Welcome guest, is this your first visit? Click the "Create Account" button now to join.

To disable ads, please log-in.

Shop at TeamEstrogen.com for women's cycling apparel.

Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: Rain

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2018
    Location
    Uk
    Posts
    5

    Rain

    To disable ads, please log-in.

    Morning all, training for first charity rides. Lacking motivation at the moment when it comes to training in the rain.I have a while till the big ride but could waste days if stay in every time we have this English weather. Any tips to get my mind in the right frame ?
    Cheers peps.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Do you have a trainer to ride, indoors? That's what they are all about. That said, I avoid mine like the plague and will ride even in the nastiest weather, but at least it's there as an option.

    Still, though, if that's the pattern for weather in your area, you should learn to adapt to it and learn how to ride in it. What happens if you get rain on your big ride? Sooner or later, you're going to get rain when you ride, anyway. Riding in the rain is like riding in the cold. It's mostly a mental thing and a matter properly dressing for it. It's only a negative if you let it be. For instance, I spent one winter in Portland, Oregon where it rains almost every day in that season. Riding in the rain was completely normal. No one gave it a second thought. Never stopped anyone from riding. I say get good bike-specific rainwear and get out and ride in the rain, short of a deluge or thunderstorm. You'll be a more confident and better rider for it.

    Of course, I'm the stubborn type to the point of even being nutty. I never let any weather keep me from riding. Each to their own, as always. Best of luck in your training and you rides.
    Last edited by north woods gal; 03-12-2018 at 07:41 AM.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    california
    Posts
    1,232
    Quote Originally Posted by north woods gal View Post
    It's only a negative if you let it be.
    Yes....look at it as a challenge and instead of thinking how bad it could be, just don’t think about that at all. Get dressed for the weather and go ride!!....and you get the all the good benefits of doing it!!!!!!! Plus you'll be better physically for your charity rides!!!

    I see any good ride, especially in adverse weather conditions, as a good reason to enjoy some hot chocolate and/or a delicious pastry or two etc. (Mille-Feuille’s ftw) when I get back home reward yourself!!!!!
    ‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
    us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… Pema Chodron

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    northern Virginia
    Posts
    5,897
    My two cents... not all rainy days are alike. I have a friend who has lived all over the world, including several years in Dublin where it rained every day and was usually not warm. She rode in the rain there all the time. Then one day when she was back in the US, she and I did a ride together. It started out hot and sunny, then a big black thunderstorm cloud caught up with us and there was a gust of wind that literally took my breath away and we were pelted by heavy rain for a quite some time. Later my friend said that is doesn't rain like that in Dublin, it's much lighter and is not accompanied by wind and thunder and lightning.

    So if your weather is frequent rain but it's not too heavy and does not involve hazards like flooded roads or wind that knocks down trees or lightning, then yes I would say it makes sense to invest in some good rain gear and get out there and ride. But I personally avoid riding when there are hazards like flooded roads or wind that knocks down trees or lightning.

    As for what good rain gear entails... hypothermia is a real risk if your clothes are wet and the air temp is not hot. For starters you want a jacket that keeps you dry while cycling in rain -- one that keeps the rain out but is breathable enough to not make you soaked with sweat. A cap or helmet cover or hood for your jacket to keep your head dry and the rain out of your eyes is also good. Gloves, tights, leg warmers, shoe covers etc. as needed to keep you warm. Fenders for your bike to reduce the amount of water that sprays from the road onto you. Waterproof bags to keep food, wallet, phone etc dry.

    If there's a good chance it will rain on the day of the charity ride, it will be helpful for you to train the in the rain so you can experiment with different types of clothing to see what keeps you most comfortable.

    - Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
    - Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
    - Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle

    Gone but not forgotten:
    - Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
    - Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Illinois
    Posts
    3,151
    I am about to sign up for a ride and .... I've ridden in the rain b/c it might be raining day of the ride, after all. My poor bicycle ;(

  6. #6
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Great points on the rain, clothing and the risk of hypothermia, N.Y.

    Some might think that with all my sub-zero riding that that kind of cold is the most dangerous. It's usually not because I know what to expect and I dress for it. Nope, the closest I've ever come to succumbing to hypothermia (and it was very close), was on a wet day with the temps in the 40s and a cold wind. I had not dressed, properly, and was caught totally unprepared. Lesson I never forgot. Hypothermia is a killer.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Concord, MA
    Posts
    13,394
    I can't echo this enough. About 15 years ago, I went out with DH and 3 other riders. It was about 60 degrees and partly cloudy. About 3/4 of the way through, the skies opened up. I had on knickers and a wind jacket and DH had a cycling rain jacket. We refused a ride back to our car and rode about 7 miles there. By then I was shaking and soaked. DH was fine. It had gone down to about 53 degrees, too. Our car was parked in Concord Center, right in the center of town, where tourists stop and look at monuments, etc. It was before we lived in Concord, and we had a short drive home to the next town. I stripped right in the front seat of the car and wrapped myself in a beach towel DH kept in his car for emergencies, and put the heat on me, full blast. I was still shivering 2 hours later, despite several cups of tea, a hot shower, and getting in cozy clothes. It was scary, to say the least. After that, I bought a rain jacket, helmet cover, and eventually rain pants, which I wore on a tour about 2 months after this.
    I was reminded of this last Saturday, when I was xc skiing in a light, but steady snow. I started feeling cold, which is most unusual as I usually am hot. I kept saying, it's OK, we'll be done soon, until I realized I was wet, getting hypothermic, and I was doing what we had been taught about in AMC Leadership training... poor judgment because cold is setting in. I stopped and thankfully, I had my soft shell in my pack, which I changed into. Immediate relief and I was glad I had the forethought to pack it.
    2015 Trek Silque SSL
    Specialized Oura

    2011 Guru Praemio
    Specialized Oura
    2017 Specialized Ariel Sport

  8. #8
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Amen, Crankin. You've been there, too. It really is frightening. Can creep up on you without understanding what's happening. Know the danger signs.
    Last edited by north woods gal; 03-22-2018 at 04:40 PM.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    471
    I ride in the rain all the time since I live in Oregon. I just have to dress for it. It also depends on which side of the state I am in too. I ride in the valley all the time in the rain, not so much in the summer in the rain in central Oregon -- I've been caught in lightening storms there and now I avoid rain storms that might include lightening.
    2013 Specialized Myka FSR Comp
    2013 Specialized Ruby Sport (carbon)
    2014 Salsa Vaya 3 (steel)
    2014 Felt Z75

  10. #10
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    north woods of Wisconsin
    Posts
    1,110
    Me, too, on riding in a storm with lightning. No way. Don't mind the rain, but when the sky starts to light up, I head for cover. Have waited out a few storms under a concrete bridge or similar.

 

 

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •