The wet commute & when to say no.

[Marx SS]

I’m lucky enough to have various options to get to/from work. I ride my bike just about everyday unless I can’t turn over the pedals for one reason or another (ie; injury, mechanical etc).
Except, except when it’s raining.
I hate not riding, I hate sitting in the train (which is the option ‘B’ in my case) & watching riders go past, jackets on, sodden. But what I hate most is wet gear at the start of the ride home, or even worse wet gear at the start of the next days ride.
It’s this reason I opt out of the wet ride to work , not so much the road grime sprayed up onto you, or the apprant waywardness of wet bike wheels & braking over painted lines & metal manhole covers, but the unpleasantness of putting on damp riding gear & having to deal with damp shoes & backpack.

I don’t worry too much about bike wear in wet going as I use an old slick shod MTB for the commute which doesn’t even have any gears. Aside from lubeing the chain & replacing the brake shoes, the squeaks it sometimes picks up is just that little bit of character coming through.

So today I opted out.


Anyone ride in today?

 

[Bleve]

Marx SS wrote:
> I'm lucky enough to have various options to get to/from work. I ride my
> bike just about everyday unless I can't turn over the pedals for one
> reason or another (ie; injury, mechanical etc).
> Except, except when it's raining.
> I hate not riding, I hate sitting in the train (which is the option 'B'
> in my case) & watching riders go past, jackets on, sodden. But what I
> hate most is wet gear at the start of the ride home, or even worse wet
> gear at the start of the next days ride.
> It's this reason I opt out of the wet ride to work , not so much the
> road grime sprayed up onto you, or the apprant waywardness of wet bike
> wheels & braking over painted lines & metal manhole covers, but the
> unpleasantness of putting on damp riding gear & having to deal with
> damp shoes & backpack.
>
> I don't worry too much about bike wear in wet going as I use an old
> slick shod MTB for the commute which doesn't even have any gears. Aside
> from lubeing the chain & replacing the brake shoes, the squeaks it
> sometimes picks up is just that little bit of character coming through.
>
>
> So today I opted out.
>
>
> Anyone ride in today?

I'm just about to get wet, yes. Will take spare knicks et al in a bag,
as this site has no machine room to use as a dryer!

 

[Dave A]

>
> So today I opted out.
>
>
> Anyone ride in today?
>
>
> --
> Marx SS

I too hate not riding. But on days like today riding in all the way is
simply too dangerous.
Mainly the lack of visibility and braking. So I "cheat" and drive most
of the way and ride the rest on back streets. Today I even carried
spare clothes so I don't need to put on damp clothes tonight. I spotted
quite a few others riding, many of which had no rain gear.



Cheers
DaveA

 

[Artoi]

In article <[email protected]>,
Marx SS <[email protected]> wrote:

> So today I opted out.
>
> Anyone ride in today?

It's a beautiful sunny day outside!
--

 

[DaveB]

Marx SS wrote:
> So today I opted out.
>
>
> Anyone ride in today?
>

I'm on a work from home day but generally would ride if it is wet
because the alternative is the motorbike (and anyone who knows the
Eastern Fwy in the rain knows why that is not a good option). Best
investment in wet day gear was the waterproof booties. That way if it's
really wet I can carry spare knicks, gloves, jersey and socks (which
don't take up much space) and ride home in dry gear.

DaveB

 

[JayWoo]

Anyone ride in today?

Melb: Yeah, though I think I got a slight break (still raining though) on the way to work this morning (6:00-6:30). I could hear the rain while lying in bed & it sounded heavier than when I got out into it.

 

[Jules]

> Anyone ride in today?

Work from home so, er, no ;-) Will wait and see whether I go and do my
lunchtime run. I get grumpy when I miss out on that.

When I was commuting, though, once I fitted the full length mudguards it
took some pretty serious rain/hail to stop me riding.

But to be fair it was only a 5km run. I expect my attitude would have
been different if it were longer. Plus I felt even more stupid hopping
in the car to do the 5km!

Jules

 

[EuanB]

It’s this reason I opt out of the wet ride to work , not so much the road grime sprayed up onto you, or the apprant waywardness of wet bike wheels & braking over painted lines & metal manhole covers, but the unpleasantness of putting on damp riding gear & having to deal with damp shoes & backpack.

After spending some time in the field where you have to get changed out of your dry sleeping gear and in to yesterdays sodden and frozen gear, getting in to some wet cycling gear is an umpleasantness that pales in to insignificance.

It feels yucky for maybe five minutes and then it's business as usual.

Anyone ride in today?

About the only thing that'll put me off riding are strong cross winds. Any other time, game on. I was grinning from start to finish of the ride in this morning, my face hurts
--
Cheers
Euan

 

[eddiec]

Hell yes! Great fun... Days like today add some much appreciated variety to the same old commute, so I loved it. Heck, it's only water - and most of us wash with the stuff once we get in anyway... I woke up to see the rain and was quite excited about it...

Actually saw a larger than normal contingent of people out riding today, including the 'Brunswick brigade' on their old steel rattlers and street clothes. Good on 'em...

Like Euan, nasty gusty winds is the main thing that will make me think of not riding.

 

[dave]

EuanB wrote:
> Marx SS Wrote:
>
>>It’s this reason I opt out of the wet ride to work , not so much the
>>road grime sprayed up onto you, or the apprant waywardness of wet bike
>>wheels & braking over painted lines & metal manhole covers, but the
>>unpleasantness of putting on damp riding gear & having to deal with
>>damp shoes & backpack.
>
> After spending some time in the field where you have to get changed out
> of your dry sleeping gear and in to yesterdays sodden and frozen gear,
> getting in to some wet cycling gear is an umpleasantness that pales in
> to insignificance.
>
> It feels yucky for maybe five minutes and then it's business as usual.
>
>
>>Anyone ride in today?
>
> About the only thing that'll put me off riding are strong cross winds.
> Any other time, game on. I was grinning from start to finish of the
> ride in this morning, my face hurts


I finally found a bunch of road reviews on my TCR (which turns out to
be identical to that years team look) Anyway the bit I liked most was
"This this is positively dangerous to ride in cross winds) Yep Found
that out

Its looking like a Felt F5c for me next but I still have not found much
in the way of reviews. Have ruled out the Scott CR1 on the basis of
two stories of broken top tubes and the lack of a replaceable rear
derailier hanger. Not that much of an optomist me.

Dave

 

[dtmeister]

Marx SS <[email protected]> wrote:
> I don?t worry too much about bike wear in wet going as I use an old
> slick shod MTB for the commute which doesn?t even have any gears. Aside
> from lubeing the chain & replacing the brake shoes, the squeaks it
> sometimes picks up is just that little bit of character coming through.
>
>
> So today I opted out.
>
>
> Anyone ride in today?

Yep. Nice and sunny, why not. A bit windy though, and a bit cold.

As far as riding when raining, although I don't go out of my way to do it,
it's never an excuse to not ride. You need to find creative ways to dry
your stuff. This is a picture of under my desk.

http://dt.c47.org/blog/misc/clothes_line.jpg

I stuff newspaper in my shoes if they get soaked, although shoe covers
go along way to stop that happening.


--
..dt

 

[cfsmtb]

Still convalescing from my recent hospital visit, so today I'm on Shanks Pony.

After having a peruse of the BoM site, there's lots of that unfamiliar wet stuff right up to Yarrawonga. And it's doing that weird spiralling towards the west ...

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on 5 Sep 2006 15:33:15 -0700
Dave A <[email protected]> wrote:
> I too hate not riding. But on days like today riding in all the way is
> simply too dangerous.
> Mainly the lack of visibility and braking. So I "cheat" and drive most
> of the way and ride the rest on back streets. Today I even carried
> spare clothes so I don't need to put on damp clothes tonight. I spotted
> quite a few others riding, many of which had no rain gear.
>

When I was doing short rides to work - 6-8km - I just got wet. I
didn'tmuch like putting on wet gear but the ride was short so the
discomfort was bearable.

Even in Adelaide I didn't get cold on a short ride.

Now the ride is 2okm I bought a rain jacket because I hate the cold.
And if it is bucketing down I won't ride the pushbike but drag the
motorbike out to go to work, if it's raining heavily on the way home I
take the bike on the train.

I only bought a jacket, I carry spare shorts or tights with me and
spare socks.

Zebee

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on 05 Sep 2006 23:47:51 GMT
dtmeister <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> As far as riding when raining, although I don't go out of my way to do it,
> it's never an excuse to not ride. You need to find creative ways to dry
> your stuff. This is a picture of under my desk.

I miss the SGI Challenge server. 9 fans meant the wet gear dried nice
and quickly!

>
> I stuff newspaper in my shoes if they get soaked, although shoe covers
> go along way to stop that happening.

Another advantqage of recumbents. You can wear sandals because the
real cyclists won't talk to you anyway so you don't lose anything

Just need dry socks, the sandals dry out far faster than shoes.

Zebee

 

[Bean Long]

Marx SS wrote:
> Anyone ride in today?

No me. Rain forecast and I hate the additional grime I end up with on
the drive train. The wet **** and much on the clothes don't bother me
too much, it's cleaning the bike afterwards that I don't enjoy.

--
Bean

Remove "yourfinger" before replying

 

[TimC]

On 2006-09-05, Marx SS (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> I don’t worry too much about bike wear in wet going as I use an old
> slick shod MTB for the commute which doesn’t even have any gears. Aside
> from lubeing the chain & replacing the brake shoes, the squeaks it
> sometimes picks up is just that little bit of character coming through.
>
>
> So today I opted out.
>
>
> Anyone ride in today?

Handy day to do some last minute packing/cleaning before the truck
arrives tomorrow morning. Except that I haven't started yet. I've
turned off one of my computers though!


But last night, rode home frmo the city, just as it started to rain.
Ah yeah, that felt good, thinking of the 0.1% extra that may or may
not be in the damns tomorrow. Gave the bike a hosedown as soon as I
got home. It's kinda warm, so I was getting a bit warm with the
rainjacket on; didn't bother with anything on my legs. Forgot to put
the booties on, but they didn't keep me dry the previous(?) day.

--
TimC
I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under
stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when
under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself
when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat

 

[TimC]

On 2006-09-05, DaveB (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
> Marx SS wrote:
>> So today I opted out.
>>
>>
>> Anyone ride in today?
>>
>
> I'm on a work from home day but generally would ride if it is wet
> because the alternative is the motorbike (and anyone who knows the
> Eastern Fwy in the rain knows why that is not a good option).

Why would you take a different route on the motored bike? Unless of
course, your normal route is on a bike path?

--
TimC
Entropy isn't what it used to be.

 

[DaveB]

TimC wrote:
> On 2006-09-05, DaveB (aka Bruce)
> was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:
>> Marx SS wrote:
>>> So today I opted out.
>>>
>>>
>>> Anyone ride in today?
>>>
>> I'm on a work from home day but generally would ride if it is wet
>> because the alternative is the motorbike (and anyone who knows the
>> Eastern Fwy in the rain knows why that is not a good option).
>
> Why would you take a different route on the motored bike? Unless of
> course, your normal route is on a bike path?
>

High St is normal cycling route. To be avoided on the motorbike in the
wet because of tramlines, and the gridlock that for some reason only
occurs in the rain (that I can get through on bicycle).

DaveB

 

[dtmeister]

Bean Long <[email protected]> wrote:
> Marx SS wrote:
>> Anyone ride in today?
>
> No me. Rain forecast and I hate the additional grime I end up with on
> the drive train. The wet **** and much on the clothes don't bother me
> too much, it's cleaning the bike afterwards that I don't enjoy.

The wet **** can be fixed with a rat tail plastic clipon. I dedicate a
cheap bike to rain duties. It only gets cleaned when I know the
weather's likely to be fine for more than 3 or 4 days. So sometimes
it goes 2 weeks without a clean. Chain gets oiled when it starts to
squeek.

--
..dt

 

[dave]

The 3 ducks swimming in circles on Gardiners creek bike track (yep on
the track) just west of Toorak were slightly irritating

Dave