Cycling in the Rain! do you do it?

[Letum911]

Of course I ride in the rain. It's lank fun. 

Build up a singlespeed and never worry about drivetrain wear again. 

 

Ha! I'm going to be 'that Guy' and bring the dreaded 'Single Speed' into this thread!

 

Any kind of exercise that involves being in the rain is awesome. A SS also makes it rad because it doesn't have shifting parts to damage.

 

Be it road, MTB, road or trail running, surfing, paddling.... being out in the rain is an absolute glorious wonder.

 

Love it

 

It's on my SS where the BB went. Chain, cog and hubs are fine. The mud killed the XT BB, seized up completely!!

[Popit]

I will not go out if it is already raining ......

If I am out and it starts to rain , well so be it .

I have only ever started a race in the rain once ( 2013 I think ) AmaShova .

By 40 km the rain had stopped , so was all good .

 

I try avoid both water and mud on the MTB ...

Add those 2 ingredients together..... grinding paste .

[Oufy MTB (Roadie)]

Yes, I commute so don't mind getting wet. I prefer being in the rain on my MTB than my road bike. Thunder, hell no! I"m waterproof and windproof but not shock proof.

 

The only question I need to always ask: Is the conditions safe?

 

Cleaning a bike afterwards, really I don't see it as a big deal the way some okes go on. Light spray with my nam, spray the bike down and wola. I have that pressurized garden insecticide spray thing, I used less than 1 Litre of grey water to clean my bike.

[Flemish Lion]

I grew up in Belgium so riding in the rain is not questioned else you may not ride for 3 weeks or more!! But a standard bike comes with mud / rain guards!

 

Besides, we're water proof!

 

Lightening and thunder I don't like as much as I feel a little vulnerable! Had some very hectic T-storms while commuting - scary stuff!

[Martin PJ]

I don't start riding on the road in the rain, unless it is a race. If it is raining once I ride, I keep going. The rain doesn't do too much damage to the road bike, you can get sick though from a long ride in the rain.

 

I try to avoid riding in mud on the MTB, this wrecks the bearings. If it rains heavily before an MTB race, I won't ride. If it starts raining during the race or at the start, that isn't too much problem here in KZN, it is pretty warm most of the time.

[SwissVan]

???? Interesting - have never experienced a wet tar road stuffing up my bike.

 

Don't mind the rain as long as it isn't cold as well (and I stay away from muddy trails)

Ha!!

There is so much shyte on tar roads that works like grinding paste when wet.

 

And the in cold parts like in Europe you have salt / chemicals on the road during winter.....

[Imploder]

I'm a commuter so...

I did it yesterday afternoon. Did it again this morning. I just do it, I would prefer not too, but if you have no choice then you just gotta do it.....

 

The wet bib in the afternoon sucks.

The wet shoes and socks in the afternoon also suck. Unless its still raining in the afternoon, then the point is moot.

In heavy rain it doesn't matter what you're wearing you get soaked. 

 

I got caught in a huge thunderstorm, hit a pothole that was hidden by standing water and punctured. It is freaking FREEZING changing a tyre in the rain.

 

A cycling cap is awesome in stopping spray from getting in your eyes and on your glasses.

 

Steam rising off the road after a summer thunderstorm is AWESOME.

[BigDL]

Where I live (Northern Ireland), if I didn't ride in the rain, I would hardly ever ride. Mud is a given on my local trails as well. When I was training for Sani, I rode right through the wet winter here with constant rain, mud and shyte. Took my bike for  service a couple of weeks before Sani and asked for the BB to be replaced, as I expected it to be buggered, but it was fine and didn't need to be replaced. 

 

I ride in deep mud in the rain pretty regularly and have yet to have obviously accelerated wear and bike falling to bits. I do ensure that I hose all the mud off when I get home and spray liberally with WD40 to displace the water, but otherwise no problems. 

[Andrew64]

Also commute so no problem, had a nice ride in the rain this morning.  Love my mud guards.

[Flemish Lion]

I'm a commuter so...

I did it yesterday afternoon. Did it again this morning. I just do it, I would prefer not too, but if you have no choice then you just gotta do it.....

 

The wet bib in the afternoon sucks.

The wet shoes and socks in the afternoon also suck. Unless its still raining in the afternoon, then the point is moot.

In heavy rain it doesn't matter what you're wearing you get soaked. 

 

I got caught in a huge thunderstorm, hit a pothole that was hidden by standing water and punctured. It is freaking FREEZING changing a tyre in the rain.

 

A cycling cap is awesome in stopping spray from getting in your eyes and on your glasses.

 

Steam rising off the road after a summer thunderstorm is AWESOME.

 

Commuting on a road bike is cheating... 10 percent of your total KMs will be deducted come 31/12/18!

 

When it rains the traffic is usually bad so I'm smiling all the way home!

 

Yeah... wet stuff sucks and can't be bothered taking spare cycling clothing as it's not common in Joburg... I get wet about 10/400 commutes (yearly) which is hard to phantom when you've experienced Belgian weather for most of your life!

[BigDL]

Commuting on a road bike is cheating... 10 percent of your total KMs will be deducted come 31/12/18!

 

When it rains the traffic is usually bad so I'm smiling all the way home!

 

Yeah... wet stuff sucks and can't be bothered taking spare cycling clothing as it's not common in Joburg... I get wet about 10/400 commutes (yearly) which is hard to phantom when you've experienced Belgian weather for most of your life!

 

You lucky bugger. I am happy if I only get wet two or three times a week. 

[EmJayZA]

I am pretty new to cycling (around 11 months). I had never ridden in the rain until East London 70.3 at the end of January. The rain was pouring down my helmet and making little rivers down the front of my face. Rode like that for two hours. I ended up getting off the bike with a sore back, because I was obviously a little nervous from pushing my bike in wet conditions, so was tensing up. If you race, I would recommend getting out into the rain a few times to experience how your bike and other equipment handles in wet conditions.  

[coppi]

I will not start a ride in the rain. Yesterday as I was about to leave work the heavens opened, I waited 20 min and called my wife to come fetch me. If I am out training and it starts I will find a garage or some sort of shelter and take it from there. I don't mind the rain but lightning makes me skrik and the maintenance on my bike afterwards sucks. 

That is a big concern...................

[Flemish Lion]

I am pretty new to cycling (around 11 months). I had never ridden in the rain until East London 70.3 at the end of January. The rain was pouring down my helmet and making little rivers down the front of my face. Rode like that for two hours. I ended up getting off the bike with a sore back, because I was obviously a little nervous from pushing my bike in wet conditions, so was tensing up. If you race, I would recommend getting out into the rain a few times to experience how your bike and other equipment handles in wet conditions.  

 

One tip for riding in the rain... if your helmet has gathered tons of sweat over the past few days / weeks / months... put it under the tap before you go out... else the sting of the sweat in your eyes can blind you!

[capediver]

Never "in" the rain, but sometimes after it!......  

 

[bleedToWin]

Raced in rain for Stellenbosch Tour, will probably race in rain for 99er. Having no brakes in the bunch is no fun, and doing the full bike clean (can't just wipe to clean) is no fun, but I always feel like a badass after such a ride!