Riding in the rain sucks.
 

We have been having rain storms since Monday and it sucks. We had our Wednesday night ride and we ended up riding for about 5 miles through pouring rain. Tonight I went and ate and then rode to the grocery store and it was pouring on the ride back home.
I had a overnight trip planned out this weekend. It isnt much, 20 miles there and 20 miles back. I just got a new tent, a Kelty Grand Mesa 2, and I wanted to try it out.

I am still thinking about going on the trip but we have a 40 chance of rain. It is most likely going to rain, so ill probably going to have to ride in it loaded. Is there anything I should be concerned with? I have done some overnighters previously, so what I am concerned with is the ride.

BTW Planet Bike Hardcore fenders for touring bikes, do a wonderful job in rain.

Go on your trip and have fun.
The worst that can happen is that you have a misserable time.
That is what it's all about.
Some times the weather is good and some times it ain't.
Besides rain is part of touring,it can be fun sometimes.

Eh, it's all in the attitude you bring to it. Rain doesn't hurt you, so why does it make you unhappy?

Choose to have fun with it. Unless you wear glasses like me. Then it's hard to enjoy it, cuz you can't see much and that sucks.

I found that hard rain generally, though not always, discourages the dogs from chasing you. There is a plus side to everything.

I love riding in the rain, went to the store the other night in the rain as an excuse to ride. Lightening is another issue, but just rain? If it is above 60 degrees, dress lightly know you will be wet (like swimming) and just enjoy it. when you turn it around it is kinda fun (hence my unnecessary trip in the rain)

Maybe it's just me, but I love the sound of my tires hissing through the water. It makes me go faster because I can hear it in the water. I also think the water spitting out the front after the fender is cool.
I am easily entertained...

Rain may suck (or not), but not riding really sucks!

There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes :)

What better way to test drive your new tent than in conditions you need it to work in.

z

I would recommend you carry every bit of wet weather gear you can, WHY.......... when I road across Tassie for 5 weeks I loaded enough rain gear to cover the entire state, and I swore up every hill I needed
to get rid of some weight, on that entire trip it only rained once on the last day, not only was my rain gear a total waste of time and energy it was my omen to perfect weather.
But sh** like this happens to me....my last trip I was warned about how little water was about, so I made sure a carried a heap................................there was so much fresh water on that trip
I was swimming in it in the afternoons, but hey, at the end of the trip my calf muscles were big enough to eclipse the sun :-)
Sam

Riding in the rain doesn't suck....but riding in the rain, day after day, living in a tent, and not having any respite from the weather can suck.

It doesn't sound like you'll be facing the latter, so just go and have fun. Bring your jacket, rainpants, fenders, and a sense of adventure.

It depends on how you look at it. I spent some very rainy days in the redwoods last year, and by the end I was kind of liking the rain, it made all of the green undergrowth seem even greener, almost glowing. Talking to a ranger he also mentioned this phenomenon and said that if you only see the redwoods in dry weather then you only see one side of the forest. Now I guess I gotta get back there and see them in dry weather.

The senses also seem to be heightened when in the rain for days, anyone else notice this?

I agree with the post that says you just have to accept being wet, it's definitely true, then you won't be so miserable. No matter how much rain gear you have you will get wet! Now, being cold and wet is a different story all together, but you likely won't have that problem in texan summer.

5 miles ... or even 20 miles ... in the rain is nothing!! Bring rain gear, just in case, and go enjoy your 60% chance of sun.

Riding in the rain's not bad. it's fighting rain that sucks. As long as it's not accompanied by cold, I tend to enjoy it in doses of less than one day.

Stay visible, and keep some dry stuff to put on when you're done, and figure out how to accept or even enjoy it.

Has any ever noticed that people seem to drive faster when it rains?

I believe that most people think like the OP and don't like being "outside" in the rain (not my favorite weather, either). It sure seems like people in cars are in a hurry to get out of the rain and drive faster. Of course, with all the noise and wet, it could just seem that way but I don't think people slow down at all.

Ray

I don't mind riding in the rain. What I hate is riding in the rain + wind + cold.

On the other hand, I own the Kelty Grand Mesa 2, and it works great in the rain. Enjoy!

Bring booties. There's nothing worse than wet feet.

Nothing like riding loaded in the rain...LOL! Like others have said,your going to get wet.Make sure you have some dry clothes for night.

Sounds like a perfect time to test the new tent and see how fast you can get the fly on,Have Fun!

The Kelty Grand Mesa 2 is an excellent tent.

Well, I thought about it and I am going out camping tomorrow. I was going to go tonight, but I got off work to late and a large storm is heading our way. I am not really comfortable riding in the rain at night, on a 2 lane road. I am thinking it will be ok and I feel better knowing the that the tent will keep me dry. As for tonight, I am going to some mud races or at least until it starts raining hard.

It is a mindset thing. There are countries where it rains all the time, if you didn't go out and do stuff in the rain, you would never leave the house. There are slab climbs in britain that go up subtle grooves in the surface of the cliff that are rivers when it rains, people boast about who climbed it in the deepest torrent.

That said, rain, cold, headwinds, and rough camping can get me down... And, you have to seriously consider your route for safety. If you are taking a route with lots of cars passing, and where the rain will affect your safety big time, then you need to consider alternative routes.

In Oregon at times it can, and
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...yWeekend-1.jpg

at other times it doesn't.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y.../Start-2-1.jpg

I used to hate rain but now I like it. If you are well prepared then riding in rain can be a thrill!

One of my fave experiences from last summer's tour was when the day went from blazing hot to torrential downpour and then hailstorm in what I think was about 30 minutes and then cleared back up. The roads flooded and I was almost up to my axles in water in places. I couldn't resist yelling out "whooOOO!!!!!!!!!" As I cruised through it :) With good rain gear you'll eventually come to enjoy rainy days. You don't have to wear sunscreen in the rain and that's a plus.

I find a baseball cap, rain gloves and shoe covers make it a pretty benign annoyance at most. You have to have cycling glasses too of course; mine have interchangeable lenses so I can switch to clear when the rain falls.

Oh and a tarp makes camp enjoyable.

I've always loved riding in the rain, it's exhilarating, and plus in summer in Tennessee, you're soaking wet from sweat even when it's not raining, so it's kind of nice, in my opinion.

Depends on where you are. When I lived in Seattle, I hated riding in the rain because it was usually 40 degrees. Now that I have moved back to Tulsa, I like it when it rains (provided it doesn't turn into a lightning- or hail-storm) because it cools the air down from 95 or so to about 75.

Well I am back home now and safe and dry. I feel really cheated on this trip. With a 60% chance of rain yesterday, 40% last night, and then 40% today, I prepared for the rain and it does not rain. I ended up wanting it to rain so I could test out the new tent in the rain. Well thats the way it goes.