Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

How do you handle a week of thunderstorms?

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

How do you handle a week of thunderstorms?

Old 06-10-19, 03:19 PM
  #26  
pdlamb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: northern Deep South
Posts: 8,849

Bikes: Fuji Touring, Novara Randonee

Mentioned: 36 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2580 Post(s)
Liked 1,902 Times in 1,193 Posts
As others have noted, learn to read the weather radar on your smart phone (assuming you're riding where there's cell phone coverage).

At least in my experience, it's pretty rare to have even one day of solid rain (unless a hurricane or similar tropical storm is coming through). Check the radar, check your route; does it look like you can get to the next town or campground before it starts raining? Go for it! Hunker down in the town library, wait out a shower, and you may get another window of clear weather an hour or two later -- go some more!

If it's warm to hot outside, make sure your rear light is blinking, wear the brightest top or jacket you have, and hit the road. Call it free sweat instead of rain, it keeps you cool just like sweat and you don't have to focus on drinking all day long. Just wipe off the chain, rims and spokes with a paper towel when you're done for the day.
pdlamb is offline  
Old 06-10-19, 05:11 PM
  #27  
Doug64
Senior Member
 
Doug64's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Oregon
Posts: 6,485
Mentioned: 31 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1182 Post(s)
Liked 830 Times in 433 Posts
When you are the tallest things around, it is a good idea to change that. This front finally caught up to us in southern Wyoming. I was pulling out our rainfly for shelter, and we moved away from the bikes. We also went down the road's shoulder and was prepared to wait it out. It turned out to be a practice, The cell passed over with no rain or lightning.


Sometimes you just have to get off the road if you can, and wait it out. We reached this small cafe in northern France just before the rain started.

Last edited by Doug64; 06-11-19 at 12:36 PM.
Doug64 is offline  
Old 06-10-19, 07:09 PM
  #28  
DropBarFan
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,150

Bikes: 2013 Surly Disc Trucker, 2004 Novara Randonee , old fixie , etc

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 671 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 49 Times in 43 Posts
Once visited Miami area in the summer rainy season...every other day there's a good chance of getting soaked in a late-afternoon thunderstorm. The locals rarely wear rain jackets but somehow have an instinct to be inside when they hit.

Last month a short tree in my back yard got hit by lightning...a bit odd since there's many other taller trees just a few meters away.
DropBarFan is offline  
Old 06-10-19, 07:15 PM
  #29  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 13,194
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2733 Post(s)
Liked 955 Times in 785 Posts
Ive generally found about finding shelter in time that (touch wood of course) that over time, we get better at observing the wind picking up, wind direction and approaching dark stuff , so we can scout out a spot to take shelter before a deluge.
Again, Ive never had to deal with being out in the open open .
djb is offline  
Old 06-12-19, 09:58 AM
  #30  
antokelly
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,275
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 158 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
first thought that entered my head was a magnum 45.
this same thing happened me in france, first day was lovely sunny warm weather fantastic roads great campsite, but 3 days of monsoon rain left me heading back to catch the ferry back to Ireland.
antokelly is offline  
Old 06-12-19, 12:47 PM
  #31  
Altair 4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Along the Rivers of Pittsburgh
Posts: 1,255

Bikes: 2011 Novara Forza Hybrid, 2005 Trek 820, 1989 Cannondale SR500 Black Lightning, 1975 Mundo Cycles Caloi Racer

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 258 Post(s)
Liked 291 Times in 157 Posts
A couple of years ago, my ride partner and I were on a three day ride with what amounted to a perfect weather forecast. Well, that forecast turned out to be 100% inaccurate for both rain and temperature. The first day, it rained sporadically and we managed to find shelter along the way and avoided the heavy stuff. We spent the night at our scheduled B&B a bit worse for wear.

We awoke to grey, sullen skies with the rain starting within minutes of hitting the trail. After about an hour, lightning began crashing down along the wooded trail we were on. Soaked and getting more and more cold, we continued on until lunchtime. At a restaurant, we ate hot meals and begged for a couple of large trash bags and fashioned them into ponchos which helped tremendously in dealing with the rain, but especially the cold (and this was in the US in July!). Five hours later, we made our next B&B and used the laundry facilities to clean and dry out our clothes. It stopped raining 30 minutes after we arrived!

I guess the bottom line of our experience was a) don't trust the forecast, b) carry a bit more clothing options than you think you need, c) keep calm and carry on. Riding in the rain on a limestone trail was not pleasant but, in hindsight, it's the thing we joked and talked about later, whenever we reminisce about that ride.

This line from "Young Frankenstein" got used a lot:
Altair 4 is offline  
Old 06-12-19, 03:39 PM
  #32  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 13,194
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2733 Post(s)
Liked 955 Times in 785 Posts
I wanted to add that despite so many good anecdotes and hints etc, it's a shame the person never once popped back in.
I hope it worked out alright for her or him.
djb is offline  
Old 06-13-19, 08:48 AM
  #33  
antokelly
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,275
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 158 Post(s)
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by djb
I wanted to add that despite so many good anecdotes and hints etc, it's a shame the person never once popped back in.
I hope it worked out alright for her or him.
probably sold the bike unfriended all his friends divorced the wife burned all his camping gear and left the forum.
antokelly is offline  
Old 06-18-19, 07:54 PM
  #34  
jamawani 
Hooked on Touring
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Wyoming
Posts: 2,854
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 347 Post(s)
Liked 141 Times in 91 Posts
Loud obscenities directed upwards to the Weather Goddess.
jamawani is offline  
Old 06-19-19, 02:36 AM
  #35  
KC8QVO
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 1,173

Bikes: Surly Disk Trucker, 2014 w/Brooks Flyer Special saddle, Tubus racks - Duo front/Logo Evo rear, 2019 Dahon Mariner D8, Both bikes share Ortlieb Packer Plus series panniers, Garmin Edge 1000

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 405 Post(s)
Liked 115 Times in 99 Posts
Originally Posted by djb
I wanted to add that despite so many good anecdotes and hints etc, it's a shame the person never once popped back in.
I hope it worked out alright for her or him.
Interesting note on the OP not reappearing.... They posted last 4 days from your post and 11 days from now, so some time has certainly passed.

For what it is worth, from the originating post in this thread, the OP is on a tight budget. I think that is their primary constraint/frustration and taking cover from the weather is eating in to that budget at a much higher rate than planned for.

None of us know the details of the OP's "tour", so what area, where from/to, mileage goals, etc are all unknown. Timeframe is also an unknown. Is this "tour" scheduled over a 2 week "vacation" from work? In that case, the time constraint is going back to work on time and the frustration of the weather on the tour would certainly be understandable - it would be wrecking the tour to be unsalvageable in the time given, not just eating the budget.

If the tour doesn't have a particular timeframe my thoughts are to go home, look at the weather closer, and go back out when there is a favorable weather pattern. You can't move far enough on a bike fast enough to get out of a week long wet weather pattern.

If time is critical - jump on a buss or train and get yourself away from the wet weather pattern to continue the tour somewhere else. Consider it an adventure - a basic idea to start with, but what ends up happening unfolds as it does. Look at it in a positive way and, if you can't enjoy being wet in the location you're in for the time you're there, go somewhere in that time that is dry where you can enjoy, even if it wasn't the "original plan". Though, I realize a buss or train trip is more cost - it might not be as much as a week of motel stays, if you had to resort to that.
KC8QVO is offline  
Old 06-19-19, 07:29 AM
  #36  
djb
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Montreal Canada
Posts: 13,194
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2733 Post(s)
Liked 955 Times in 785 Posts
all good points, thanks KC

I totally get it being very frustrating wasting money. Ive always been very careful of my money, and having to spend in on a motel would have been a real drag on my first tours--or even today to be quite frank.
Being on a money budget, and time budget is a real issue, and I totally get it.
All that money wasted is very frustrating.

again, I'm sorry the person had the bad luck of bad weather, and I hope it didnt put them off trying bike touring another time.
I also hope some of the suggestions were read and tucked away and remembered.
djb is offline  
Old 06-19-19, 08:33 AM
  #37  
Teamdarb
Junior Member
 
Teamdarb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 128

Bikes: 94' Barracuda A2M, 83 Ross 294 signature, 93 MB3, '87 BS 300 mixte, '86 420, '12 Trek 520, 92 720 and more

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 36 Post(s)
Liked 26 Times in 20 Posts
What I think is that the original poster should first stop thinking about where they will stay ever night. Then stop looking at weather reports. Learning to trust your gear takes time and will save you money and stress. I have been on a continual cycling adventure since 2011. The first days out was nothing but wind, sleet, rain, and snow storms. It was not fun. I was angry and wanted to quit once I realized I had only gone 30 miles in ten hours. I called a friend and went to his house after realizing I was only down the road. The next morning I wanted a ride home. He laughed at me and said he was going to work and I had got to get myself back. It was below freezing outside. He made me sitoutside so he could lock up the house on his way out. I sat there in his driveway from 5:30 a.m. until 8 a.m.before sucking it up and heading south. The weather was a butt all the way from Washington DC to Hampton, VA. Then I got hit by a truck days later crossing from Virginia into North Carolina. I turned around and backtracked to Williamsburg, VA before finally getting on track for Florida via another route. But after several days I developed the mindset of looking foward that each day will be better than the first. If I waited it out in a motel or better yet, started on a nice forecasted week ahead- each day foward I would be fearing the day it got worse.

The toughest part of cyclotouring is knowing when to stop and where to sleep, in my opinion. Unless you are in the desert.... not dessert, then it becomes water and shade. But I think we all get what I mean. Sometimes we stop when it is not neccessary and that is okay. The trick is to learn when to actually stop. Only you can decide that. Also, I realize you may not have the "street smarts" degree which I have, but seriously.... never pay "the price" for a motel. Be honest with the desk clerk at the inconvenience of the situation you are in. Cylcotouring is about people and experiences. You may be surprised how important meeting you can be to someone feeling stuck in their own situation. Keep that in mind as your tough days roll away. Remember, generally, when it is raining out there are less cars on the roadway.
Teamdarb is offline  
Old 06-19-19, 08:38 AM
  #38  
Teamdarb
Junior Member
 
Teamdarb's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 128

Bikes: 94' Barracuda A2M, 83 Ross 294 signature, 93 MB3, '87 BS 300 mixte, '86 420, '12 Trek 520, 92 720 and more

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 36 Post(s)
Liked 26 Times in 20 Posts
If you think the rain is bad, wait until you meet its friend- Wind.... on a nice day going the wrong way. Seven ish years of travel, the wind is the only thing, sans lightning (I got hit by lightning during year one) is the one item that makes fairweather friends seem like real friends.
Teamdarb is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
stevage
Touring
18
04-07-20 12:01 AM
Biketouringhobo
Touring
44
03-06-16 02:15 PM
spinnaker
General Cycling Discussion
42
05-12-11 12:33 AM
raybo
Touring
33
01-14-11 01:45 PM
zacster
Pacific Northwest
26
05-25-10 09:12 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.