A soggy bike commute beats being in a car

Roastie

Having sadly been pushed into the ranks of part time cycle commuter, I spend a lot of time in my car. This week, my both rides home have been in heavy downpours - and both times I felt so much happier than if I'd been stuck behind the steering wheel pondering the drops of water being monotonously cleared by the wipers as I wait for the car ahead to move.

On days like this, my colleagues all feel pity for me as I head to the bike shed and they hop into their cars - if only they knew.

davis

I was driving this morning... a 180 mile round-trip didn't seem that doable, and I felt really quite smug about being in the car this morning.

On the way home, after joining the Brake Light Parade on the M25 for 3 hours, I really, honestly missed being on the bike, especially when I saw a fairly swift roadie hacking it down the A283 (chapeau, by the way) through puddles 'n'all.

370 miles tomorrow, and not a ride this week. Bugger.

Roastie

I know your pain Davis - last week was nearly 1000 miles for me. Sucks.

harpo

Thunder, lightening and one of the worst downpours I've seen tonight. Rivers for roads water driven up to my waist car after car as they passed in the river. All that and I covered my 16 miles in 55 minutes average speed of 17 mph. Well impressed with myself and was thinking how alive I felt doing it all the way home!

Will get told how stupid and mental I am tomorrow by everyone but far better than watching window wipers and driving through it for half an hour.

asprilla

It started raining as I was leaving the office on Wednesday and I was slightly disappointed; but I immediately cheered up when I realised that I was the only thing moving down Wood Lane.

It's such a great feeling.

craker

I'm on my way to my first full week of commuting in years (childcare commitments have just changed). That's 80 miles so far this week - we had a blizzard on Tuesday and lots of rain the rest of the week and I'm really enjoying it.

Bring on another week of foul weather :-)

Hang on, bring on Spring

harpo

Just uploaded the ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25529393

The weather has played havoc with the elevation data. Looks like I've had a huge climb when it should just mirror the ride in?????

seataltea

For the last two days I have had the chance to travel to work and back with my wife in her car (our shifts have coincided and we work at the same place) but chose the bike as normal despite snow yesterday and rain today. She drove I rode.

Bike + Radio 4 on the way to work and Bike + MP3 Metal and Grunge home = Happy Man

Car + Wife + Local Radio = FFFFFUUUUUUUU

chuckcork

Roastie wrote:

I know your pain Davis - last week was nearly 1000 miles for me. Sucks.

Just think, you could have done it one your bike (c'mon, be a man!) and blown everyone else's SC Stats completely away.

Canny Jock

I take a perverse pleasure in wet-weather riding - combination of full mudguards, weatherproof jacket, calf length sealskinz socks and a healthy Scottish disdain for 'weather' mean that the look of amazement on work colleagues faces when I breeze in during apocalyptic storms makes it all worthwhile.

Certainly less miserable than turning up in a damp suit after being jammed on a sweaty train.

Only real problem is the submerged bottomless potholes.

rjsterry

Normally I would agree wholeheartedly, but the sleep deprivation is getting to me a bit this week, and having got soaked last night, and again this afternoon cycling to a site meeting off Holloway Road (my boss, who was riding with me swore blind before we left that the rain wouldn't arrive until 6, but it was most definitely there at 3.30) I wimped out this evening. Getting wet whilst riding is one thing, but putting on wet cycling gear is quite another (left my overshoes in the office, doh!).

Opted for HOTNL, and Southern trains instead, but I still had wet feet anyway, due to the massive puddles on the pavement between the office and the tube. I really need to get sone of these Sealskinz socks that everyone raves about.

gbsahne001

Taken from the website; bikeforall

MYTH: Yeh, but what about the rain, I hate getting wet.

ANSWER: It doesn't actually rain that much. No, really. Research has shown that, on average, in the UK it only rains hard on 12 commuting days per year. And anyway, by wearing the right kind of weather protective clothing you won't arrive at your destination dripping wet. Damp, yes, but even if you travelled by car you'd have to go outside at some point, risking a soaking.

In which case I've crammed 2 years worth of commuting since the start of the year; fed up of it now, want to see the sun

holybinch

Overshoes - check
Waterproof jacket - check
Nice toasy baselayer - check
Trousers - uh oh, wiggle, here I come.

It's quite fun the looks you get though. Plus it forced me to beat my time by 5 mns (10%)

Agent57

gbsahne wrote:

Taken from the website; bikeforall

MYTH: Yeh, but what about the rain, I hate getting wet.

ANSWER: It doesn't actually rain that much. No, really. Research has shown that, on average, in the UK it only rains hard on 12 commuting days per year. And anyway, by wearing the right kind of weather protective clothing you won't arrive at your destination dripping wet. Damp, yes, but even if you travelled by car you'd have to go outside at some point, risking a soaking.

In which case I've crammed 2 years worth of commuting since the start of the year; fed up of it now, want to see the sun

We're 8 weeks in to 2010, and so far I've only been properly soaked once. And luckily, that was on the way home. Pretty good record for me so far.

rjsterry

Talking of which, my overshoes are pretty much only splash proof now, as the tape is coming off the seams. Any suggestions for decent ones to go over MTB shoes? (I have to climb two flights of narrow concrete stairs with bike on shoulder at work, so road shoes are a bit too dicey)

Clever Pun

rjsterry wrote:

Talking of which, my overshoes are pretty much only splash proof now, as the tape is coming off the seams. Any suggestions for decent ones to go over MTB shoes? (I have to climb two flights of narrow concrete stairs with bike on shoulder at work, so road shoes are a bit too dicey)

the wiggle recommended endura ones are rugged and waterproof

I've got them the zip nips at my calves a bit but only when socks aren't covering them. I prefer the castelli ones I bought recently but they wont last as long

plonk

I dont mind the cold or being wet at all, but the thing that has made me wimp out 3 out of 5 days this week is the feeling of reduced visibility. All that squinting against the rain makes me feel like i'm not 100% aware of what's going on around me and the commute becomes a bit of a hair raiser, especially as people seem to drive extra badly in the rain.

I should probably just shut up and get myself some glasses. Any recommendations?

saladfunky

Good to read possitive comments about the weather for a change. I get a buzz from cycling in and the rain and snow never changes this. Except this monday in the snow and ice as without eye wear I struggled to see, and also my waterproof sealskins filled with the water that ran in the top of them!! . . . .So now I strap small plastic bags (not sexy) round my shins like gaiters and I am once again dry and happy.

Norky

harpo wrote:

Just uploaded the ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25529393

The weather has played havoc with the elevation data. Looks like I've had a huge climb when it should just mirror the ride in?????

Yeah, that'll happen. Pure GPS devices don't do elevation (GPS is designed to determine horizontal position, vertical position is rather secondary to that) position terribly accurately. I see you've got a Garmin 705, which I *think* has a proper barometric altimeter and will normally give a truer elevation reading than pure GPS. Those work by measuring changes in atmospheric pressure as you go up and down. Of course, weather itself is all about changes in pressure so I'm not surprised if gets a bit confused in bad/changeable weather. GPS signals will be adversely affected by heavy cloud cover too, so accuracy is gonna be affected no matter whether you have GPS alone or an altimeter.

I've a theory that, in the event of a big change in pressure (say, riding somewhere in the morning, then the weather/pressure changing before you go home in the afternoon) matters will be improved if you calibrate the altimeter; either by knowing the elevation where you are, or the current pressure at sea level, or by taking a reading from the GPS when you have good line-of-sight to the sky all round. I've not tested this, mind.

Roastie

chuckcork wrote:

Roastie wrote:

I know your pain Davis - last week was nearly 1000 miles for me. Sucks.

Just think, you could have done it one your bike (c'mon, be a man!) and blown everyone else's SC Stats completely away.

Just put my expenses claim in - If I could convert this month to on-bike mileage ...

harpo

I just empted the water out of the rear wheel that was still there from last night. The Mavic Aksium Race rims were loaded with maybe half a cup worth of brown water.

davis

Well, that was 1114 miles' driving through mostly awful weather in four days, and another day on the train. I think my legs are atrophying nicely.

Still, it's 8am, the weather's not as terrible as it has been, and the bikes are clean...

Hmmm... :-)

Harveytile

Norky wrote:

harpo wrote:

Just uploaded the ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/25529393

The weather has played havoc with the elevation data. Looks like I've had a huge climb when it should just mirror the ride in?????

Yeah, that'll happen. Pure GPS devices don't do elevation (GPS is designed to determine horizontal position, vertical position is rather secondary to that) position terribly accurately. I see you've got a Garmin 705, which I *think* has a proper barometric altimeter and will normally give a truer elevation reading than pure GPS. Those work by measuring changes in atmospheric pressure as you go up and down. Of course, weather itself is all about changes in pressure so I'm not surprised if gets a bit confused in bad/changeable weather. GPS signals will be adversely affected by heavy cloud cover too, so accuracy is gonna be affected no matter whether you have GPS alone or an altimeter.

#


GPS works on packets of information sent on radio carrier waves, please don't state b0ll0x. GPS is not affected by cloud cover. solid objects yes, water vapour, no.

Secondly the positioning is down to spherical geometry and the level information is less accurate than the horizontal precission due to the inconsistant shape of the earth (the geoid).

Sorry fo the rant but as a Land Surveyor comments like that really get my goat.
Rant over :oops:

In all seriousness commuting in the rain beats the steel coffin and the "Plague-trains" anyday. Not so much on windy days but that's a whole different thread.
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