Fair Weather friends

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Peter Fitzsimon on February 23, 2011 at 1:41pm

Aaron, yes you're a wuss.   But you're in good company ... all except Damien who is just plain mad.

 

Rain will keep me off my bike on most occasions too, mixing wet roads and traffic is just not my style of fun.  If I could ride all the way to town on a bike path then maybe ...

 

As for riding on shiny new bikes that would be a deterent for me too ... that's why my commuter is a $300 steel frame clunker but its comfortable and if I prang it (or it gets stolen) its not a big loss.  I'm amazed when I see people communting on a Cervelo ... they must have more money than me ...

 

Enjoy the sunny days ... we still have more fine days than wet ones although it doesn't feel like it just at the moment.

Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on February 23, 2011 at 2:09pm

Yeah, cycling on roads with heavy traffic in the rain is something I avoid like the plague. In the rain at night is even worse as there are so many reflections and plenty of light pollution - you'll disappear into the background even with lights.

 

Commuting on a Cervelo is as practical as commuting in a Ferrari...

 

One other tip: Check the rain radar. I often check it when there are showers passing so I can time my departure (or shelter seeking) between the gaps in the showers. I use Oz Weather on the iPhone which also shows your position on the rain radar map. Very handy.

Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on February 23, 2011 at 2:15pm

There are other nice things about decent bikeways and how they make riding in the rain pleasant:

- no glass & loose stones (usually!)

- no oil/diesel spills

- no spray from cars passing

- no need to rush and plenty of places to just stop if you need to.

 

Riding on the roads in the rain is not very pleasant.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Ball on February 23, 2011 at 4:12pm

Okay so it's pretty clear, I'm a wuss and Damian is nuts.  Cool.

I agree with you Paul that riding in the rain (when you don't care about the bike, it and you are waterproof, it's a quiet road and your're in no hurry) is actually quite fun.

 

Methinks I need to buy me a clunker (and some mudguards).

Permalink Reply by DamianM on February 24, 2011 at 9:20am

nuts ? me ? never! ;)

 

Actually, you'll think I'm even worse.

I usually commute on a fixie. It's great because it's so easy to clean after a week of riding in dirt / rain / mud / oil etc :)

 

If it's really pouring I'll usually put on a cyclist vest to keep some of the wind off my chest, much more than that and I'll overheat though.

 

"Commuting on a Cervelo is as practical as commuting in a Ferrari"

 

Rubbish :) I commute on my road bike sometimes, it's not a Cervelo but I don't find it impractical at all. It's light, it handles well and it's fun.

 

You have to remember that everybody is different and we have different motivation for riding. I don't particularly want a nice roll along quiet paths most days, I want to arrive at work / home feeling like I've had a bit of a workout.

 

The ONLY thing I hate about riding in the rain is wet shoes and socks. I usually carry spare socks with me when I commute, but putting on wet shoes at the end of the day or the next morning really sucks.

 

Maybe I need more shoes ;)

Permalink Reply by Paul Martin on February 24, 2011 at 9:33am

"Commuting on a Cervelo is as practical as commuting in a Ferrari"

 

Rubbish :) I commute on my road bike sometimes, it's not a Cervelo but I don't find it impractical at all. It's light, it handles well and it's fun.

 

I never said you couldn't commute in a Ferrari but it isn't terribly practical for most people! As you rightly point out though, it IS practical for some.

 

At least with a racing bike you CAN commute faster than other bikes if you wish - not so for the Ferrari commuters out there, stuck in traffic - once again, the bicycle wins :)

 

If you don't need to carry a lot of gear for your work then you could really ride any bike. I find a heavy backpack very uncomfortable (and hot) so panniers suit me well - I've often got 15kg of gear on me. For that, I need a rack to hang them on, mudguards keep all the muck off me (& pannier) and the chainguard means that I don't have to clean my chain often.

 

I clean & oil the chain every 1000km and it is often remarkably clean. To not have to clean it after a messy ride is wonderful.

Permalink Reply by Aaron Ball on February 24, 2011 at 11:22am

Great video Paul! Hoffy Cycles has a highwheeler in their shop window but not sure if it's for sale. Don't quite know where I'd buy mudguards for it though.  I also used to always commute with a backpack but now much prefer panniers.  As for chain, I switched to waxing mine on the trike and so far it seems to be working fine.  

Permalink Reply by Philip Blackler on December 16, 2011 at 2:38pm

I use Keen SPD sandles in the rain, they dry quicker!

Permalink Reply by Raymond on December 18, 2011 at 2:28pm

I don't have waterproof covers for my shoes (yet) although with the old pairs the bigger problem is water getting in through the cracked soles* when I'm not on my bike. So I learned that putting a small plastic bag on over the sock before the foot goes in works quite well (just have to balance it with the sweat...).

Otherwise with wet shoes, I've found they usually dry pretty easily with a fan blowing across them overnight - even during wet days, the air still tends to be drier than that of the wet tropics so it'll all evaporate. Completely unrelated to commuting (except maybe for the fuel component); I also prefer to air dry my dishes thus I make sure the dish rack is cleared before wetting more dishes!

* I heard "ShoeGoo" was good, so I'll look into getting some of that - I think most of my damaged shoes come from walking and foot pivoting/flexing wear and tear, not my default metal pedals.

Permalink Reply by Raymond on December 21, 2011 at 12:24am

http://www.bikehacks.com/bikehacks/2011/12/make-your-own-rain-shoe-... Hah!

Permalink Reply by Big Steve on February 24, 2011 at 6:32am

It depends would be my answer.

 

If it's for a recreational ride (IE group), unless I'm pretty convinced that it's not going to rain, and that we're not going to ride over wet roads (even worse) then I won't go.  It will be dangerous and that wouldn't be fun so what's the point?

 

Commuting to work... If the forecast is for showers and it isn't raining or raining lightly I'll ride and take my chances.  I have a flat bar hybrid that I've recently put mudguards on and it's great in the rain - they keep you much cleaner than you would otherwise be.  I have some tioga waterproof panniers so it's nice to know that your gear isn't going to get wet.  I've got a cycling raincoat but to be honest I find that with all the hills on my commute I end up just as wet if I wear it or not in the rain.  It's sweat or rain.. you choose!

 

I agree I don't mind riding in the rain - it's kinda fun but mudguards are critical.  I'd be fitting some SKS chromoplatics mudguards to that bike.  They keep you and the bike clean and stop all the mess - even if you don't ride in the rain when the path is wet you'll get just as dirty.  All the paths out my way pool water for days after rain (I'd love to make the guy who did the concreting ride them but I guess he's playing chicken with cyclists in his ute).

Permalink Reply by CamDS on February 24, 2011 at 8:26am

I agree on getting dirty, I went for a pedal this morning and even though it was dry I got splattered more than a few times and got filthy.

Certainly was slippery as well, had quite a number of wobbles.

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