sarals 

The operative word was MATURE...

alcanoe

Fenders and very powerful blinking head and tail lights do the trick. Then too, a Showers Pass breathable rain jacket (with Event membrane) adds to the comfort. It's all how you approach it. We backpacked and canoe tripped in the rain and sometimes snow/ice. Cycling in the rain is relatively simple.
Al

ahsposo 

A different rendition from last weeks post:

woodway

It's just rain fellas. Your not made of sugar and it's not going to ruin your bike.

ahsposo 

Yeah, well, that doesn't mean I gotta like it.

Pat

Riding in the rain is not so bad as long as it is reasonably warm. Of course, riding in heavy traffic in the rain is not a good idea but then again riding in heavy traffic is often not a good idea. Being comfortable riding in the rain can be handy. On a long ride, it is easy to get caught out in the weather. Also if you are doing a multiday ride and there is not enough support to get you to today's destination, you have a choice, ride or ride.

crazyb

Lightning kinda sucks

crtreedude 

I live in a rainforest, if I don't ride in the rain, I won't ride except 3 months a year, and even that is iffy. But, the rain is warm. As far as grit, etc, well that is what the hose is for. I do replace components for sure, but that is also due to the sand / gravel I often ride over.

Ron Harry

I'd like others input on what gear they use to ride in the rain. I might attend events in another state at times, and though it hasn't happened yet, I'm not going to travel that far and NOT RIDE [even if in the rain]. So, what's preferred? Ponchos? Street raincoats? Pants suits? What works?

akohekohe

Unless you're at risk for hypothermia riding in the rain is really no big deal. It is just a matter of getting used to doing it which you won't do if you don't ride in it. Sort of a chicken and egg thing. I get a lot of experience riding in all kinds of weather because I commute. This proved useful on my last tour when I was riding the Mississippi river. The last section was in Minnesota and I had 80 to 100+ mile days. A couple of those days it rained heavily most of the day and was in the 50s. If I hadn't been used to riding in the rain I would have never made it to Lake Itasca in time to catch my flight home. Once you get used to riding in bad weather you will be able to relax a lot more when it is good weather because you won't have to worry about the weather turning bad because you know can handle it. At the end of the day I would much rather ride in the rain than be in a car. I really recommend commuting if your circumstances allow for it ... builds character.

NOS88

I do lots of things in the rain. In addition to riding & commuting in the rain, I work in my garden in the rain, walk in the rain, and take photos in the rain. Sometimes being in the rain helps keep me in touch with the fact that I'm a real creature living on a real planet and not some protected thing living under a bubble designed to protect me from everything.

jdon

The one thing I really miss about the West Coast is the day/ week long soaking steady rains. Very zen like effect just to sit, watch, listen and smell. I don't mind riding in it at all, in fact, some of the best rides I have done were in non-stop rain. Unless it is cold, I don't wear any rain gear. You are going to get wet anyways so why get overheated to begin with.

Allegheny Jet

I don't mind riding in the rain if it's not cold and windy. If I know it will be a wet ride I'll attach a clip-on rear fender to the bike to keep my shorts from getting wet. I hate that soggy diaper feeling after getting out of the saddle then go back to seated and water squishes out.

sarals 

I loved that visual, AJ!

I've run in the rain, but still - I won't intentionally ride in the rain. If I'm caught out in it, well, so be it.

And, I do not like the idea of dirty water permeating the various components on my bike! I can clean it off, sure, and I can clean the chain and derailleurs. But, water can get into the steering stem (there's bearings in there, right?), and into the bottom bracket, and so on. I don't see seals in those areas to prevent anything other than an occasional washing - a soaking with the parts in motion just seems to me to be asking for trouble.

az_cyclist

That is the way I feel about it, sarals. I wont start a ride in the rain, but, will finish a ride if I am caught out in it. I hate cleaning the bike after as much. I am aware that we must be extra careful because our stability and braking ability is reduced, and driver visibility is reduced as well.

It does develop character! The drivers look at us and think "Look at those characters out riding in the rain!"

PaulH

Automobile traffic around here is at or above capacity during rush hour. Consequently, a good rain (or snow, for that matter) quickly leads to gridlock as cars either slow, have fender-benders, or both. The resulting scene brings to mind a motorized version of a medieval flagellents' procession . I have a perverse admiration for the fortitude of the motorists who endure this self-inflicted suffering, but am glad I have a bicycle to make my life easier. I started bicycling because I was too lazy to drive at rush hour, and that is particularly true when there is weather.

I don't think motoring under such unfeasible conditions develops character. As far as I can tell, it's all road rage and coronary heart disease.

Paul

BengeBoy 

I ride thousands of miles each year in the rain (it's Seattle, after all). If I didn't ride in the rain I wouldn't ride much at all. We have many days of wet roads and very light rain; it's very common on my one-hour commute to have 10 minutes of light rain and 50 minutes of wet roads. Unless it's pouring I hardly even consider it "rain" any more.

Most important gear:
1. Fenders
2. Showers Pass rain jacket
3. Goretex cap over my helmet
4. If it's heavy rain, I wear a baseball hat under my helmet to keep rain off my eyes.
5. Waterproof shoes (Specialized BG boots if it's cold; shoe covers if it's warmer).

In terms of everything else, it depends on the temperature -- I'll wear anything from shorts to thick tights, depending on the temperature. I have rain pants but almost never wear them; I don't like riding in them. My favorite new piece of gear is some Ibex wool knickers, which are fantastic in either wet or dry weather down to the low 40's.

In terms of wear & tear on the bike -- you will wear out rims, brake pads and chains faster by riding a lot in the rain. I just had to get a new rear wheel on my commuter bike after about 5,000 miles; probably a third to half of that was on wet roads.

woodway

You are overthinking this. Your bike is designed to be ridden in wet conditions and won't rust/fall apart/suddenly degrade because you rode it in the rain. I live in the same area as BengeBoy (and ride in the rain a lot) and have put almost 10,000 miles on my bike since I put it into service at the start of 2010. I can attest that the headset and bottom bracket bearings are just fine and have many more miles in them. I do have to clean and lube my drivetrain more often in wet conditions and if you run rim brakes (I have discs) you are going to wear out your pads/rims a little faster, but that's about it.

jdon

Agreed. All the bearings are greased as are the housings. There is no real water pressure being applied. I consider everything but the frame a rotable part though. I expect to replace them at least once during my ownership. By then, I am ready for a new frame just for change sake.

sarals 

I probably am. What is the root of my worry? I saw some black stuff weeping out of the bottom of the stem, at the top of the forks, after a wet ride, and I thought "uh-oh". Then, the forks started "clunking" not too long after that. Well, the fastener on the top of the stem was little loose, and tightening that took care of the clunk. What bothered me, though, was the black residue, and that, coupled with a story told to me by a girlfriend about her steering stem bearings seizing in the frame and ruining the frame and the forks, reinforced my notion that this bike didn't belong on the road in wet conditions! Granted, I do look after my bike, as you do, but I know a lot of people don't. The poor thing could be screaming "lube me" or "wash me!" and they'd never notice it. I have no idea how sturdy a "performance" bicycle really is when it comes to dealing with the elements, is it really a "continuous duty" machine? Oh, it probably is, but I don't rely on it for a day to day transportation appliance. I have the choice, and my choice is not to ride it in wet conditions. It's a beautiful machine, and I want to keep it that way, and I want it to last. OCD? Ha! Maybe!

BengeBoy 

Great questions. I know that in Seattle there are lots of people who have "good bikes" vs. "rain bikes." Over time, though, I realized that I was spending a lot more time riding in wet conditions than dry conditions so I got a really nice "rain bike" for my daily commute. Then, this last winter, I finally put fenders on my "good bike" and rode the dickens out of it all winter. I got in lots of miles in the winter -- but also beat the tar out of it. I just finished my spring overhaul of both bikes -- 8 new brake bads, 2 new shifter cables, two new tires, one new rear wheel, two new chains, and a very thorough clean of each bike. *However,* there was no damage to the finish of either bike; on a dry day you'd never know that either one had ever been ridden in the wet.

sarals 

Hmmm......

Does it stand to reason that a mountain bike would stand the test of time in the elements better than say, my Look road bike?

woodway

I think it has more to do with the quality of the headset and bottom bracket components installed on your bike. I have one road bike. I ride it 36 miles RT to work and back just about every day of the week. One weekends I may do a longer ride. It gets ridden in pouring rain, light rain and drizzle. It's even been ridden in the snow a few times (not my brightest moments). When I built the bike, I installed a high-quality headset, and high-quality Cranks/bottom bracket bearings because those are two places where quality really shows. Since installation neither the headset or the bottom bearings have needed to be touched or serviced. I've replaced the chain once (the original one stretched), replaced the rear shift cable three times (more a function of a very hilly commute requiring a lot of shifting then a function of riding in the rain) and replaced the brake pads once (normal wear, wet weather riding does not impact the wear of disc brakes much).

big john

I think not. I did live in the mountains and rode in the snow a lot, it was great fun. I still like mtb rides in the rain if the surface is right. There is an area near here which is sandstone and can't get muddy.

BengeBoy 

In my opinion (based partly on experience, partly on conjecture):

- A bike with disc brakes will be somewhat less maintenance because you won't wear out your rims as quickly. Riding in the rain with rim breaks puts a lot of wear on your rims because in the wet you pick up a lot of road grit that helps wear out your rims much faster. (One solution to that is popular in Seattle is ceramic-coated rims; Mavic makes some but they're pricey).

- Likely a 9-speed chain is going to last longer than a 10-speed chain.

The ultimate bike for riding a lot in the rain? Something like this Co-Motion Americano....
- internal gear rear hub (fewer exposed derailleur parts to clean)
- Gates carbon belt drive (no chain to wear)
- disc brakes

https://co-motion.com/index.php/singl...ricano_rohloff