Urban Shooter

I am new to the forum and just recently began cycling as a regular part of my daily routine. I reside in Portland, Oregon and it tends to rain pretty consistently throughout the winter months. My question is two-fold.

1) In general, is it safe to ride your bike daily in the rain?

2) Are there any rainy weather precautions I should take regarding bike maintenance?

I ride an older Nishiki Olympic 10-Speed, not the greatest but I don't want to trash it needlessly.

shabbis

I also live in PDX and ride usually all winter long. I would recommend a set of winter tires that handle better in the rain. Besides that, just prepare yourself a lot sooner for everything, i.e. braking, accelerating, etc...

slacker_express

Funny. I just took my first real ride in a moderate to heavy rain this morning. I saw the weather radar and was surprised to see that the rain was about to ruin my ride - I don't get as many chances to get out as I should. I started out in a light drizzle and the weather went down from there (of course it's clear now...).

I did nothing to prepare, although a light rain jacket might have been nice since it was a little cool. Wore biking shorts andd a jersey with my standard biking shoes.

I was a little nervous at first since I figured that the roads would be slick, but they were fine. Since I've read the Sheldon Brown article on why bikes don't hydroplane, I wasn't concerned about that. I only worried about metal grates / expansion joints / etc and the black stuff they smear on roads to fix cracks. I actually did my route at the high end of my average. I was glad I went out and won't hesitate to do it again.

The bike needs a good wipe-down (in about 10 minutes), my soaking shoes are already airing out., and the wet and dirty jersey and shorts have already been washed. Every time I expand my boundary with the bike, the better it gets.

Urban Shooter

Thanks for the feedback guys! I was dreading not being able to ride this winter but it seems that with some simple planning, all is not lost. I just kept hearing that riding in the rain could damage the bike and components.

Thanks again!

CardiacKid

I would recommend you not wear a white shirt, as you will get a black streak down your back.

Urban Shooter

Understood, typically I wear a red or black shirt.

ramtaajogi

nothing happens to the components of the bike? rust , etc. sorry i am new to this.

operator

Uh, you do need to clean your bike afterwards. Especially rain rides. Gets all this crap on the road onto your bike. Personally I don't mind riding in the rain, it's the cleanup that's a pain in the ass.

MichaelW

Fit fenders.
Squirt some WD 40 into the frame pinholes.
Grease the seatpost and stem to prevent siezing.
Clean and wax the frame.
When you service your hubs, pack them full of grease to prevent the ingress of crud.

Bockman

more than just wiping it down, you should hose it off with clean water, *then* wipe it down and relube the obvious areas.

oboeguy

Very important advice. Also, avoid puddles because they can conceal deep potholes. I was once flatted by going through a pothole I thought was shallow puddle!

ke422azn22

it deosnt take a physics major to know that, rain = less friction. So yes, its less safe. Less visibility = less safe. HOw much LESS safe? Nobody knows. What kind of answer to you expect to get, an exact percent decrease?

bike maintenance: You need to CLEAN IT MORE

biodiesel

Fenders for club rides are nice.

Keep your tire pressure a little lower 5-10psi than usual for better grip.

Careful of puddles on the road, they can hide deep potholes.

Learn to corner with an upright bike. When you lean in keep the bike as vertical as possible and move to the inside of the corner and low on the top tube. Better contact, less angle on the tire and your butts nearer the ground if you slide...

puddin' legs

fenders are good for a commute/winter bike. You'll have to lube ALL moving parts more frequently, but that's about it. Ditto to what Ben says about painted lines and metal grates & manhole covers...