biking in the rain

moggy12

hi all bought a boardman hybrid bike to loose weight and get fit I go out everyday on bike for about 30 mins doing about seven miles with my diet weight is coming off the problem is when it raining like today not bothered about me getting wet just my brand new bike does the rain, puddles etc wreak the gears ,bearings etc on your bike ? my wife says in the winter there will be to many wet days not to go out on my bike but I do not want to wreak my bike any suggestions ?

monkimark

My bikes go out in all weathers and they're doing just fine.

I keep the chain oiled every few days if it's raining, spray a bit of GT85 on the moving parts (deraileurs etc - no braking surfaces obviously) when I clean the bike - probably every couple of weeks or so. In winter when there's a lot of salt on the roads I spray off the grime with a hosepipe when I get home.
Bearings in the headset/hubs etc get stripped and replaced maybe twice a year and that's probably a bit more than they need.

riche0

Hi,

Like the above post, as long as it is maintained and cleaned, oiled on greased its not a massive problem.

I have a board man hybrid that I use mainly for commuting when it's wet and in winter for the last 2 years, in summer I use my mtb on the tow paths and parks when it's not too muddy.

With the grit on roads in winter, sure some of the nuts and bolts rust a little but it's just appearance and I change the chain a couple of times per year but its not affected the 'running' of the bike.

I'd recommend a decent pair of mudguards tho and some clear cycling glasses. Keeps the spray off yourself, the grime from the roads off your bike too and you can keep your eyes open which always helps.

unixnerd

I'd recommend a decent pair of mudguards tho and some clear cycling glasses. Keeps the spray off yourself, the grime from the roads off your bike too and you can keep your eyes open which always helps.

Agreed on both points. Mudguards really make a difference. I have a pair of clear safety glasses I paid three quid for and they're excellent.

MichaelW

The difference between a winter and summer bike is mudguards. If your bike has threaded eyelets then fit full-length, bolt-on SKS chromoplastic 'guards. They will keep road dirt (water+rubber+diesel+oil+dog poo) away from your waterproof jacket and allow you to ride without a waterproof on wet roads. Most bike shops seem to advise short clip-on guards held by elastic bands, velcro and luck, they are WRONG.
Rain wont affect the frame but if you clean and wax the tubes, dirt will shed easily.

moggy12

thanks guys for all the info will defo get mudgards later in the year has I cycle mainly country lanes and will clean and use gt 85

Dekodawg

I find that basic 3-1 oil is very good in the bad weather. Thicker so you don't have to oil every day when it's raining and a lot cheaper than any bike oriented product.

The Rookie

Muc off wet lube is awesome through winter....

moarspeed

The great thing about rain = once your wet, your wet.

Bike wise it ain't gonna suffer too much, years ago I rode about on and commuted on an old Diamond Back Topanga (1993 model) in all weathers (even snow), with it's steel frame, I barely did any maintenance except the occasional squirt of GT85 and it was still a runner up until 2007.

MrChuck

Your wife is right- if you don't want to get the bike wet then you probably won't be getting out much in winter!
As above though, if you don't leave the drivetrain to rust it's not a massive problem. You just need to clean it more, especially if the council have been spraying crap on the roads if it's icy.

macleod113

i normally carry a microfibre cloth (4 for a quid in pounstretcher) and if wet dry my bike down when i get to work and the same when i get home. saves on early rust setting in but these teflon type sprays are ace. i use the green canned TF2 stuff andit does the job. i love cycling in the rain, dont have mudguards (have an ass saver little one for occasional use) so just get wet.

dilemna

GT85 acts as a cutting agent. All the other specific "bike lubes" are expensive rip off rubbish. White lightening is the worst offender - total crap. It ruined a nice chain set.

Use chain saw oil. Cheap and formulated for ........ chains. It is slightly sticky to stick to a fast moving chain so a bicycle chain is well within it's capabilities. Months between clean and lubes not any of this daily lubing parlarva with "specialist" bike lubes. I paid £4.99 for a litre a few years ago. The bottle will probably still be half full when I die.

moarspeed

dilemna wrote:

GT85 acts as a cutting agent. All the other specific "bike lubes" are expensive rip off rubbish. White lightening is the worst offender - total crap. It ruined a nice chain set.

Use chain saw oil. Cheap and formulated for ........ chains. It is slightly sticky to stick to a fast moving chain so a bicycle chain is well within it's capabilities. Months between clean and lubes not any of this daily lubing parlarva with "specialist" bike lubes. I paid £4.99 for a litre a few years ago. The bottle will probably still be half full when I die.

I thought chainsaw links (by design) force feed the oil into the links, thus it does not need any penetrating properties, which on a bike you do need..... It'd need to be quite viscous to avoid flying off in all directions on a chainsaw, so that bit makes sense. And in the past someone told me that using something like GT85, followed by chainsaw oil, gives you the best of both worlds because the GT85 carries the oil into the links.

Cousin Nick

I do 14k per day all year. Mudguards, appropriate clothing, lights and good wet weather tyres will see you right in the rain. As others have said, you will need to do more maintenance when its wet, but hey, what are the dark evenings for?
I tend to use Finish Line Cross Country oil for the chain in winter (dry lube in summer). Pay particular heed to the chain - clean and lube weekly and wipe off excess oil - its amazing how much crud gets picked up in the wet. Give the whole bike a proper clean up every now and again - crud builds up everywhere - frame, brakes and under the mudguards.
Well done on losing the weight!

N

tianuk3

monkimark wrote:

My bikes go out in all weathers and they're doing just fine.

I keep the chain oiled every few days if it's raining, spray a bit of GT85 on the moving parts (deraileurs etc - no braking surfaces obviously) when I clean the bike - probably every couple of weeks or so. In winter when there's a lot of salt on the roads I spray off the grime with a hosepipe when I get home.
Bearings in the headset/hubs etc get stripped and replaced maybe twice a year and that's probably a bit more than they need.

This..

Big_Paul

I must be odd, but riding in the rain doesn't bother me at all, the last really bad floods we had in Belfast, it was dropping inches of rain in an hour, an hour that co-incided with me having to ride 7 miles home, I keep a spare pair of jeans and a top in work just in case it gets through the waterproofs, My main commuter bike has hub gears and a heavy singlespeed chain, after the first 1000 odd miles I treated it to a new chain and rear sprocket, it didn't need either but I was changing the gearing, I use motorcycle chain lube, never had any problems, mudguards keep the crap off and the only other thing I've changed is the brakes because they wore out, dunno why but every time it rains, the rims seem to scrub up like a mirror and the bike is covered in ally sludge. I had to rewire the rear light because the original set up used tracks in the mudguard instead of wires, it packed up so I just spliced a bit of wire from an old mobile charger I had lying about.

At the end of the day, unless you do something daft like riding waist deep in salt water, if you look after the bike, it'll last you for years.

Kieran_Burns

Big_Paul wrote:

<snip>

At the end of the day, unless you do something daft like riding waist deep in salt water, if you look after the bike, it'll last you for years.

Who'd be THAT stupid?????

http://youtu.be/VQNwTkZJMiw?t=5m12s


(this did actually cost me two new wheels, 'cos the hubs were pretty crap.)

terryhughes

How are you finding the Boardman? Really interested in these.

chris_bass

you'll be fine, I have cycled for years in all weathers, slush, snow rain, freezing temps etc.

as long as you spend a bit of time cleaning when it gets wet, nothing major, towel dry it and run the chain and gears etc through a cloth and spray on some gt85 or similar, wait for it all to dry then re-lube (i usually do the first bit on arrival, then 2nd on lunch and the 3rd before I leave) you'll be good to go!

you might need a new chain and cassette a bit more often in the winter but these things are made to be ridden outdoors so can take more than most people give them credit for!

thistle_

Boadman hybrid? The one with disc brakes?

If it is then don't get any of that GT85 you're spraying get on your rotors