine although we don't receive much of that anymore. The ground can be wet to some degree from November through March. The summers are dry and that may have lead to the problem that I had with the wet road. After riding on dry roads for most of the summer and fall I forget that wet ground is slippery. I intend to be more carefull i the future. I ride all year round and am looking forward to the upcoming winter, except for the snow.

Had some rain on the ride a week ago and almost went down on the paint. I was starting at a light and across the intersection I had to decide to ride either left or right of the paint. I was indecisive and eventually decided to go from left side to right, skidded on the paint. Fortunately I was somewhat ready for it and was able to keep it up.

I did go straight down once crossing an area that was pretty much always wet and I think there was algae on the road due to the wetness. The wet area was no more than 3 feet long but it was like I never knew what happened. Once second riding the next skidding down the road.

scott s.

Especially when it spends the whole day "not quite raining".