Cycling in the rain?

[stavros]

Am I too precious about my beloved Trek road bike, or is it reasonable to leave it in the garage when it's hammering it down outside?. I confess that I will not go out in the rain for an hour's thrash if it entails an hour drying and cleaning when I return. Is this reasonable or am I just too protective of my best kit?

I don't use the rain as an excuse, as I will use the turbo trainer (which is not as good) and I have a CB Urban which I don't mind getting wet (and that's definitely not as good).

Am I alone, sad, or do I need to save up and buy a cheapie?. NB - there is no more space in my house for another bike....

 

[snorri]

Am I too precious about my beloved Trek road bike, or is it reasonable to leave it in the garage when it's hammering it down outside?. I confess that I will not go out in the rain for an hour's thrash if it entails an hour drying and cleaning when I return. Is this reasonable or am I just too protective of my best kit?

I don't use the rain as an excuse, as I will use the turbo trainer (which is not as good) and I have a CB Urban which I don't mind getting wet (and that's definitely not as good).

Am I alone, sad, or do I need to save up and buy a cheapie?. NB - there is no more space in my house for another bike....

Yes
No
No
Yes

Yes you do.
Turbo? What's that got to do with it?

I would hope so
Yes
No, you already have a bike you only use part time, so why buy another?

Now you will wish you had never asked

 

[HJ]

A bicycle is a form of transport, if I have a place to get to and it is raining I just wear a rain jacket. What is a Turbo?

 

[HLaB]

What is a Turbo?

Something fitted to a car

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I won't let weather stop me cycling for utilitarian reasons

However if it's chucking it down, I will take the Roman philosophy of taking as straight a line between two points as possible

Your solution is of course to move house or install some kind of cycle storage

 

[stavros]

Yes
No
No
Yes

Yes you do.
Turbo? What's that got to do with it?

I would hope so
Yes
No, you already have a bike you only use part time, so why buy another?

Now you will wish you had never asked

You're right!

 

[stavros]

A bicycle is a form of transport, if I have a place to get to and it is raining I just wear a rain jacket. What is a Turbo?

Not my legs that's for sure

 

[Moodyman]

I think the other guys have been a little harsh on you.

95% of my cycling is commuting - in which case I ride in all weathers. My bike is fully commuterised - rack & mudguards and I carry a rain jacket in my pannier - so rain is not an issue.

For the weekend leisure rides, I prefer dry weather.

 

[Fuzzball]

I've started cycling to work this summer, and i love the road bike but when its wet the hybrid comes out with the mudguards and rack.

 

[rosscbrown]

Out in the rain tonight, limited visibility and I cycled into some of those cycle railings they love to put across paths. Fun times. Over the bars but no damage to me or the bike. Rain can be fun, tonight I was soaked and happy to get home but still managed an enjoyable ride - was also 3mph faster over my 15 mile route.

Only downside for me is that other road users are much more 'eccentric' when it's raining - no one wants to be sitting in their car when it is chucking it down. You just got to look out for it I guess :-)

One final thought - cycling when it is thunder and lightening outside, like tonight. Safe or not, I'm thinking specifically about the lightening...

 

[MontyVeda]

By all means go out in the rain, when you get home your bike will look all nice and shiney!

 

[515mm]

One practical 'guarded bike for the wet with lights etc, one outrageously shiny bike for the dry. Simples.

 

[rogerzilla]

Have a bike just for the rubbish weather, but note that everything will wear out at ten times the speed. Brake pads, rims, chains, pretty much any moving parts. They don't like gritty water.

 

[iAmiAdam]

Good to infest in a turbo for the bad weather me thinks, don't want to ruin the kit.

I'm a fair weather cyclist but if it's only spitting about, I'll go out, if it gets any worse I'm back home in record time.

 

[zacklaws]

Well I was out on my Trek Madone yesterday in torential rain for just under 30 miles, and then when I got it home, I still put the hose pipe on it to wash it down. And in the afternoon when the sun came out, gave it a good polishing with Carplan "Flash dash"and its as good as new. The only part that I have found that gets corroded is the bottom headset bearing, despite giving it a good coating of grease, its always covered in rust. Its only in the winter months when salt is laid on the roads and its wet that I refrain from taking it out.