lphilpot

I know some folks in the southern / southwestern US are seriously behind on rain, but where I live, I've had enough.... 'specially on Saturdays, which are my ride days during the short-daylight wintertime. Yesterday was perfect for a ride: 60 F, no wind, partly cloudy... I could see it through my window at work. Today is:


(I'm right in the center of Louisiana and it's still coming our way)

Tomorrow is forecast to be upper 50s F and partly sunny. Of course, I'm busy all day, and then it's back to work.

I'm just not a rain-rider, either. I have neither the gear nor interest in setting out when it's raining. Getting caught on the way home is one thing. Heading out in the rain is another.

I occasionally go through the same thing with my other hobby of amateur astronomy. I guess I need to pick less weather-dependent diversions... Like forum-reading on the Internet.

OK. I'm off my soapbox now.

teachme

Me too!

cruisintx

you can send it our way; we had the driest year on record last year; just 7" of presipitation recorded and part of that came from the 19.3" of snow.

jmccain

No good for Mardi Gras either.

lphilpot

I have friends out in Fort Davis, TX (north of Big Bend) and it's still very dry there, even by their desert standards. Still, I'd pick there over here pretty much any day.

stapfam

It's a bit of rain and you are going to get wet. It's not as if you are going to rust or fall apart.

Just man up to it and don't admit that you are staying indoors because you are a woose.

cruisintx

I'm visiting with one of my bro's in Big Spring on IM right now. He says BS only got 4" in 2011.

lphilpot

..but but but.... It's a new bike! The rain might hurt it!!!

Actually, I would consider it from time to time if I already had wet / cold weather gear, but it seems that ever since getting back onto a bike, it's been a constant stream of "gotta buy this, gotta buy that, gotta buy the other, gotta buy another of that..." Of course, that's common to pretty much any 'new' interest I guess. I was looking for some base layer stuff the other day and decided I didn't want to spend $50 per t-shirt... I'll keep on looking, though. I'm sure I can find more affordable clothes than those with "UA" on them...

lphilpot

From what I was told, Ft. Davis got less than half that much since Sept 2010. But I've also seen images from out there and it's greened up again, based on those photos and some reports I've read. Some say that it's difficult to tell (from the countryside, at least) that the fires even happened last spring. I'm headed out in April, and can't wait.

cruisintx

OH! on that thought; I have another bro near Austin who is pretty knowledgeable about the flora of the area, ( he works on a golf course). He says from the looks of the sprouting right now, it is going to be a stellar bluebonnet season. We may plan a scooter trip for mid-April.

10 Wheels

We need the rain...

lphilpot

Our roads do that, too, but it seems to be independent of rain, weather or anything else. Probably the same reason my house's foundation does it: The whole state of Louisiana is either red clay or swamp. The clay is so elastic that with the slightest changes in moisture, it expands/contracts. I've been told (and tend to believe) that Louisiana homeowners 1) will have foundation problems, 2) are fixing foundation problems or 3) have already fixed foundation problems. I suspect the same is true of Louisiana roads. On the other end of the spectrum, I've seen roads in west Texas (rock / mountains) that are 20 years old and look virtually brand new. Unfortunately for cyclists, those roads are often chip seal and could benefit from an upgrade.

overthehillmedi

Just checked the forecast for here today and 10 to 15 mm of rain is on the way. And the seven day is for 50mm more or less. Someplaces the news/media outfits would be all over this forecast making it out to be rainamedgon but here it just a normal winter season forecast. Enjoy the day,Guys and Gals

John_V 

It rained all day yesterday. It's a good thing that it was my ride day off. Today, it's been overcast all morning. Great for the charity ride I did this morning. I don't ride in the rain. Not because I mind getting the bike wet but because I use to have to work in the rain and I got to hate being outside when it's raining. Reason number 1 for not having a rain bike.

fietsbob

Getting out the Grundens Cycle Rain Cape again, I'm like the human traffic cone
in it,
but at least, finally, Dry Hands .. except when I have to lock up my Bike. ..

BTW that pavement crack is somebody did shoddy work in the roadbed foundation,
or land slippage,.

Slips happen here when the ground is water saturated.

qcpmsame 

That heavy rain lphilpot showed is hitting Pensacola today. Right now, when I usually ride it is pouring really hard. the lack of riding bites, big time.

Bill

goldfinch

After days of rain it is finally sunny in the Rio Grande Valley. But the wind blew so hard and gusty today that I had trouble riding my bike. So I went to the state park, which is somewhat sheltered, and did intervals lite (90% effort) instead. Then I washed the car, washed all the bikes, cleaned the chains and lubed them. Now I am ready for some nice days!

StephenH

We did a 200k permanent in the rain today.

stapfam

Sods Law dictates that some of us that can only ride at the weekends- do not have the best of weather at that time. Yesterday and I had to work in the garden but it was windy- cold and rain came on in the afternoon.

So ride planned for today with a few mates but the route will have to be selected carefully. Frost on the ground at 7am so it will have to be an open route where frost will not stay and it will have to be sheltered as the wind is expected to rise a bit. At least my aluminium frame will not rust as rain is not forecast.

motofranz

Okay Len you have a strong weather front come through your area a day or so it goes away and you have clearing skies.

You should live in Washington state....It rains EVERY FRIGGIN day ! LOL
Never a storm but just a nagging drizzle.
The only sunshine we have happens in the months of June, July. August.
Hope you have better weather in March !

lhbernhardt

If you want to ride a bike in the Pac Northwest, you HAVE to enjoy riding in the rain!

Actually, if you are a racer or a randonneur, you NEED to train in the rain. It makes you tougher, and you don't embarass yourself or your country when you withdraw from Paris-Brest-Paris just because it's cold & raining!

But being tough doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable. At the very least you need fenders, but even those partial race blades will keep you protected from water splashing off the road into your face and up your back. And here in the Pac NW, you can't go on a group ride without having flaps on the rear fender to protect the guy behind you. I'm too lazy to figure out how to get a flap onto a race blade, so I just ride by myself in the rain.

And you need shoe covers to keep your shoes clean. Not dry, just clean; there's not a shoe cover (bootie) made that will keep you feet dry for more than about 40 minutes. Getting road grit out of cycling shoes is just too much hard work, unless you toss the shoes into the washer.

Here in Vancouver, BC, you find out who the real cyclists are when it rains. Surprisingly, I see LOTS of bike tire tracks on the dry portions of the greenway on my way to work, way more than a few years ago.

And I think that this winter, Seattle got the brunt of the bad weather. It was snowing in Seattle/Olympia when it was only raining in Vancouver back in Dec/Jan. But the nice thing is that you have a much greater appreciation for warm, dry days of riding! I am so looking forward to doing double centuries in California in May!

Luis

lphilpot

It seems it was clearing only on Wednesdays, though...

This weekend is still looking much better.

Burton

REAL cyclists aren't put off by a little rain! They ride in a wetsuit, wear a mask and snorkel and have SPD equipped flippers!

Kip

There's a reason Washington is called The Evergreen State. I rode four out of the past five days -twice commuting to work and two recreational rides - for a total of 100 miles and got rained on about 75% of the time. Fortunately, the temperature has been moderate so although I got pretty well soaked I was never cold. As we say about the rain in Western Washington, "It's the price we pay for the green."

lphilpot

Saturday, hopefully.