Robert Foster

I have walked in the rain many times and while it isn’t my favorite thing to do it isn’t so bad that it would keep me home. Today however the weather man betrayed me and I got stuck in the rain when I was about 20 miles from home. This was not a cloud burst rain. No additional felines or canines were deposited on the earth because of this rain but it was a steady light rain like the ones that are just hard enough to make you keep your windshield wipers on low steady for. If I were to rate it on my bicycling Fun-O-Meter I would place it above a root canal but close to a plaque scraping. I was already wet so I decided to pretty much finish my ride except that I took a few short cuts that cut 5 or 6 miles out of the trip. Unlike just being cold the moisture seems to make the coldness reach all the way into the joints. I don’t even want to get into how the face feels. But the “hot” shower when I got home felt heavenly.

Metric Man

I rode early this morning anticipating the rain...the radar was just a little suspicious to me. Sorry you got caught in it...for us So Cal boys it's miserable.

Robert Foster

I was fine till I got about as far from home as I was going to get. I expected maybe a few drops here and there but nothing steady. I was not a happy camper. Glad you got in a ride without it.

NOS88

If I didn't ride in the rain there would be between 115 and 120 days a year when I couldn't ride; if I add in days on which it is snowing that number jumps up to between 130 to 145 days. Getting the right clothing/gear is the key to keeping comfortable. Consider carrying an outer shell (I prefer windproof and highly water resistant) and a cycling cap to help keep the rain out of your face (in cold weather there is nothing quite as good as a full face neoprene balaclava).

Kurt Erlenbach

Rob - You didn't mention the temperature, but it must have been pretty cold. Since it rains so much here on summer afternoons, you need to plan to ride in the rain if you want to get any riding in after work. Frequently I finding a shower rather pleasant because it cools things off a bit (though lightning is not so much fun) but I can imagine few things less fun than riding in the cold and wet without proper clothing.

stapfam

You need to get out more- or ride somewhere else occasionally.

This never riding in the rain bit is causing me a problem. If I did that I would not get out much over here. Only time I have ridden in the dry in the last month was at 20f and snow on the ground (Or ice really as most of the snow had melted.)

But temperature doesn't matter when it rains unless it is above 70f. It will still feel cold. I did a ride years ago with the temp in the high 50's and came very close to hypothermia- and that was with the Goretex on.

So a trip to the LBS is on the cards- Waterproof outer- Goretex is good. Two pairs of leggings- one pair with the thermal underlay. Waterproof socks and gloves and I can recommend SealSkinz

Or just get yourself a lightweight showerproof top that folds up very small. Carry it with you all the time and it will never rain on you again.

JanMM

No mention, yet, of fenders. Very helpful to make a wet ride more tolerable.
I try to avoid wet rides but do keep fenders on the bike much of the time. The front fender is easier to remove than the rear and is taken off if there is little or no chance of rain. The rear fender comes off for extended dry forecasts. Fenders are more tolerable if they can be mounted so that they are easy to remove.
A water-resistant jacket is a good thing to have on hand, too, if there is a chance of rain.

Metric Man

I feel for you guys that have to ride in the rain. I guess I could get used to it, but since we have so little rain I'm glad I don't have to. Someone mentioned the cooler temps...yes, it was cool for Bob...probably around 47° which does make it cold. But we only get 15 days a year of actual rain...maybe a little more on a good year, so planning around the rain is a better solution to staying comfy than actually riding in it.

BluesDawg

I don't ride in the rain very often, maybe once in a blue moon . So it makes sense that it started raining as I headed out for my last ride of the year this morning. Luckily I noticed a light mist as I was preparing to ride and the temp was a cool 45F, so I wore my rain coat. It would have made more sense to ride the Casseroll with its fenders, but I really wanted to close out the year with my best girl, so Ribby and I headed out. At about 3 miles the light mist became a light rain. At 5 miles it was a steady moderate rain and it stayed that way for most of the ride. I was about to cut the ride short at 10 miles as my hands and feet were getting wet and cold (despite my 2 pairs of wool socks), but then it stopped and the sun peeked out, so I decided to go another 5 miles or so. I almost stretched it out further, but the rain came back harder than ever as I approched my street, so I packed it in with 16 miles ridden. Other than being a little chilly, it wasn't bad at all. After a warm shower I feel fine, but my bike is not clean anymore.

Robert Foster

You guys in Florida have a whole different attitude about rain. I was there a few years ago for a conference in Miami. One afternoon we had some free time so a few of us went down town to check things out. One little cloud shows up in the sky and as it passes over sure enough it rains. No one ran for cover they simply kept doing what they were doing and soon it passed. But I now know why wash and wear clothing is so popular there.
I know I am spoiled by our weather and I know I am better at taking the extreme heat we get in the summer. Metric Man is correct in that we get so little rain when it happens we are most often caught off guard. But there was supposed to be less than a 30 percent chance of rain yesterday and I simply didn’t expect it. It was warm for some of you, 44 degrees but once you get wet the cold gets all the way to the joints.
I have been to the bike shop to look at snap on fenders but I can’t see adding them to my Lapierre. Maybe when I get the Jamis back on the road I’ll get some of the snap-ons.
What I almost couldn’t believe was how dirty and grimy my bike got. It has taken hours to get it clean enough to ride tomorrow. Grit and grime got everywhere.

Robert Foster

I try to ride out of the area more than you might think. I do have close to 8500 miles on so far this year so I got out a lot. It is just that from where we live all the way to San Diego has pretty mild weather. I guess I do need to at least add some ultra light weight jackets to my kit. At least some shoe covers. Not that I will likely learn to like riding in the rain.

PAlt

jppe & I rode in the RAIN this year for 160 miles in July...errr, sorry, wrong thread

stapfam

I jhave to ride in the rain but never with fenders. It's only a morning ride so whats 4 hours of getting a streak up the back if you have a waterproof on.

Now if I was commuting- it might be a different matter.

Rain is difficult to photograph but attached is a shot of the worst storm I have ever ridden in- That is not a blurred picture- its is the rain

Doug64

Like a lot of folks, if I didn't ride in the rain, I wouldn't get much riding in. I ride everyday I can; usually 5 days a week. I rode the whole week that we had temps in the low teens. My wife commutes to work a couple of days a week year round (her non-swim days). Fenders, good rain gear, helmet cover, and shoe covers or "winter" shoes make riding in the rain fun! I believe that it is usually a lot harder on the bike than it is on me.

"There is no such things as bad weather, just inappropriate clothes" However, while skiing today I was beginning to question that statement.

Robert Foster

When I was a kid my dad decided to move to Bellevue Washington and by the time I was in High School he decided I should join him there. Like some here rain is just a fact of life much of the year. I can remember what it was like to try and live a normal life when more than 100 days of rain fell during the year. There were time we would ride from our house to a friend’s house in the rain but I can’t say I ever “liked” the idea.
I also was just about car free for 8 years and commuting to LA from Riverside on a motorcycle. I had a full rain suit, boots and covers, gauntlet gloves and a fairing and still water finds a way in. I am not sure there is anything that is water proof but I can assume you get used to getting wet. I think I could do it on my MTB if I was going out with a group and it was planned.

jppe

One of my cycling buddies and I were just talking about this yesterday. The coldest I've ever been was getting caught out in a hard rain and the temps were in the low 40's. A front came through and the temps dropped 6-8 degrees and dumped a bunch of rain on us. There were 4 of us and noone had any rain gear-we thought we could get in a ride before the front came through but it was ahead of schedule. We were about 2 hours from the house and thought about calling for someone to come get us but we slogged back in. It was awfully cold with the breeze from riding cutting through the wet clothes-but even worse when we stopped at a store. I still recall putting back on the layers of wet clothes and starting riding again. Our skin was beet red-I remember jumping in a hot bath for about an hour when I got home. The wife made me take off my clothes outside in the garage......

stapfam

Must have been at least 8 years ago but Summer storms used to prevail round this part of the country. We would have a marvellous ride and just be about 5 miles from home and the rain would drop. I mean drop- no way you could ride through it but one ride and we stopped in a barn just by the side of the road. We saw the rain coming and stopped just before it hit us. 100 yards behind us was a group of Casual riders and in that 20 seconds it took them to get to us- they were saturated. Cold didn't come into it as the temp was up in the 70's but riding in wet jeans and jerseys back to the town must have been uncomfortable for them

Doug64

Found this picture today-- Some day riding in the rain is more challenging than others!
[IMG][/IMG]

Doug64

P.S. This is the one I really wanted to send

Robert Foster

I am rebuilding my Jamis and hope to get it finished before the end of the month. I might get some snap on fenders just in case I see we have another day as overcast as the last one. But I don't think wet weather riding is going to become high on my priority list. Like I said earlier if I absolutely had to ride in the rain maybe my mountain bike wouldn't be so bad. But it took two days to get all of the grit off of my Road bike. I don’t want to even think what that road grit must do to the components. I now know why some people insist on having at least one beater in their stable.

5kdad

I sort of enjoy a light rain on a warm summer day, almost like a radiator on a car to keep me cool.

BluesDawg

Rain riding in warm weather is not so bad.