especially with rear slick tires = EXTREME TIMES

got some hecka slick brick sidewalks, skids like a mother****er, and it's amazing.

Yup, what three other guys said, if you are having trouble staying up it is probably the tires. I ride in the rain all the time and I feel just as comfortable as when it is not raining.

What kind of rain gear do you guys use? I was riding in philly yesterday and got f-ing soaked within 3 blocks. Even a good rainjacket will only keep your top dry.

rain's always nice and relaxing, as long as you have all your gear. endless, guilt-free skids are fun too.

i have something like this

pwhahah jk

i went out for a ride because it was raining yesterday. except i'm on an ss. no fenders so after i was done it felt like i went swimming in a shallow pool. but you'd be amazed how peaceful it is to ride in the rain at night with no cars on the road

To stay totally dry in rain you need a rain coat, fender, rain pants, and waterproof shoes. No one digs on the rain pants and shoes, so you'll probably get a little wet. But a fender does a lot to keep you dry. When Tropical Storm Hannah rolled through last weekend I went for a ride, didn't wear any rain gear except for a fender, and the bottom of my pants was the only part of me that stayed dry.

As far as handling, a fixed gear is much better in the rain. Stopping distances go to hell with brakes, so it's nice to be able to rely on something else to slow yourself down.

i still had to contend with cars, luckily it wasn't raining too hard yesterday that it blocked their views.

it's raining here and i just went for a ride. all i had was one of those sks seatpost fenders so i'm still hopelessly wet but it was really peaceful. plus mad skidzzzzzz.

and riding fixed in the rain is much better than freewheel. when you need to slow down, you can feel when the traction slips out through the pedals unlike a freewheel. i had a few sketchy moments with on the road bike i commuted on last year through rain and an epic winter. luckily, i knew how to skid so i'd just slide sideways through a turn, and then go home and congratulate myself on being a nerd.

Seriously... I'd love one of those.

My bike is my main transportation, no rain or snow usually stops me (there was one day snow did this past winter and 9 days strepthroat kicked my ass in January).

Other than the road being a bit more slick, I've no qualms riding in the rain - I'd prefer the fixed wheel under me than a freewheel to be honest. This goes for snowy/icey conditions too. Roads get the same kind of slickness regardless of what bike you ride, just watch what you ride on/over (metal, leaves and painted lines = potential danger) and you'll be fine.

Sounds like you've not got enough grip or something weird happened.

Get a jacket, rain pants, booties and some fenders and you'll be giddy as all hell </fred car free cyclist>

I totally forgot about this post of mine in the mass endeavor that was my semester at school. And YES I can handle my bike. Right now I'm running a conti gator skin on the back its"a slick" I assume because as you know it has almost no tread. I actually fell a second time and it was on a white patch again, those things are like Ice. This second time I fell using my front brake. Since then I have removed my brake. What tires do you recommend for the rain?

I like riding in the rain, except when I'm not dresses accordingly. Which I never am at the right time. Plus I don't have fenders.

i refuse to read old threads, but my two cents:

just ride slow, esp. on icy days like today (personally, i stuck to the El. not afraid to admit it).
when you're talking about weather that german engineered NHTSA regulated machines slide in, it's best to assume that a brakeless track bike is going to have problems. lack of speed is your friend.
treads aren't necessarily going to help much; i'd just keep it down a notch. a few friends actually drop their chain rings down a few teeth when it's bad out; keep a spare chain for quick switches.
maybe also go from 23mm to 28mm tires.

thx sp00k!

are you mocking me?

what is this rain you speak of (check my location and date of post)

I specifically built my rain bike as a FG. Better traction and no need to worry about all the gunk ruining a derrailleur. But you still have to ride carefully. Have a moderate gear (70 inches or so), a brake or two, and keep good tread on the tires.

rain pants d00d. jeans+rain=horrible.

dude. yea. this spring is going to be so nice after this winter.

Yeah,
That's happened to me on Broad... right around Broad and Walnut... When I spilled it was the effing lane lines... they are soooo slick when they're wet... so yeah... go slow... but smilin all the while because there aren't all those weekend warriors on mountain bikes... clogging up the the bike lanes...
and some good foul weather gear doesn't hurt...

you think rain is tough? ha. try iced over streets with a light dusting of snow-- 10 degree snow i mean. now that is slippery and dangerous

no

+1000