Riding in the rain

Castellod

HI all,

I need some advise.
I am "new" to road bikes always having been on MTB's.
To my detriment I have discovered that riding in the rain on a road bike is not like an MTB.
After a few falls and close encounters with other objects I have decided to avoid using the road bike in the rain and or wet.
As this is just a question of refining the ride from an MTB discipline to a road bike discipline, I cannot let the rain rule and hence need to learn what can and cannot be done with a road bike in the rain.

What I would like from some of you more experienced riders are some tips, advise, when it comes to cornering in the rain at speed and breaking, with an MTB its easy, and position is natural, but when I instinctively did then on the road bike I flew, so can someone PLS give me some tips?

Thank you
DC

JustRidecp

Cycling in the rain is very much like driving in the rain. You have to alter your speed in accordance with the conditions of the road. Corners that you can whip round in the dry you'll have to take a good bit slower in the wet. Just make sure you scrub off the speed before the corner. If you brake in the corner, you'll hit the deck. Also avoid manhole covers in the wet of hit them straight and upright if you must. Dropping your tyre pressure by 10spi will put more rubber on the road.

I guess you'll probably get better advice than this but so far the only thing that works for me is taking it slower round the corners. If you look at TT riders in the wet you'll see that some of them take tight corners really slow and carefully. The one's that dont you see them sliding down the road!

epicurus

Stay off white lines painted on the road. Very slippery when wet.

jonesy124

I am also relatively new to this - but I shall pass on my limited experience none the less....

NEVER cycle too close to the vehicle in front. In dry weather I can stop very quickly, when its wet however it can be a good 5 or so meters before hard braking can even begin to kick in.

If there is a sharpe bend ahead have a quick look behind you to make sure there are no cars up your arse and then as you go around the bend move into the centre of the lane. I always do this for 2 reasons, firslty there is usually more grip in the centre of the lane due to less erosion caused by cars. Secondly it means that you are making the bend less acute. Just make sure there are no cars trying to overtake you before you do it, and if they are trying to overtake you on a sharpe bend on a rainy day.... you know what to do. :evil:

Castellod

jonesy124 wrote:

I am also relatively new to this - but I shall pass on my limited experience none the less....

NEVER cycle too close to the vehicle in front. In dry weather I can stop very quickly, when its wet however it can be a good 5 or so meters before hard braking can even begin to kick in.

If there is a sharpe bend ahead have a quick look behind you to make sure there are no cars up your ars* and then as you go around the bend move into the centre of the lane. I always do this for 2 reasons, firslty there is usually more grip in the centre of the lane due to less erosion caused by cars. Secondly it means that you are making the bend less acute. Just make sure there are no cars trying to overtake you before you do it, and if they are trying to overtake you on a sharpe bend on a rainy day.... you know what to do. :evil:

THANK YOU :-)

stevec205gti

Not wishing to discredit you at all Jonesy, but the centre of the lane can often be worse than the "eroded" bits you were talking about. The centre in between the two worn wheel sections often collects oil and other engine grime, especially so on bits where cars slow done/sit in traffic. It also gets more grit collecting on it as the wheels of vehicles clear the worn bit of debris and push it into the middle of the lane and edges, either side of where the wheels run.

The biggest tip is make sure you brake a couple of times lightly before you approach the point where you wish to actually slow down - this clears a majority of water off the rims aiding your braking. Also on a road bike, a lot of the steering action comes from leaning rather than turning the bars - try to use the bars more and lean less in the wet round sharper bends and you're far less likely to have the wheels wash out from under you.

wastelander

I guess that I've been able to bring my motorcyle wet-riding experience to bear in the wet on my road bike....stay off of the slippery stuff i.e. white lines, manhole covers, overbanding, keep the bike as upright as possible, don't be as aggressive in the corners, apply brakes earlier, smoothly and evenly, apply power (pedals!) progressively. Be aware that you will have to brake earlier so adjust your riding style/speed accordingly. None of it is rocket science really - take your time and be smooth as a snatched brake can have you on the deck in no time. If you lock/slide the front wheel you are, almost without a doubt, going to have tumble.

Eat My Dust

Alos keep in mind that rain is VERY stingy when you are doing 30 mph+ in lycra!!

penugent

If you are riding in a group, get to the front to control the pace and avoid everyone elses sprayed grit

spasypaddy

i did everything on this thread this morning and kept my speed down but it still didnt stop the bike and me detaching as i went round a corner! Road burn hurts!

oldwelshman

Get some decent tyres.

Castellod

Eat My Dust wrote:

Alos keep in mind that rain is VERY stingy when you are doing 30 mph+ in lycra!!

Hmm!!! I know that too well, first fall I had to get some new Shorts, shame I could not buy some skin too....
Second time was not that bad.

DC

DavidBelcher

Eat My Dust wrote:

Alos keep in mind that rain is VERY stingy when you are doing 30 mph+ in lycra!!

And choose your bibshorts with care - some lighter-coloured ones tend to go translucent when wet!
Eye protection is a must, though there are still some situations where the rain manages to get over the top of your glasses, as happened to me when riding down a steep hill to work the other week. Ouch

David

jonesy124

spasypaddy: how fast do you tend to cycle?

Chris5150

What sort of tyres in the 700 x 23 catrergory do you folks recommend for winter riding then?...I am converting one of my bikes just for winter/wet riding, whats the best tyre to buy?

Castellod

Winter tyres, now that is a good idea.

What is the average mph that most of you manage to get on a relativelly flat (not DH) surface, and NOT running Flat out, but a steady pace?

DC

spasypaddy

jonesy - i average around the 15mph mark but between 17-20mph on the flat.

jonesy124

I average around about 30mph on country roads without trying too hard - i find it is a comfortable speed and I can remain in control.

beckenham

"30 mph without trying too hard" :shock: What do you ride Jonesy? A Ducati :?:

jonesy124

Oh right you mean on a bike?? I was referring to teh good old peugeot 106 (which literally will be uncontrollable above 30mph - I feel safer on the bike)

I cycle around 17mph most of the journey until I am confronted with a hill. At that point I usually get off, throw my bike down and walk home.

Castellod

jonesy124 wrote:

I average around about 30mph on country roads without trying too hard - i find it is a comfortable speed and I can remain in control.

? 30mph? Not DH on a flat..... dam!!! obviously you are not just Very attractive, but must have strong legs

p.s. that makes you better than the average Tour de France cyclist, feel sorry for your boyfriend when you wrap your legs around him...

beckenham

I'm about the same averaging 17-19mph over a 10 mile course with a few hills one of which is a 12:1 os should that be 1:12? Anyway its bloody steep and by the time I get to the top I csan hardly breath :oops: I was riding up it last week when some prat in a white van decided t hurl a load of abuse as he went passed :evil: Strangely I did manage to summon up the breath to shout out a few expletives :twisted:

jonesy124

I think that even if one day i did become an amazing cyclist and possibly could stay at 30mph for more than 0.7 seconds, I would get too distracted and crash.

I always look around me, in fields, at cars, clouds etc. 30mph would = one dead rachel :shock:

jedster

<i>shame I could not buy some skin too..</i>

actually, have a look at compeed liquid bandage (can get it in Boots). You paint it on wounds (ouch) but it reacts with moisture and creates a synthetic skin which the wound heals under.

jonesy124

I have a bitch of a hill to face on my way home. When I reach the top I feel like my legs are going to fall off and i shout at my odometer for saying 11mph :evil:

Castellod

jedster wrote:

<i>shame I could not buy some skin too..</i>

actually, have a look at compeed liquid bandage (can get it in Boots). You paint it on wounds (ouch) but it reacts with moisture and creates a synthetic skin which the wound heals under.

Thank you,

I hope I will not need it any time soon....????

Big n Daft

Diesel!

Spelt right isnt it?.....DIE-sel.

I commute but also ride a motorbike. Trust me any of this spilt on a wet road is lethal.

Corners more so.

I have had two major bike crashes (as in me and motorbike have separated at over 30 mph, both caused by diesel)

If you can smell it, watch out, if your following a bus or an articulated unit, be very aware, especially on bends as this is when the fuel tanks tend to overflow.

You can usually see it as a rainbow effect on a wet road, any lean angle will result in the front wheel going out from underneath, its that slippery.

oldwelshman

jonesy :
11mph is good, I can see you riding along with nicole soon

Chris :
Which tyres? Conti gp 4 seasons are good.

Zygite

I do kilometres per hour because they're faster.

stevec205gti

Zygite wrote:

I do kilometres per hour because they're faster.

And converting it back to mph gives you something to do as you're riding along!

As regards to diesel - if you spot some dropped going round a corner, keep an eye out on the next few corners going the same way. Most vehicles only slosh it out on one side, so if they've dumped some on a right hand bend chances are they'll have done the same on the next few right hand bends coming up - "forewarned is forearmed" and all that crap.

georgiesgirl

Well my problem in the wet around here oh even when it's damp is the fact that the're copious amounts of wait for it Damn SLUGS! :x Very slippery no matter what tyres and I hate the damn things! Yeuch!! They make my cycling a missery!
Guess that's good ole country roads for you ! Perhaps I need to invent a slug pellet sprinkler for as I approach them just like the farmers have fe :roll: :shock: rtilizer sprinklers. Oh well !