Fairweather Cyclists??

carl_p

It seems ever since I got my first road bike the weather has been awful and I've done nowhere near as much cycling as I would have hoped.

I hate cycling in the wind and everyday seems to be blustery. It doesn't bother me too much getting wet (although I do feel a bit of a pillock), but I don't really want to get my nice new bike wet as it can't be good for it long term.

Cycling to work is not really an option and with the nights pulling in now evening rides is becoming difficult. This leaves just the weekends and I'm struggling to get anywhere near enough miles and frankly I haven't found my cycling legs yet.

Are you guys still going out whatever the weather? I love cycling and would like to get much better at it but I'm wondering whether I'm being a bit of a slacker. What are the most extreme conditions you have been out in on a non-commuting ride?

squired

The way I see it, the most important thing is that you enjoy riding your bike. If you don't enjoy those conditions then avoid them. I love cycling and will go out in most conditions. However, I avoid wind as it takes away the enjoyment of the ride. I also avoid commuting by bike every day as I did that in the past and it led to me not going out on my bike on weekends and eventually hating the ride to work. Then again, I ride primarily because I enjoy it and secondly because it keeps me fit. I'm sure a hard core cyclist who also enters races would have a different view.

fuzzynavel

As Squired said. as long as you enjoy it and get the benefits that you want then it doesn't matter if you restrict yourself to good days.
Personally I cycle in all weathers where possible....snow/wind doesn't bother me too much...just adds to the challenge as far as I can see.....
I was out in the torrential rain last week and loved it...makes it worthwhile when you stand in the kitchen after a decent ride and get told of by the wife for dripping everywhere!!

carl_p

I got caught in a cloudburst about 3 weeks back - got absolutely soaked! Met a guy on his roadie on the way back. His knowing big cheesy grin and friendly 'hello' was priceless.

Got home and stripped off in the utility room only to find my niece was visiting. Awkward!

fuzzynavel

Carl_P wrote:

I got caught in a cloudburst about 3 weeks back - got absolutely soaked! Met a guy on his roadie on the way back. His knowing big cheesy grin and friendly 'hello' was priceless.

Got home and stripped off in the utility room only to find my niece was visiting. Awkward!

oops :oops:

nothing like getting totally soaked on the bike.....somehow makes it all more satisfying!

northpole

I don't mind cycling in the wet per se - it's the time taken afterwards to clean the whole bike down which really puts me off!

Peter

cycologist

I try to avoid going out hwen it's raining but don't mind too much if it starts when I've got a few miles done - rather like yesterday when I didn't time it quite right and got a good soaking.

Whenever I'm being a bit of a softie and am looking for excuses for not riding in bad weather, I remind myself how my mother used to ride to and from work in all weathers - she had no choice really being a widow with three chidren who didn't get paid if she didn't turn up.

Trickyupnorth

northpole wrote:

I don't mind cycling in the wet per se - it's the time taken afterwards to clean the whole bike down which really puts me off!

Peter

:shock: :shock: :shock:

I've been out tonight in the pouring rain, got back, and just put the bike back in the garage. What am I supposed to do to the bike? Just dry it?

To answer the original question, I go out in all weathers. I was the same when I had my motorbike. I'm particularly fond of the rain.

Richie

redvee

Prefer riding in the rain on the homeward section of a ride as I know each pedal turn is getting me closer to a hot shower and a cup of tea and dry clothes, don't like going out if it is already raining. Wind can be an absolute pain in the @rse, when I used to do a 9.5 mile commute and teh wind was in my face on the way there I knew that it would be behind me on the way home except thewt when I did leave work the wind was in my face again :x

Rich Hcp

I generally don't like it in the rain.

But, if it starts after I'm out then that is the way it goes.

Blustery wind seems to have been worse this summer, and I have gone out in it when it was dry because I was doing te Suffolk Coast last weekend,

I was glad I had been out in windy conditions, it prepared me for the 20mph headwind for the last 30 miles!

I think I have about a month of evenings avaliable, then hols and then it's too dark, so it'll be back to getting out when I can at weekends....

The main thing is to enjoy it

unclemalc

Got fed up waiting for a bit of sun yesterday (I like the sun on my back like anyone else) so I said "sod it" and went out in the rain anyway. I used the tourer (50lbs of fun with mudguards :shock: ) and my new rainjacket and got ABSOLUTELY blasted - wind, rain, thunder and my fave: 38 tonners trying to make 'bow-waves' throught the standing water!!
Great stuff. I went mad and bonked towards the end but hey, that's bike riding.
Riding in the wet is fine - once you're wet, you're wet.
Different in the winter tho' - you can get cold and not quite overcome it AND there is the bloody salt - hence 'winter' and 'summer' bikes for me.
Just keep 'em clean.

julietp

I don't mind rain although I too prefer without - mainly for the bike's sake. Although on my hybrid I can realy enjoy getting soaked as long as I've got time when I get back to sort myself out. However, I absolutely hate strong wind and living by the coast it is always windy but this summer has seen some of the worst wind conditions I've ever experienced. As a result I have been out less than I would have done otherwise.

fuzzynavel

unclemalc wrote:

Got fed up waiting for a bit of sun yesterday (I like the sun on my back like anyone else) so I said "sod it" and went out in the rain anyway. I used the tourer (50lbs of fun with mudguards :shock: ) and my new rainjacket and got ABSOLUTELY blasted - wind, rain, thunder and my fave: 38 tonners trying to make 'bow-waves' throught the standing water!!
Great stuff. I went mad and bonked towards the end but hey, that's bike riding.
Riding in the wet is fine - once you're wet, you're wet.
Different in the winter tho' - you can get cold and not quite overcome it AND there is the bloody salt - hence 'winter' and 'summer' bikes for me.
Just keep 'em clean.

I like riding in winter but getting salt encrusted on all parts of the bike is a pain that I could do without!

Pork Sword

I have, in the past ridden my bike in every condition possible, from torrential rain, 60-70mph winds and even snow! However, that was when I was young(er) and more foolish and had twenty or thirty like-minded idiots along to offer company and encouragement! I'm afraid that as I'm slightly wiser now - and am, due to work commitments, forced to ride a lot on my own - I tend to avoid anything that looks like its going to make my ride even more uncomfortable than it really has to be. :oops:

I'm ashamed to say that I'm in the lucky position of having both summer and winter bikes (of the titanium variety) and yet can't seem to find the will to get out on my bike at all lately... perhaps I need some further encouragement?

At the end of the day, if you want to ride, and want to get fit there's no other option other than just getting out on your bike whatever the weather! Failing that, just get yourself an indoor trainer and hope for better (make that drier!) weather to come!

unclemalc

The seatpost on the 'winterbike' is melded to the frame due to the chemistry of salt+aluminium+s**t off the road - good job I don't need to move it.
I like cleaning bikes now - its a pity I never did before: that seatpost might still be mobile... :shock:

ride_whenever

ammonia solution should free that up nooooo trouble...

zenzinnia

and to stop it happening in the first place use copperslip grease on the seatpost and free it once a year just in case.

The thing with wind is you can usually plan a ride to suit it. I prefer having it in my face at the start and then gettin gblown home abit at the end but sometimes try and maximise cross winds instead. The more good local routes that you know, going out in all different directions, the better you can adapt to the conditions.

Compton77

My problem is that my gf gets worried about me out in the rain! I'm not overly happy about the wind either, last night I had a head wind the whole way home but when the wind hits from one side is when I dislike it most, feels like your leaning on the wind!!

One question, does having a heavier bike make dealing with side winds any easier? I mean, my bike is pretty light and i'm no fatty so the wind plays with me like a killer whale does with a seal, just wondering if a heavier bike would be more planted? Could be an excuse for a new "safer" purchase..

julietp

I obviously don't go as fast on my hybrid which is a lot heavier but wind doesn't bother me on that nearly as much. Nobody likes a headwind but at least it adds to the workout, I absolutely hate crosswinds on my road bike, I am not that light (9 stone 5lbs) but really feel vulnerable, like I'll literally be blown over without leaning into the wind.

As an anecdote, I was once cycling on my hybrid along the seafront in REALLY windy conditions just to go to the shops a mile away and was told to get off my bike by two policeman as cycling in those conditions could be considered reckless.

NWLondoner

I am in the same boat. I can only ride at weekends and if the weather is bad before I go out I tend to leave it. If it starts to rain when i'm out then that's the way it goes.

I actually enjoy riding in the rain. What I don't like is the traffic and really bad/dangerous driving that comes with it. For some reason drivers become absolute as*holes in the rain. They give you NO room and give no second thought about cutting you up.

Also not being able to see potholes and other road problems in torrential rain is not too good either.

unclemalc

zenzinnia wrote:

and to stop it happening in the first place use copperslip grease on the seatpost and free it once a year just in case.

The thing with wind is you can usually plan a ride to suit it. I prefer having it in my face at the start and then gettin gblown home abit at the end but sometimes try and maximise cross winds instead. The more good local routes that you know, going out in all different directions, the better you can adapt to the conditions.

Ta for this. I do the greasy pole thing now on the 'good' bike, but will try the ammonia thing asap.

knedlicky

I don’t go out if it’s already raining, or snowing, or icey. The one exception is when I’ve registered and travelled to a sportive – I can remember having started three in heavy rain, which in all cases only ceased after about 3-4 hours on the road. I don’t mind the rain if it starts when I’m already out.