Originally Posted by
big john
I've ridden motorcycles and bicycles off road since around 1980. Most of my motorcycling was in the desert so not much mud there. It rarely rains here but when it does I know where to go to avoid mud. There is an area near here that is almost all sandstone. I've been up there in the pouring rain and not a bit of mud. Also, areas with sandy, rocky terrain are fine when wet.
Clay is to be avoided. When wet it sticks to your tires and they grow to the point that they can't roll. Then you have to carry the bike, which has gained a lot of weight, and your shoes grow to ridiculous proportions. I took my ex wife to a clay trail in the rain, by accident, and she started crying. Made me feel pretty awful.
It's fun. Road riding in the rain sucks. Also, I'm not bored with road riding, I'm sick of cars and riding around them. Actually, most drivers around here are considerate but a few aren't.
Our local hills - the San Gabriel mountain range - are basically a giant pile of decomposing granite with very little clay content. This means water runs through it or off it pretty efficiently, and even when really wet, it doesn't get very sticky. Other areas of So Cal have higher clay content, which gets that all-mucked-up condition.