Training in the Rain
- Thread starter redstorm
- Start date
You should coat the inside of the tubes with Weigel frame saver every couple of years. This will help prevent corrosion. You also need to grease your seatpost every couple of months. At least once a year, preferably early spring, take the bike to a LBS and have it completley overhauled with new bearings and grease. Riding in the rain can eat your frame if left unattended. Steel is a lot more work than other materials, but if you love the feel, its worth it. www.the-bike-shop.com/trainingItsikH said:My frame *is* steel. What should I do?
I used my utility mtn bike in the rain and forgot to clean up after a ride. The next time I looked at my rims I saw that they were corroded. They were chrome plated Sun Rhyno Lite rims.
So you have to clean up chrome plated rims after every ride if they get wet.
So you have to clean up chrome plated rims after every ride if they get wet.
Ditto for this boy from Victoria.
My winter bike is festooned in reflective tape, and I always make sure my lights have fresh batteries.
My winter bike is festooned in reflective tape, and I always make sure my lights have fresh batteries.
I love the wet, it makes your bike feel powerful.
Some road surfaces are tricky but you should see this as a challenge. I know from my motorsport experiences which surfaces will be slippy just by eye in the wet. The worst culprits are worn out roundabouts which have worn smooth and have loads of rubber on them. You just have to feel your way around them and just turn in very gently. Some surfaces have almost as much grip as they do in the dry when they are fully soaked. In fact where I live you have to watch you dont catch a pedal on the road even in the wet!
I dont like the way you hands and feet get cold but thats life.
As far as brakes go if you know it will rain during your ride then you should clean all the rubber off your rims with some paint thinner (white spirits) and then they should work great in the wet especially with certain brake pads. You should find you have super feel for the rear brake in the wet.
Some road surfaces are tricky but you should see this as a challenge. I know from my motorsport experiences which surfaces will be slippy just by eye in the wet. The worst culprits are worn out roundabouts which have worn smooth and have loads of rubber on them. You just have to feel your way around them and just turn in very gently. Some surfaces have almost as much grip as they do in the dry when they are fully soaked. In fact where I live you have to watch you dont catch a pedal on the road even in the wet!
I dont like the way you hands and feet get cold but thats life.
As far as brakes go if you know it will rain during your ride then you should clean all the rubber off your rims with some paint thinner (white spirits) and then they should work great in the wet especially with certain brake pads. You should find you have super feel for the rear brake in the wet.
For me rain is irrelevant. I ride everyday at 11am, almost regardless of the weather. The only issue I have is when the wind picks up significantly; 40mpg gusts put me on an mtb in the cover of the woods and if it's worse than that, I'll finally cry uncle and give up on the riding idea.
My plan is to ride each morning before school/work, but that doesn't happen much. Mostly because I am forced up late (like tonight!) doing homework or something. That means I have to ride in the evening. With that said...
I don't think it's enough to just say "rain" or not. The first thing that comes to mind is one of CCR's best songs "have you ever seen the rain?" The lyrics go "I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day?" If it's a rain but I have decent visibility, I'll go out. This morning though, it was a slight mist, but nearly impossible to see. I've been out in heavier rains than this morning, but today I couldn't see anything. In other words, I make a value judgement on how well cars can see me, not how much water there is.
It does feel like you go faster in the rain though. I think it's because i picture myself as LA or Urlich et al riding in a TdF time trial with rain soaked roads.
-Matt
I don't think it's enough to just say "rain" or not. The first thing that comes to mind is one of CCR's best songs "have you ever seen the rain?" The lyrics go "I want to know, have you ever seen the rain, coming down on a sunny day?" If it's a rain but I have decent visibility, I'll go out. This morning though, it was a slight mist, but nearly impossible to see. I've been out in heavier rains than this morning, but today I couldn't see anything. In other words, I make a value judgement on how well cars can see me, not how much water there is.
It does feel like you go faster in the rain though. I think it's because i picture myself as LA or Urlich et al riding in a TdF time trial with rain soaked roads.
-Matt
I have been caught a couple of times in the rain, and it was a welcome break from the heat. Then only problem I had was the lightning that accompanied the storm. If it weren't for that, I would prefer biking in the rain, no matter how hard the rain is, just to get away from the 90+ degree heat.
I NEVER dry my bike off after riding in the rain. I've just come back from a rain ride now - into the garage it went soaking wet and there it'll stay untouched untill I pull it out for a ride tomorrow or the next day.redstorm said:
It's aluminium, as is one of my other road bikes that I've treated the same way for a couple more years than I've had this one. The only rusty bits are the bolts in the stem.
I've got a steel(Columbus) road bike I've had since new 11 years ago. Sure enough I would ride that in the rain too and just leave it to dry by itself in the garage. The only noticeable rust on the paintwork of that is the lines of it from my sweat on the trainer.
If there was salt on our roads(in New Zealand) - and there is not, then I would wash them off(but not dry them).
Roadbikes may be more 'delicate' re bumps etc compared with MTBs but they're certainly not when it comes to corrosion etc.
If it's raining and you want to go for a ride - do it - with the right gear on of course and watching out for drivers and slippery roads etc.
===========================================================Carrera said:
Why dry it? If you've cleaned it(road grime off etc) it'll dry by itself
Having a helmet peak really helpsadamallstar said:
Beats me why so few roadies have them. I have - I race a lot too. They're great when it's sunny especally as the sun is setting.
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