Staying indoors when its raining, is it just an excuse?

Manc33

Personally I avoid going out if it is raining. I really thought we were going to get away with it today but it is raining now and only 4c out, I don't fancy that. The inside of my refrigerator is warmer.

Some people just don't like getting their bike wet and with something costing £1500, £2000, £3000 upwards I can understand that its not an excuse anymore.

So the poll votes might not take much into account (like the cold) but lets see.

I am a stickler for wanting to stay dry and reasonably warm. :oops: I have not even been out on my bike for about 4 months because it is winter, just been lifting weights and getting minimal cardio in, but I want my 6 pack back now and this weather is just ridiculous. Middle of March and it was -6c here the other night.

Now its gone "up" to 4c but thats because it is overcast and of course, raining.

Poll doesn't have to apply to the UK but thats where I live.

I just don't see that many cyclists out the rare times I have been out when its throwing it down, but I do see the odd one. When its sunny you see a lot of cyclists. It should be a telling poll. 8)

BelgianBeerGeek

Fair enough Manc. If it rains when I'm already out, I can live with that. Same if it's raining for the ride home in the afternoon as I know I'm going straight into a nice warm shower.

But setting off in the rain is about the most dispiriting experience IMO. I really don't mind the cold and will ride in any temperature but hate rain.

Sharkyssurfers

i must be the nutter, dont mind the wet at all quite enjoy it, the only thing i hate is a strong headwind or sidewinds.

Widgey

I'm the same as Sharky, wind is my biggest downfall. Rain you can suit up, yes its not pleasant but usually ends up quite fun.

pitchshifter

Once you're outside it really isn't that bad, obviously unless its absolutely bucketing down. The hardest part is stepping out the door.

Manc33

I do think wind is worse than rain. Wind to me is the very worst. In the rain I can grin and bear it, but wind makes me want to turn back, sometimes I have actually turned back just because it was so windy I was having to pedal downhill, but rain has never made me turn back, the times its started to rain whilst I am out.

The OP is a bit misleading, I don't have an expensive bike, it was £300 new. :oops: Even then I don't like getting it wet, had too many bikes over the years to know not to. I gave my mate an old MTB a while back and he just left it in his garden, needless to say it ended up rotting away after about a year. :roll: Oh well he was gonna get my current MTB but not after doing that to the last one.

gbsahne001

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

Note Rules 5 & 9

iPete

For the commute I'll ride whatever the weather, I have a good excuse. For a random weekend ride, perhaps less so but I'll still go out in the wet for training if I've had too long off the bike.

rubertoe

Rule #9

I had a little smirk as i stepped out the door this morning...

asprilla

I'm assuming you are from Manchester and you don't like getting wet? Do you go out at all?

il_principe

I can live with the rain, but whether I go out in it or not depends on how long a ride I'm planning and whether I need to or not. So if I'm training for something and need the miles I'll head out. TBH a lot of it is about having the right kit.

gtvlusso

Ride whatever the weather. Go out whatever the weather.

I go out with the family whatever the weather. No problems with wrapping up and as stated previously, once you are in it, it really is not that bad. The kids need to be used to the changeable climate of the UK and just get on with stuff.

The only thing I hate is a consistent light headwind....like 5mph to 10mph. Just breaks your balls, but I do it anyway!

From my very brief military stint; 'Your skin is waterproof'..... :shock:

menthel

Having only just started commuting I looked out this morning and didn't want to get on my bike. I did anyway and the weather cleared nicely. Probably because I put my waterproof in my bag!

the_fuggler

Rain, wind, cold. I'm okay with 2 out of 3, but not the full house...

eyko

For the commute I'll ride what ever the weather, 9 times out of 10 I've not really woken up till I'm half way through my ride (it is only 6 miles each way).

Weekend rides though, cold and windy can very easily put me off.

Kieran_Burns

The Fuggler wrote:

Rain, wind, cold. I'm okay with 2 out of 3, but not the full house...

I call it the Devil's Triangle

any 2 out 3, fine. All 3 = hour later in bed.

Drfabulous0

gbsahne wrote:

http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

Note Rules 5 & 9

This

And yeah if you live in Manchester like me and are put off by the rain then you need to move, give up ever going outdoors or just MTFU and buy some gear. If you're worried about your best bike in the crappy weather get a winter bike.

bompington

Of course you don't have to ride when it's raining, or any other time you don't fancy it. Being a pathetic lily-livered jellyfish of a feeble-minded wuss is entirely acceptable ;-)

essex-commuter

Ride in all weathers except ice which I class as dangerous. Would rather lose a couple of days riding than 2 months off with a broken bone. Short term loss, long term gain etc.

Maybe I have an advantage in that my skin keeps me dry. Come to think about it, I actually quite like riding in the rain as long as it doesn't fill the potholes.

UndercoverElephant

I ride in all weathers.

Cold? Managed at -14 degrees a couple of years back, when there was 11" of snow. Well, until my bike stopped working, then I walked. Been through blizzards this week too.
Wet? I live in Scotland.
Windy? My record was a 102 mph headwind on the 2nd January last year. That was a stupid thing to do, at times I couldn't even stand up, ended up walking a fair bit then too.

Reading that back I think my wife may be right: I'm not right in the head.

The Rookie

essex-commuter wrote:

I actually quite like riding in the rain as long as it doesn't hide the potholes.

FTFY!

essex-commuter

The Beginner wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

I actually quite like riding in the rain as long as it doesn't hide the potholes.

FTFY!

Cheers Rookster.

PBo

echo several on here, cold no problem, rain no real problem with ok gear, but the wind is the worst.

For the first time since current commute started last september, I took public transport on tuesday because the strong winds of monday (repeated tuesday) nearly took me off sideways a few times.

"Minor delays" on tube = 30 extra minutes.....!!

veronese68

I think I'm with the majority. Wind is worse than rain and the rain might make it harder to get yourself out the door. But once going it's not a major problem.

Horns

Contrary to popular belief, humans are not soluble. Sounds like an excuse to me.

Agent57

Unless you're the Wicked Witch of the West, it's just an excuse.

Applespider

If it's raining and there's a chilly strong headwind, you might catch me staying indoors. If it's just raining and normal wind then I'll be out... and if it's warmish, I'm unlikely to bother with waterproofs. I quite like feeling the rain on my skin - those days where it absolutely hammers down and you get drenched in seconds make me giggle. It reminds me of splashing through puddles as a kid.

My PT commute would be walk to bus, bus to train/tube, train/tube to station, walk to work. By the time, you walk , wait at bus stops and on platforms, you're generally colder/wetter than you would have been, if you'd dressed properly and used the bike.

roger_merriman

I commute every day, I might not go for a spin at lunchtime so I don't end up wet and muddy for work, but i'm quite cold weather tolerant ie cold/wet weather i'm not terribly worried about, I have more issues with summer high temps.

EKE_38BPM

Wet and cold you can dress for but there is very little you can do about wind (McLaren Venge and a skinsuit?), so its wind that I hate.

I spend all day outdoors either on the bike or standing around talking to/shouting at people on bikes and this week I've had sun, rain and snow, all of which were fine with the correct clothing but the cross wind which was blowing me out of my lane in heavy traffic on Tuesday and the evil, EVIL headwind that I had to ride 20km into were both killers.

If cold and rain are such big problems for you, invest in better clothing.

Drfabulous0

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Wet and cold you can dress for but there is very little you can do about wind (McLaren Venge and a skinsuit?), so its wind that I hate.

Clip on tri bars.

EKE_38BPM

Drfabulous0 wrote:

EKE_38BPM wrote:

Wet and cold you can dress for but there is very little you can do about wind (McLaren Venge and a skinsuit?), so its wind that I hate.

Clip on tri bars.

Dangerous to use in heavy traffic and they won't help with crosswinds.