Cycling through floods

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levad

Veteran
I have had to cycle through two floods over the last couple of days on my commute to work. Both are on unlit country lanes.

The first was yesterday in the morning there was only one cage around, they were going the same way as me and slowed down so I had cleared the flood before they entered it.

On the way home I saw some headlights coming down the road towards me but the other side of the flood. I was nearer the flood than the car so took the centre of the road where the water was shallowest and hoped the car would slow down and maybe wait. Oh no, they didn't slow down, I had enough space to head left and just got the edge of the wave as they went past. When I cleared the water I looked round to see the car going very slowly and jerking or kangarooing along :evil:

Today there was no traffic around this flood and it had receded so no problem. Coming home the road was flooded in a different part of the journey, at the bottom of a short, steep hil, where I try and get up speed for the long slog up the other side of the river. I saw the flood late and managed to change down gears just as I entered the water. The large 4x4 coming the other way stopped and waited for me to pass through the flood before they set off. :evil:

The overshoes worked well! What experience do others have of riding through floods?
 

Plax

Guru
Location
Wales
levad said:
The first was yesterday in the morning there was only one cage around, they were going the same way as me and slowed down so I had cleared the flood before they entered it.

They were probably waiting to see if it went up to your waist before going through themselves:biggrin:

Never had to cycle through floods myself, just whopping big puddles. All the roads round here tend to be pretty good for not flooding. If you're a field or a car park on the other hand.........
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Not advisable if over your BB or Hubs.....

Bet that car wasn't well - sounds like its taken water up it's air intake, into the engine...bye bye engine...... did you hand about to see the car stop...heh heh
 

yenrod

Guest
If the bikes good then 'rivering it' shouldnt be a problem !

Ive done it and never had any probs whatsoever !
 

Maz

Guru
fossyant said:
Not advisable if over your BB or Hubs.....
Gawd. Just my luck. I'm sure my BB was submerged twice on the flooded roads this morning. I did wipe the chain and re-lube and cleaned the cassette when I got home. Do I need to do anything else?

Maybe I should lift the bike and wade through next time...
 

gambatte

Middle of the pack...
Location
S Yorks
last years floods in Sheffield.
I was stuck at work near Rutland Road. Normally leave at 4:30. No point in leaving because of stood traffic till 12:30 (we'd got guys coming back to work because they'd been trying to get home for 6 hours and travelled a mile)

My brand new bike was waiting for me at Decathlon, on the other side of the river.....
 

bianco

New Member
I cycled through the Sheffield floods and knackered both my bottom bracket and hubs.

Also developed a strange rash on my legs where I'd some into contact with the water??
 

bianchi1

Guru
Location
malverns
In last summers big floods i found the best way to get through the water was to hold onto a landrover or such thing as they drove through. no need to dip your feet in the water! The drivers didnt seem to mind. However i drew the line at the 5 feet of fast flowing water on the road into my local town.
 

pompey

New Member
Location
Addlestone
I had to pass through a couple of floods last night. First one I crossed over and went on the pavement (;) naughty I know, but it was only a couple of inches deep there at first). But then the pavement got narrower and with the wall on my right it was only just wide enough to pass. Half way along I suddenly realised I didn't know how wide the path actually was so could easily have dropped off the kerb into the water and into the oncoming traffic...

Next one was probably about 200m long, not sure how deep as it was on an unlit lane and no cars about (except the one that was abandoned half way through :angry:). Must have been over BB height as feet and ankles got soaking wet. Very eerie as steam was starting to rise off the water, I was half expecting a hand holding a sword to appear at any moment. Good fun though, and I'm not too bothered about the bearings on the old hack bike!
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
Do all be careful. Drain covers and manhole covers can be forced up by water backing up, and if the water is silty and you can't see, you might end up with a wheel going down a nasty hole. Not to mention slippery silt accumulating.

Saw a 4x4 ploughing happily through a stretch of flooded road on Saturday, as it was under a bridge and there were no peds or cyclists to get swamped, I thought good on him for enjoying himself, probably the only time he's needed that sort of car!
 
It's still raining outside! ;)

Oh well, time to splash through puddles whilst shouting, 'weeeeeeee' (whilst looking out for potholes of course!)
 

biking_fox

Guru
Location
Manchester
Never done anything more than few inches deep - still enough to overshoe at the downstroke of the peddle though. Best technique is to get some speed up beforehand and freewheel through with feet off. However this only works for very short sections!
 

LLB

Guest
Arch said:
Do all be careful. Drain covers and manhole covers can be forced up by water backing up, and if the water is silty and you can't see, you might end up with a wheel going down a nasty hole. Not to mention slippery silt accumulating.

Saw a 4x4 ploughing happily through a stretch of flooded road on Saturday, as it was under a bridge and there were no peds or cyclists to get swamped, I thought good on him for enjoying himself, probably the only time he's needed that sort of car!

You could call it ironic that the more severe the weather, the more justification there is for the regular drivers to own one.

I've done a fair bit of fording in mine, and I anything more than a foot of fast flowing water and you are asking for real trouble as it can wash you sideways even though mine can ford 2 1/2 foot of standing water
 
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