My first ride in the rain, and it was awesome!

[deeaimond]

Brr... sounds cold.. I like to ride in the rain when its in the 80s I've ridden in thunderstorms before, all that water pouring down, and its great. except the part where you need to remove tyres and tubes to get water out after.

Trust me Hoosiergiant, u're gonna want to ride in the rain more often after this

Cheers,
D

[OnTerryOh]

except the part where you need to remove tyres and tubes to get water out after.

Is this necessary?

Doesn't the tightness of the tube against the tire prevent water from entering inside?

[tulip]

If I had little windshield wipers on my glasses, I would probably ride in the rain. But I don't, so I don't.

[arielmoon]

I dont mind the riding in the rain so much as cleaning my bike afterward.

[Pedal Wench]

One thing I've found to make riding in the rain much more tolerable is to put a little cycling cap on under your helmet. Keeping the rain off your face, or at least out of your eyes, makes it much more enjoyable.

Be careful in the rain - painted stripes on the road and any metal things - plates, train tracks, manhole covers are all much slicker when wet. Just be cautious while you're having fun!

[alpinerabbit]

The fun ends when the water runs into your shoes and with every revolution, they go "shlosh, shlosh". Brrrr. And it's still 20K until home...

What's that about removing your tires and tubes? ne'er 'eardofit... but make sure to lube your drivetrain after.

[kfergos]

channlluv, good for you going out in the rain! I'm glad it was a good experience for you.

Make sure to not only lube your chain, but wipe the whole thing down thoroughly to get all that extra road grime off. Chains + wet roads = Super mess really quickly.

I don't mind riding in the rain, particularly if it's above 70°F or so and you don't need to worry about getting too cold. Even sloshing in the shoes isn't so bad when it's hot and rainy. In the 50s is tough because it's too warm for many layers (for me) so sometimes I go jacketless and get soaked and sometimes I go jacketed and get hot. Colder than 45°F is relatively easy to dress for so I'm OK with that, too. As with any other weather, having the right gear makes or breaks the ride, although I admit that 33°F and raining is bad -- icicles hanging off the helmet is an experience I won't quickly forget!

[deeaimond]

Here the rain is usually a torrential tropical downpour and on certain places on the roads, water can be inches deep. So they do manage to seep in from the sides of the tyres.

It doesn't happen just to me but also my friends so I know it's not coz i'm weird hehhe...

Is this necessary?

Doesn't the tightness of the tube against the tire prevent water from entering inside?

[cylegoddess]

Thanks for tip on wearing little cap for rain.I had a ebay moment, and bought a vintage US postal cap and was wondering where to wear it!
My BF wears the booties for rain - the ones out of wetsuit fabric.You get wet feet he says but they stay warm.
I rode in two minor showers, what fun!
To escape mud back stripe, cut a shim from a milk bottle( a long flexy strip is a shim , by the way!)and jam it into your seat back. It is a el cheapo way to stop splatters.

[Crankin]

I dislike riding in the rain, mostly for the potential of increased flats and stopping/braking issues when it's wet. Plus, one of the worst riding experiences I've had is when I started a ride and it was maybe in the sixties and it started raining. I had a jacket with me, but not a rain jacket; I had to ride about 7 miles back to the car, where I proceeded to strip out of my wet clothes and wrap myself in a beach towel that I had in the car. Pretty sure I had hypothermia, as I didn't stop shivering for a couple of hours, even after sitting by a fire and drinking copious cups of tea.
If it's raining, it's a yoga or run day. I don't mind running in the rain.

[Jo-n-NY]

What tires are you using for the wet roads? With week after week of mid week rain my cycling season is getting to be depressing to be able ride after work.

I have 700/23 tires and was too nervous to ride the other day on the wet pavement despite the the rain had stopped. I am fighting the trainer, but if this continues next week, that looks to be my only option. I am actually thinking of getting a touring or x-bike, but not sure I will be happy going to such a heavier bike compared to my Ruby. ugh...such problems.

~ JoAnn