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I Give Up! Looks Like I Need a Rain Bike.- Florida Location

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I Give Up! Looks Like I Need a Rain Bike.- Florida Location

Old 08-12-13, 02:28 PM
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I have a dedicated "rain bike" very simple setup:
* old mountain bike
* single speed
* fenders
* coaster brake
* 2" Serfas city drifters at about 50 psi.
* re-pack all bearing about 2-3x's per year
* Boeshield T9 lube
* thin layer of clear silicone around the headset and seat tube
* lemon pledge on frame helps the water bead off the frame
* plastic bag on Brooks saddle
* clean as needed
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Old 08-12-13, 02:51 PM
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I always keep my last bike when I get a new one. It then becomes my secondary bike. I put on my heavy wheels, old tires and take off all the upgrades. I transfer most of them to the new bike. I ride it when I am the faster rider or in bad weather. I also use it when I want to experiment with cassettes/stems/saddles, etc. I take it when I travel and have even used it as a loaner for a newbie trying out the sport. Do I need it...no, but it does sure come in handy.
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Old 08-12-13, 03:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Vingleik Vaagal
In my opinion fenders shouldn't come near any road bike.
Obviously not from Portland.
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Old 08-12-13, 06:57 PM
  #29  
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I'm in Tampa, too, and typically ride 4 mornings during the week (17-20 miles) and one weekend (30+). During the work week, I'm out before 5:45 and back in by 7:00. Weekends usually find me out by 10 a.m. Those mid-afternoon rides are trouble during summer -- showers are too likely. If mornings aren't your thing, evenings might do the trick. Generally, things have blown through by 6:30 or 7:00 p.m. On rainy mornings, I've been going for a run.
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Old 08-12-13, 09:44 PM
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Rain bikes make sense people. I do not want fenders on my "roadbike" but I do not want to get soaking wet from tire spray either. My Surley is full fendered and is my rain/touring bike. It just makes sense to have different tools for different jobs and to me rain riding is a different job.
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Old 08-13-13, 09:07 AM
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It’s so flippin’ hot I’m almost happy to get caught in a summer shower in the afternoon. I just hate when my socks and shoes become a squishy mess. However, I generally use my hybrid as the rain bike just because it’s easier to wipe down than my road bike due to the more generous spacing between the frame and tires etc.
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Old 08-13-13, 11:57 AM
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Originally Posted by slackerprince
so much for ridiculous excuses to get another bike.

s

no! No! Get a new bike!!!!
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Old 08-13-13, 02:00 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
no! No! Get a new bike!!!!
Yeah, tapped-out for this year.
Look at the dates on my bikes...

S
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Old 08-13-13, 02:14 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by qualia8
Obviously not from Portland.
I probably live a place where it rains more. I usually ride in rain/wet conditions.
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Old 08-14-13, 06:21 AM
  #35  
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I'm in Pensacola, far NW corner, and the rain is an everyday thing here, too. Putting the generalizations about "no fenders on a road bike" aside and ignoring the inane "Rules", you could use a quick detach fender set, like a Racer Blade or one of the others, that are very light weight, require no drilling to attach them and will cut down the spray into the bottom bracket and FD/RD, as well as your shoes form the front wheel.

I ride daily here, usually after waiting out a thunderstorm, and I clean my bike when I get home. No big deal or made into a show/production, I spray the mechanicals with WD-40 to push out the water from everything then wash it with a warm water and Dawn in a bucket, I have the Park Tools brush set that helps out a lot. After I wash/rinse and then wipe everything down I lube the chain and all pivot points with the proper lubricant for the application. A work stand helps a lot, too. Total time spent is usually around 30 minutes if I am taking my time and listening to classical music on the shop radio while I work. YMMV.
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Old 08-14-13, 06:51 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by bikecrate
It’s so flippin’ hot I’m almost happy to get caught in a summer shower in the afternoon.
With the heat index being in the triple digits for the near future, I agree with this.

The only thing I DON'T like is the lightning. The big storm we had last week in the Tampa Bay area had 2,977 lightning strikes within 5 minutes.
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Old 08-14-13, 07:38 AM
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I just use my good bike.

What you need to do is get a routine for cleaning the bike. During rainy weeks, there is almost no point in cleaning the entire bike, so I end up just cleaning the essentials while cleaning the entire bike only once per week or once every two weeks. When I do clean my bike, the whole process takes me about 5 minutes. That is including cleaning the chain (but not lubing it, I do that before the next ride so all the degreaser is gone) and cleaning the rims, but without the soap bath some people like to give their bikes (jut a good rinse and wipe down).

I am not saying rainbikes are nonsense. Just that in my experience I have never needed one. If necessary I can just use a simple clip on fender if I wanted. But I do not need it unless I take a route where the the road gets muddy when it rains.

I have never felt that my good bike's components deteriorated faster from using it in all conditions. When you take care of the bike, cleaning, lubing, storing in an appropriate place and and replacing things when necessary, the bike stays in great condition regardless of whether you use it in the rain or not.

Last edited by Cookiemonsta; 08-14-13 at 08:29 AM.
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Old 08-14-13, 02:13 PM
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I just ride the same bike. Only thing I don't like about rain is the road grit in your mouth from wheel sucking. Have to offset a little and hope the guy in front can keep a straight line.
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Old 08-18-13, 11:25 AM
  #39  
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yeah, ya need a rain bike if you're riding with heavy road spray.

For those who might not know, when you ride in heavy road spray, water gets in everywhere, and i mean, EVERYWHERE. I rode in heavy rain recently, and when i checked the bike later, there was water even inside the hubs, along with everywhere else (the frame, the tyres, etc)! My "sealed" 10sp Shimano BB bearings still have water in them.

Ya don't want ya fancy 'race-day' hubs on ya $3000 Zipps getting full of water.

A bit of drizzle here and there is one thing, but 'serious' rain is another fish kettle of cats and dogs
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Old 08-18-13, 07:30 PM
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I'm buying a rain/commuter bike. Everyone here talks about doing the quick 15min clean cycle after the ride but I live in an apt in brooklyn and thats not really possible. It'll be my bike #2 .

I'm going for a road bike that fits fenders / long reach brakes. There's the All-City Mr. Pink, the Surly Pacer...Dolan makes one...Soma makes one. Its easy to veer into touring / randonneuring territory. I might have been fine with that but the bikes either get terribly utilitarian looking or too old timey.

I decided that I was a bit sensitive to looks. Hey, I'm shelling out some money so why not. In the end I've decided to go with a Milwaukee road bike - https://www.benscycle.net/index.php?m...cPath=612_2235 since i get to choose the color, the lugs, etc. Its kind of a "low end" custom. I also decided that I needed to pick the bike based on fenders. These look like the best for the task - https://www.ridepdw.com/goods/fender...-metal-fenders
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Old 08-19-13, 07:35 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Slackerprince
It looks like it is going to rain EVERY SINGLE DAY in Tampa until who knows when.
Used to be, it would just rain for 15-20 minutes around 3:00 and then things would dry out.
All through July, and the start of this month, it just rains, sunshine, then rains again, etc.
So, I was wondering what everyone does for rain bikes.
Do you get a semi-beater and just ride it on wet streets and then hang it up, or what?
I'm getting tired of cleaning the grit off and drying my good bike after a rainy ride.
Wouldn't mind a $200-$300 aluminum Craigslist bike that I could ride on wet streets and then just park, but I think my OCD would take over and I'd have to do some kind of post-ride maintenance on it.
So, how do you treat your rain bike?

S
I ride Flatwoods every day and there are several places along the path that are under water after some of our afternoon rains. I try and ride as early in the morning as I can so I don't get caught in the thunderstorms but that is not always a guarantee that it won't rain with the sun shinning; as it often does here. Between the flooded paths and the rain, I end up wiping down the bike and cleaning the chain and cassette about every other day. It's a PITA but the way the weather has been here lately, getting a rain bike means you'll probably not get a chance to ride your good bike if you aren't wanting to clean it.
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Old 08-19-13, 10:35 AM
  #42  
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<- is currently procrastinating today's ride due to rain

Although, my "nice bike" and my "beater" are one in the same. I just hate having wet shoes.

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Old 08-19-13, 10:44 AM
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^^ I pull out the soles, open the shoes and place in front of a fan to help dry them after a wet ride. They're always ready to go for the next day, but I do have a back up pair just in case.
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Old 08-19-13, 10:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Slackerprince
All through July, and the start of this month, it just rains, sunshine, then rains again, etc.
That's weird. It didn't rain once in July here. I don't think we even saw a cloud in July. I guess if you want to live in a rainy place, Florida is where you should be, and if you want dry, warm, sunshine, go to Seattle.

Anyway, riding in the rain is hell on some of your components. Your chain, cassette, and rims won't last nearly as long if you do it. That's why I have a rain bike, it isn't about not having to clean the bike off, it's about having nice goodies on my favorite bike, and not wanting to grind them down with road grit because they weren't cheap.

But you don't want a $200 MTB from Craigslist, it will be no fun to ride. And it can be challenging enough to find the motivation to go out and ride in the rain without having to do it on a bike that doesn't handle well and isn't comfortable. I wound up with an old, used, aluminum Cervelo with an Ultegra group from circa 2005.
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Old 08-19-13, 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by cbresciani
I wish I could give you some good advice but living in Phoenix Arizona pretty much eliminates the whole need for a rain bike.

But if I did live someplace with a lot of rain I would probably go with one I didn't have to worry about cleaning after every ride.
July was wetter in Phoenix than in Seattle!
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Old 08-19-13, 11:01 AM
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Originally Posted by 531Aussie
yeah, ya need a rain bike if you're riding with heavy road spray.

For those who might not know, when you ride in heavy road spray, water gets in everywhere, and i mean, EVERYWHERE. I rode in heavy rain recently, and when i checked the bike later, there was water even inside the hubs, along with everywhere else (the frame, the tyres, etc)! My "sealed" 10sp Shimano BB bearings still have water in them.

Ya don't want ya fancy 'race-day' hubs on ya $3000 Zipps getting full of water.

A bit of drizzle here and there is one thing, but 'serious' rain is another fish kettle of cats and dogs
I was using my hard-tail MTB with Bontrager clip-on fenders, for bad weather/winter riding and road spray got into everything. Even on pavement there is lots of dirt and grime left behind when it dries.

Found a deal on Kijiji for an aluminum hybrid, with 3 speed IGH, disc brakes and 26" wheels; and am in the process of converting to rain/bad weather/winter commuter. Waiting for full coverage fenders coming in the mail - rode it for hours in heavy rain with clip-ons and there was a lot of spray. But no drive train / braking issues, When I got home hosed it off & lubed the chain. Adding front/rear racks and will of course need studded tires for the Canadian winter ahead.
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Old 08-19-13, 11:09 AM
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
That's weird. It didn't rain once in July here. I don't think we even saw a cloud in July. I guess if you want to live in a rainy place, Florida is where you should be, and if you want dry, warm, sunshine, go to Seattle.

Anyway, riding in the rain is hell on some of your components. Your chain, cassette, and rims won't last nearly as long if you do it. That's why I have a rain bike, it isn't about not having to clean the bike off, it's about having nice goodies on my favorite bike, and not wanting to grind them down with road grit because they weren't cheap.

But you don't want a $200 MTB from Craigslist, it will be no fun to ride. And it can be challenging enough to find the motivation to go out and ride in the rain without having to do it on a bike that doesn't handle well and isn't comfortable. I wound up with an old, used, aluminum Cervelo with an Ultegra group from circa 2005.
Summer is the rainy season here.
I lived in Portland for over 20 years, so I know what you have coming.

S
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Old 08-19-13, 11:11 AM
  #48  
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Rain bike is a very good idea.

You want a bike you can fender. Most carbon forks won't have room for a fender that goes through, though 23c Vredestein Tricomps will usually fit. Or just stop the fender at the aft side of the fork and secure it with zip ties. Front and rear fenders can be secured with P-clips - no need for braze-ons or drilled dropouts. Run mudflaps that come almost to the ground, front and rear, so full coverage fenders. Wind tunnel data shows wheels shrouded by fenders may be faster than naked wheels as long as the fenders aren't oversize. I don't notice any difference.

The other thing you want are conventional wheels with rims that can be easily and relatively inexpensively replaced. You also want decent hubs with sealed bearings.

I built my rain bike up from an aluminum Nashbar road frame ($99), a CK headset, Ultegra drivetrain, and bar-end shifters to save money and weight. It's given me exceptional service.

No need to wash, etc., though I usually wipe my rims with alcohol because of all the stuff one picks up off the road. Also go over the tires and remove glass before a ride. Wash maybe every other week. Use Finish Line Ceramic lube. Wipe the chain dry, reapply, re-wipe.
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