mtb when its wet weather

mtb crazy

what are peoples opinions on mtb when its been rubbish weather? does it make trails super slippy and really hard to get good traction or is it not too bad so long as you take extra care? i would be worried about coming off more!

thegiantbiker

It all depends on the type of ground. I find if the ground has too much soft clay, it just turns to deep turd when it rains. If it's hard clay, the ground tends to stay solid with a layer of slippy-slidy fun.

I'd say just go out when the weather's at it's filthiest and try at 50% effort. If the ground's still moderately rideable, then give it a go when it's not so bad and work up your confidence.

Just be prepared to get muddy and give your bike a good cleaning. Also, a decent waterproof is a must, to protect yourself from the mud and rain, and to keep the wind off your body in the case of a mechanical.

mtb crazy

ok thanks for the advice. i havent ridden clay yet, where i go theres some sandy dirt, afew roots and stones etc. plus woods, is great fun. maybe i can build up confidence riding in the wet, though i had a nasty fall once before when it was wet and that knocked me quite badly. im fine when its dry out though. btw, by in the case of a mechanical im assuming you mean if something needs fixing?

cooldad

As the weather is rubbish more often than not, just ride according to the conditions.

mtb crazy

yeah i guess, but its much scarier riding when its wet, plus i just dont feel as safe. any advice on how to build up confidence with wet riding?

Anonymous

If you're worried about coming off the bike, then you've probably got the wrong hobby. Crashing is part of life in mountain biking.
As is rain, wind snow and ice.

The Northern Monkey

I prefer it... unsurprisingly its because I don't get hot lol.

Went on Tuesday evening in the rain... started off in my waterproof but took that off after around 20mins

mtb crazy

i can take knocks. i fell off the other day and hit my head. (did wear a helmet) was very shaken up but got back on and did the same bit again and was fine after that, like i said before im more nervous of being in the wet weather than dry but falls arent gonna stop me. it is the right hobby for me i just need more experience etc. ive never been one to give up with things and i love mtb! i also have loads of bruises where ive come off before, i fell into a bush the other day haha :P

mtb crazy

northern monkey, maybe it can be quite refreshing! prob should give it a go next time then.... what you think?!

diy

I don't mind the poor conditions, but the wear and tear on the bike gets a bit tedious. You get everything running perfectly and take it out in a couple of wet sessions and all sorts of niggles come back.

Anonymous

mtb crazy wrote:

northern monkey, maybe it can be quite refreshing! prob should give it a go next time then.... what you think?!

What do you mean what does he think. He's already told you.

cooldad

On the bright side, crashing in mud tends to hurt less.

mtb crazy

diy, yeah that would annoy me. hmmmmm though i might try a couple of rides to build on the confidence.

yeehaamcgee, it was more a rhetorical question.

mtb crazy

there is that good point that it would be quite a soft landing yeah! ah well, ill give it a go and so long as i give him a good clean after then should be fine

unixnerd

If it's REALLY wet neoprene overshoes keep your ankles dry and stop your shoes getting soaked. Cold wet feet suck. In the winter I don't wear a helmet, I wear a Sealskinz waterproof hat and it's wonderful (I only ride fairly tame XC in winter, don't ditch the helmet on my say so).

MattJWL

I don't mind the poor conditions, but the wear and tear on the bike gets a bit tedious. You get everything running perfectly and take it out in a couple of wet sessions and all sorts of niggles come back.

Yes, true. As OP's on sand the biggest issue most likely will be wear on the drivetrain.

Make sure you clean & lube the chain, cassette & chainrings after every ride in wet sand.

Tedious I know, but much cheaper than buying new chains etc.

@OP: as you're on sand, mostly riding in the wet won't be an issue, however (as I think you've already discovered) there's a big difference between grip levels of wet roots & wet sand. Unless you discover that you're a skills god, do all your direction changes / braking etc on the sand / earth, and not on roots.

If you find a section difficult, go back & do it again & again, gradually building up the pace each time. You'll pretty soon get a good feel for the grip levels & be riding smoother & faster. Experiment with different lines.

Like one of the other guys said, falling off in mud usually hurts less. I've been offroading for a long time & I still fall off. But last time I fell off in muddy conditions, was just funny. Why? I ended up half embedded in the mud, so that 1 leg, 1 arm, half my body & head were covered in mud... neighbours thought me very strange!

mmafan

Practice, practice and more practice.

Dont brake hard, choose one line and stick to it in Rock and root sections...
Start off slow and build up speed, expect some two wheel drifting when leaning into corners and dont grab the brakes if this happens, counter steer a bit and you should be ok:)

Some days you'll be on your game and other days you won't, it's all about learning where your level is and realising when you're having an "off day", no pun intended......Don't let "off days" put you off though......

Keep riding and keep it fun.

mtb crazy

thanks mmafan. i went out today and didnt feel quite as confident as i did the other day :? but like you said you get good days and not so good days, im still learning alot every time i go out though so at least thats something. i need loads more practise but go out quite alot, especially while the weathers good atm! how lobng have you been mtb?

miss notax

It just takes time mtb crazy

I started MTBing just over 3 years ago and - literally - prior to that I had not ridden a bike in abot 25 years (and that was on the way to school :oops: ). I started with absolutely ZERO skills! It's just time in the saddle to get the experience. And having a sense of humour

I absolutely sympathise with anyone starting as - although it's great fun - I can totally remember what it's like to be the one randomly falling into a bush, not being able to clear the techy section, being last to get to the group (and then they all start off again after their nice 'rest' when you have no time to rest at all!) etc etc. Ahh, those were the days :?

I love it though! Even on the most rubbish rides I would rather be MTBing than anything else 8)

anjs

Wet conditons can actually improve grip on a loose sandy surface if its been really dry and dusty beforehand

lostboysaint

Bit surprised that we've got 20 posts in and no-one has mentioned tyres!

The biggest difference to how planted your bike will feel and therefore how confident you will be in the wet and mud is to get decent tyres on it. Bontrager Mud-X or Panaracer Trailraker will make such a difference to the amount of grip that you generate and will also cope very, very well with wet roots and rocks etc. Get them on your bike and enjoy how much they'll help your confidence.

mtb crazy

miss notax, i know exactly what you mean about starting with hardly any skills. i cant do corners and i crash alot into bushes lol. yesturday i went out and landed in some stining nettles but i got up and laughed to myself :P carried on, love it! i havew sooooo many bruises on my legs from riding but is addictive.

mtb crazy

lost boy saint, thanks for advice. are they good for beginners then? theres so much out there i dont know whats good and whats not though i guess i should try the tryes youve mentioned and yeah hopefully that will be a good confidence boost. what tyres do you use? atm i have shwalbe rapid rob which i find seem to have good traction.

unixnerd

All this talk about wet weather, we had snow up here last night! Down to about 2200 feet. I had a pedal to the top car park on Cairngorm last night (2100 feet) and it was fine, just shows how fast the weather can change:

mtb crazy

unixnerd, thats crazy weather :P did you try to ride it after being at the very top to start with? must be a different experience in the snow lol.

daviebroon

I get bloody nervous in the wet... standard tyres on my bike are Specialized Fast Trak LK Sports. So slippery it's untrue.

I definately need to buy some better tyres.

mtb crazy

i would be nervous for the exact same reason..... plus i had a bad fall on a road bike once in the rain and its knocked my confidence badly for the wet weather. i have been out in the rain when ive got caught in it and been ok, but i wouldnt bother if its raining to start with. have you foiund any good ways of building up more confidence yourself with this?

unixnerd

unixnerd, thats crazy weather did you try to ride it after being at the very top to start with? must be a different experience in the snow lol.

I was up there on the road bike last night, weather was fine. Although I did get blethering to a Dutch tourist and mentioned it could snow up here 12 months a year. I didn't expect to see a big white hill from my living room window next morning! The top car park is at 2100 feet, the top is about 4100.

Father Faff

yeehaamcgee wrote:

If you're worried about coming off the bike, then you've probably got the wrong hobby. Crashing is part of life in mountain biking.
As is rain, wind snow and ice.

I wouldn't take any notice of anything YeehaaMcGee says.

If you want to ride in the sunshine on canal towpaths then by all means do so - it is still mountain biking.

Of course "real" mountainbiking (the sort YeeHaaMcGee does) is a really extreme sport only suitable for hard core people (bit like YeeHaaMcGee as it happens).

No it takes time to build up confidence, just go out when it's raining and find your limits. Decent tyres will improve confidence enormously. If you don't want to fall off just take it easy.

As you build up experience you will become a true mountainbiker (like YeeHaa McGee) and fall of regularly (also like YeeHaaMcGee).

mtb crazy

thanks father faff yeah i agree that just cos im nervous about fslling off doesnt mean ive got the wrong choics of hobby.... ive already fallen off loads and normally into bushes and got loads of bruises lol. but im not going to let it stop me hell no. i love it too much for that :P

at the moment i have schwalbe rapid rob tyres and they seem to have good enough traction, ive no idea how to measure the psi but do bike shops sell someething to measure it?

andrewjoseph

Get a track pump, about £20 +. Experiment with different pressures. Hard tail bikes generally need fairly high pressures at the rear (35lb +)

I ride 35lb rear, 30lb front. but this also depends on tyre size, narrow tyres will need more air to cushion, larger tyres need a bit less.