Training in the Rain

[li0scc0]

I've noticed that I ride better in the rain, especially when I was racing. Most people lose some of their ability when it's raining, for me it was just the opposite.

Anyone with similar experiences?

Niek

I am similar, I ride much better in the rain. My fastest times from Point A to Point B are usually on rainy days.

 

[closesupport]

I am similar, I ride much better in the rain. My fastest times from Point A to Point B are usually on rainy days.

would that be because you don't like being wet! that your hair gets messed up so you go aas fast as you can, so you can sleep at night thinking well i went out and did it. as for winds and crosswinds i'm having a ball ache of a time, my bike is very light, probably to light for me, the frame has quite a large side area, the wheel mavic cosmic with aero bladed spokes, they seem to catch the cross winds really bad, and at the minute, i'm thinking that i'm going to have to start going out on my poorer weather training bike, since this seams to handle the crosswinds a little better.

only last week when passing a break in an hedge did the wind nearly blow me into the path of a car that was about to pass me. i don't mind riding in the rain, i don't mind riding on blistering hot days, nor speeding down steep hill, but one thing that does scare the hell out of me are crosswinds, if the wind ain't blowing from behind or from dead on, i tend to slow the pace right down and ride with alot more caution.

 

[Carrera]

I think riding in lousy weather sucks. Period.
As Miguel Indurain said "My engine works on solar power."

Personally, I gain alot of satisfaction from riding in poor weather, albeit often only when I have arrived back home and am dry and warm again. I think this comes from knowing that I've exhausted my vast arsenal of excuses for not going out and am taking my commitment to training alot more seriously!

I dislike cycling in the wind considerably more and it's taken alot more effort to overcome this particular "obstacle" and go out on the bike, particularly when it's a 20 m.p.h + headwind for 10 miles and an equally strong and evil crosswind for twice that distance...not good!

Re: risks of riding in the rain - well, if you're a driver, just think about how you react to driving when its wet; employ a little caution and you'll be fine.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I think riding in lousy weather sucks. Period.
As Miguel Indurain said "My engine works on solar power."

It also means you have to be more meticulous about cleaning the bike.

The reasons I don't ride in the rain are:
1) Safety. It's bad enough for me when visibility is high let alone when it's raining out. Cars can be lethal weapons to a cyclist.

2) Schmutz all over the bike. I enjoy riding the bike much more than cleaning it.

 

[closesupport]

It also means you have to be more meticulous about cleaning the bike.

The reasons I don't ride in the rain are:
1) Safety. It's bad enough for me when visibility is high let alone when it's raining out. Cars can be lethal weapons to a cyclist.

2) Schmutz all over the bike. I enjoy riding the bike much more than cleaning it.

well its raining here, my best bike has been out 3 times in 2weeks but the mtb which i find is low maintenance and runs forever even with a layer of dirt, I do clean it once a week, although i do did it in the cannal for a rinse when i have been out on it works a treat all it needs then is a thorough clean once a week, i couldn't bring myself to or imagine doing this to my martec.

thats the same on runns on solar power, has never been introduced to water.

 

[Carrera]

I never take my new bike out in the rain. I mean "never" with a capital "N". So, it remains shining in the garage. For training runs I go out on my training bike and give it a damned good clean when I get back - first a hosing and then a wipe down. I sometimes clean the chain as well.

 

[Carrera]

Incidentally, I once went out in a storm in defiance. I'd determined to do a training run no matter what. Soon as I got up my first climb it started to really rain hard. I went into a descent and the road had already been obscured by water so there was little hope of detecting ruts. Therefore, I had to descend very slowly.
Later my brakes failed and the cable slipped due to all the water so I had to dismount. I was standing in the pouring rain with a spanner and a motorist actually pulled up and asked if I was O.K. Apparently, several cars had been put out of action by the storm and this motorist figured I must have been crazy to be out on a bike.
Water was coming out of my helmet and trainers, I couldn't see as I had my glasses on instead of the contacts and the tape started to come off my handlebars. My bike computer and lights packed in as well since the circuits shorted out.
Training in the rain sucks!

 

[JTE83]

In the past, I didn't train in the rain, but I got caught in a shoe soaking heavy rain once. And I got caught in light rains twice. The reason I didn't bike in the rain is that I wasn't waterproof, and that the bike gets messy.

Well, I just bought a great Bellweather rain jacket, a rain cap that goes underneath a helmet, rain pants, and I will buy a rain / thermal shoe booties soon. All I need now is a rain proof backpack.

Now I think, if I don't get wet with all that gear on -- I guess I can now bike and train in the rain. The only problem is handling a bike in the rain -- cornering & stopping might be slippery.
QUOTE]

Ok now I got a waterproof backpack -- a $3.00 special clear vinyl backpack that's tinted see through, the seams may not be waterproof but plastic vinyl clearly is. Waterproof gloves from Walmart, and I'm looking forward to getting Gordini Goretex gloves for $40. Going for a $100 Marmot Rain Jacket would be really nice, but I'll try the gear that I got on first.

I'll now only bike in the rain if the whole week is predicted to rain. If there are days of clear weather alternating with rainy days I'll only bike during the clear days. Unless I need to go somewhere only reachable by bike during the rain then I'll bike.

Rain is bad for your bike because different metals will corrode on each other. But I'll still use both my trainer bike and top of the line race bike during rainy days. I hate cleaning up after a ride, and I fear riding in 33 - 40 F rainy weather. It makes me wonder how bike messengers do this all the time.

 

[closesupport]

try coating any parts that you think are subjective to corrossion with vaseline or petroleum jelly, the water runs straight off the stuff and when it comes to cleaning the bike when you get in, all it requires is a good few whipes.


I however canot ride in waterproofs of any kind, i don't mind booties, i find that i get far to hot riding in waterproofs, although once your warm, your warm soaked through to the skin or not, its only cold wet feet that have ever bothered me, on cold days i wear leggins and during wet days i choose to wear shorts, or a skin suit when i go out playing on nice days

waterproofs are for ladies and tourers doing 10-15mph not lunatics doing 20+

 

[ItsikH]

Light rain when not too cold is great. *Note* that a wet road could be extremely dangerous for road cycling because of the slim, slick tires, so as the rain gets heavier it is much less fun, you have to slow down and visibility is poor.

 

[Carrera]

I had to rain in the rain and dark last week. On 3 occasions during one ride I'd have been flattened had I not developed quick reactions. On most occasions it was women opening car doors on a busy road and not looking to see if the way was clear. Then you get the usual idiots who try and overtake right in the middle of a roundabout on your immediate left.
Of course, you also have to allow for inferior brakes when it's raining.
My main gripe, though, is the continual drying and cleaning of the bike.

 

[closesupport]

I had to rain in the rain and dark last week. On 3 occasions during one ride I'd have been flattened had I not developed quick reactions. On most occasions it was women opening car doors on a busy road and not looking to see if the way was clear. Then you get the usual idiots who try and overtake right in the middle of a roundabout on your immediate left.
Of course, you also have to allow for inferior brakes when it's raining.
My main gripe, though, is the continual drying and cleaning of the bike.

well yet again i have had to ride in the rain, how i love british weather, from awakening and looking at the road which was wet, i left it for a while hoping that it would dry up, and when it eventually did i was gifted with 14-20mph winds, after sitting around for an hour or so humming an harring, shall i shan't i, i eventually decided what the hell, then some after an hour into my ride it began to rain.

but i am glad i did it, went out when i did since the heavens have opened and the roads are flooded! now that would have put a real disapointment on my ride, anyway had fun.. except for the wind, now i have decided if i'm gonna get any decent riding time, from now until the summer its time to get out the rollers, and maybe practise spinning while the weather is **** here at the moment hey! well it'll soon be summer again.

 

[adamallstar]

I ended up riding in the rain yesterday... it was pretty nice, but when it really started to pour, boy did it sting. Going 17mph+ in heavy rain is rough on the ole' epidermus.


Would putting rain-x on some clear glasses help you with a clear view of the road? or is that a silly idea?

 

[nitrous]

Love riding i the rain. As long as it's not so heavy that I can't look straight ahead without getting an eye full of water then what's the problem.

If you are wearing the correct clothes then you should have a dry torso and it's so much fun riding through the puddles once you're already wet.

10 minutes cleaning the bike when you get home and a hot shower, beautiful!

I also find my performance is better in the wet. Only reason I can think of is that the muscles stay a little cooler cos the legs are wet, thus use up less energy through heat expulsion. May be wrong but it seems to make sense to me.

 

[closesupport]

In 'normal' air (i.e., not raining) there's already plenty of oxygen -- in fact your body takes in more than it needs -- it just can't utilise all the O2. O2 utilisation being the limiting factor in endurance cycling.

the reasons that you go faster in the rain, are probably related to (a slightly) reduced rolling resistance between the tyres and the road and i'm pretty sure the air density decreases, reducing air drag. also, in my case, i ride harder so i don't get so wet -- it's good motivation!!

Ric

you ride harder, so not to get to wet? i find i get equally as wet, just i dry off a little as i ride since my body tempreture is nice and warm, just a awful feeling on the hands.... Any good glove tips for the coming winter, i've already got my sean eaddie chin warmer and my bobcap covers my ears and head, just need something to keep my hands warm now.

then i'm ready for the colder months.... Leg and arm warmers, where to buy from now.... ??

 

[Bebelberry]

I love training in the rain... but then I'm from belgium; known as the '**** pot' of europe. Well I love to train in pissy weather. It's harder on the road and requires a little more concentration but once in those woods I feel like I owe the place. There are deffinitely less 'tourists' in the woods during rainy weather! And it obliges me to take care of my bike hmmmm and that is quite necessary

 

[sirtainty]

training in the rain:going to the dentist:a stomach flu...you get the idea. the surface of the road makes riding in the rain dangerous and nerve racking, especially on descents. also note how things like railroad crossings become wipeout city. on easy days i don't mind training in the rain so bad but hard training is really extra hard when dealing with rain. the rain stings too, then there;s the floods on the sides of the road covering hazards like bricks, potholes, gratings, etc. if you are doing structured intervals in the rain, they can be done on flats with wide bike lanes. for me, the fun of riding is going fast and cornering and stuff, and rain takes the fun out of it, unless your idea of fun is wiping out.

 

[ItsikH]

What would you call rain? In Israel rain is not so common, but when it rain it usually pours. Polite English drizzles are very rare. I used to cycle in the rain when I was in the army, but in recent years I stopped. This year I have decided not to let the rain stop me: If its not too heavey, and not too cold, it shouldn't be a problem to have a short session up to 30-40 minutes. So far so good .

 

[bikeshop]

Keep that drivetrain clean and lubed. Chain, derailleurs, cables, the rest is just cosmetic unless your frame is steel. www.the-bike-shop.com/training

 

[ItsikH]

Keep that drivetrain clean and lubed. Chain, derailleurs, cables, the rest is just cosmetic unless your frame is steel. www.the-bike-shop.com/training

My frame *is* steel . What should I do?