Rain,Rain, Rain ! !

Toe knee

Sick of been stuck in because of the rain now, as a newbie a bit nervous of going out , what are the main things to watch out for and avoid when riding on a wet road ?

Thanks for replies

Gizmodo

Don't ride too fast round the corners, brake BEFORE the bend, take the corner wide (if safe to do so), watch out for painted lines and metal work in the road as they get very slippery when wet. Also new tires can be slippery in the wet, so rough them up a bit first by riding in the dry or with sandpaper.

Mr cyclist

Get mudguards, makes riding in the rain quite enjoyable, riding without them soon become really tedious and uncomfortable.

MichaelW

Calliper brakes take one or two revs to dry so keep feathering the brakes to dry them off.
Braking distances extend 2-3x depending on road surface.
Beware of rain after dry periods, roads get covered in slippery rubber/diesel/oil mixture.
Worth repeating: Metal covers can get slippery, esp the ones that have worn smooth.
Same for white paint and wet leaves.
On slippery surfaces with no traction, keep going with no deviation. You shouldn't try to steer, brake or adjust your position. Keep your arms relaxed with fingers on the brakes.
Watch out for reverse camber corners (opposite of banked corners) where traction is reduced.

Once you have reprogrammed your autopilot to watch for all of this, riding is the rain is just part of cycling.

crescent

A good pair of overshoes is a must as well, from a comfort perspective.

Wirral_paul

Crescent wrote:

A good pair of overshoes is a must as well, from a comfort perspective.

Amen to that!! Nothing worse - especially once the colder weather returns, than cold wet feet.

Watch out for rainbow effect areas on the road - sure sign of diesel or oil spills that get lifted up out of the road surface when it rains

mattshrops

Dont get too stressed with the wet. A little bit more care when braking , cornering and descending. Then just get out there its still fun when wet.

Wirral_paul

Oh - and get that saddle raised up to a proper height for you sometime Tony. It will put more of your weight on the bars and hence front wheel. This will help the balance of your bike and it will feel more stable.

Avant

Crescent wrote:

A good pair of overshoes is a must as well, from a comfort perspective.

+ 1

On my first proper ride it poured the whole way, my shoes were full of water when I finished, I picked up some endura overshoes for around £20, look a bit gimpy being neoprene rubber but they work.

ShutUpLegs

Do hill repeats in the rain, takes your mind off the pain

nickellis

Don't cycle through puddles if possible. Potholes, glass or worse could be hiding just below the surface!!!!

dee4life2005

+1 on avoiding puddles - especially the deeper ones, as you never know what lurks beneath them. A mate went flying through a puddle one day only to discover, once they were over the bars and on the deck staring at a buckled rim, that the puddle had the mother of all potholes hiding underneath it.

simona75

If you live and cycle in the countryside one of the biggest annoyances in the rain is the flint that gets washed onto the road. Probably the biggest cause of punctures for me. The flint will stick to a wet tyre and slowly work it's way in (even on a tough tyre like Gatorskins) if I see flint collecting on my tyres I will stop and brush it off. It's a pain but will save you in the long run

negativelycra

Geps. Without them, the rain / spray from front wheel / that twat in the landrover puts all sorts into your eyes!
I try to stay away from the car tyre rut, always seems to be wetter / slipperier there. This thread as alo reminded me to buy overshoes, i concu that cold, wet feet are no fun. Also, it's a pita to dry your trainers after...

Silly Old Hector

MichaelW wrote:

Worth repeating: Metal covers can get slippery

Once you have reprogrammed your autopilot to watch for all of this, riding is the rain is just part of cycling.

+1

Sore hip and shoulder to show for this.

Otherwise, just enjoy the coolness.....

SpermWizard3000

With the bank holiday weekend ahead it looks like you'll have time for plenty of practice

Toe knee

Very true, just checked the local weather for Monday,and yes it's poo AGAIN !.
Never mind a good excuse to go to lidl and pick some arm and leg warmers up , it's there cycle week next week.
Oh .... I nearly forgot while I'm there see if they have got any shoulder and hip protectors . . .!

RoadMeridaBen

Slam the bike on the turbo and man up :P

cougie

Yes avoid metal and white lines. Take it a bit easier into bends. Apart from that - just enjoy. I'd not bother with overshoes til it gets cold. And get a fluo rain jacket. Keeps you warmer and helps with visibility.

sebbyp

should have read this thread earlier!
been caught out in the rain afew times, however this morning it looked dry so went out, 20 miles later the road was damp and I was decending at about 30mph and coming upto a T junction needing to turn left, went to take a wide line as I could see no cars coming and then as I braked to scrub off speed the back wheel stepped out which I managed to correct, but the speed was still there, cue lockup back wheel, release, lockup back wheel, repeat, straight over juction and into curb other side, 1 puncture and torn tyre lesson learned. be cautious when decending and cornering on cheap tyres in the rain.