DCBassman
Guru
- Location
- The lumpy far South West
Exactly, not rocket science, is it?bloody hell...….why is it so hard for folk to accept , some folk do like riding in the rain , other folk don't, it doesn't make either right or wrong,
Exactly, not rocket science, is it?bloody hell...….why is it so hard for folk to accept , some folk do like riding in the rain , other folk don't, it doesn't make either right or wrong,
Proves you’ve lost touch with the outdoors and become softened by 21st century “comforts”
Try riding 300 miles on a motorbike in torrential rain wearing "Waterproof" gear that fails in anything above a heavy dew and then come back and tell us how you enjoyed it. And I didn't do that because I'm a hardman, I did it because I had no choice.
I remember an episode of one of Ray Mears survival programmes where he said it’s a given that you should always leave matches with at least one with the stick part poking out of the box, with the head inside the box and tinder easily available when leaving a bothy, as when you are very cold, your fingers just don’t work very well, by doing this you could quite easily be saving the life of someone who is borderline or is actually hypothermic, by giving them a fighting chance of getting a fire going, a lot of people don’t realise just how easy it is by being wet, along with windchill to be a victim of hypothermia, unfortunately one of the symptoms is confusion, which can lead to lethal decisions being made, which if you are alone could well be the beginning of your demise if you don’t know what to do, as is someone unwittingly warming the victim too quickly.63 years ago (before the M6 was built) my dad took the family up to Scotland from the Midlands. We didn't have a car at the time - he had a sidecar on his motorbike in which were sat my pregnant mum, baby me, and my 5 year old sister!
We got caught out in a thunderstorm going over Shap Fell and it sounds like my dad developed hypothermia. We had to stop at a pub beyond the Fell for my father to dry out and recover.
I think someone mentioned it earlier in the thread... All this talk about mudguards, the right clothing, 'man up' and so on is all very well, but if you are out in the wilds and have a mechanical problem such as a puncture in poor weather conditions you can end up in serious trouble. I WAS wearing the right clothing on one winter ride and was doing fine until a tyre went flat. Within 5 minutes of stopping I started shivering violently as the sweat on my body rapidly cooled down. My fingers went completely numb once I took my gloves off and I had a long, desperate struggle to fix the puncture. Bad news!
I`ve had it, 3 times over the last 20 years, and always through unavoidable circumstances, it`s nice a nice place to go to.....I remember an episode of one of Ray Mears survival programmes where he said it’s a given that you should always leave matches with at least one with the stick part poking out of the box, with the head inside the box and tinder easily available when leaving a bothy, as when you are very cold, your fingers just don’t work very well, by doing this you could quite easily be saving the life of someone who is borderline or is actually hypothermic, by giving them a fighting chance of getting a fire going, a lot of people don’t realise just how easy it is by being wet, along with windchill to be a victim of hypothermia, unfortunately one of the symptoms is confusion, which can lead to lethal decisions being made, which if you are alone could well be the beginning of your demise if you don’t know what to do, as is someone unwittingly warming the victim too quickly.
Everyone reacts differently to the same situation, why should you be any different?I`ve had it, 3 times over the last 20 years, and always through unavoidable circumstances, it`s nice a nice place to go to.....
But, as others have said here I`ve got too used to 21st century comforts, too soft, when the going gets tough the tough get going, the wrong clothes, should read rule no5, etc etc.............
Sorry, not a pop at you my friend
Perhaps if you do work in a warm office you may feel inclined to go outside in the rain, however those who have to work outside in this lot, getting wet through and frozen to the bone, and find it takes ages to get warm once you get home, the idea of going out for a bike ride in it is, less then appealing, all I can say is thank god for Zwift so at least I can keep my fitness up for when the decent weather, hopefully shows up....for you.
Unless it’s icy, grip is rarely affected to any serious extent.
I‘d rather be out cycling in shoot weather, than working in a warm office anytime. Too much is made of “shoot weather” when really it’s just raining which is easily dealt with. It can and usually is very enjoyable cycling out in the hills or lanes in the rain but does depend on your mindset.
No offence taken, and no it’s not a nice place to be in, and I also agree life’s to short to be miserable, hopefully the sun will start to show itself soon and we can all enjoy some decent weather, whatever we are up to in the great outdoorsI`ve had it, 3 times over the last 20 years, and always through unavoidable circumstances, it`s nice a nice place to go to.....
But, as others have said here I`ve got too used to 21st century comforts, too soft, when the going gets tough the tough get going, the wrong clothes, should read rule no5, etc etc.............
Sorry, not a pop at you my friend
Does seem to have been exceptional this year. I'm sick to death of it myself. Thankfully, I am retired so don't have to cycle in it. Think I've only managed out half a dozen times this year so far.
Maybe there can't be much more of the wet stuff left up there and we will have a long, glorious and dry spring and summer.
I clean my commuting bike once or twice a year (I do the chain and sprockets 4 times a year). It's a fixie and has mudguards. You can get away with even less cleaning - I once went 2 years without cleaning a hub-geared bike with a coaster brake.
1. Wear thermal waterproofs, or at least carry them and don them as soon as possible once stopped. Yes, you'll still be sweaty but not frozen..
I think someone mentioned it earlier in the thread... All this talk about mudguards, the right clothing, 'man up' and so on is all very well, but if you are out in the wilds and have a mechanical problem such as a puncture in poor weather conditions you can end up in serious trouble. I WAS wearing the right clothing on one winter ride and was doing fine until a tyre went flat. Within 5 minutes of stopping I started shivering violently as the sweat on my body rapidly cooled down. My fingers went completely numb once I took my gloves off and I had a long, desperate struggle to fix the puncture. Bad news!
Taking any layer off in the cold, when cold isn't exactly the best way. Removing more than one will take time, heat loss will increase.1. Wear thermal waterproofs, or at least carry them and don them as soon as possible once stopped. Yes, you'll still be sweaty but not frozen.
2. Carry a sealant canister in winter. You might still break your bike and need to do a real repair but punctures are common enough to be worth spending £5 on a tin not to stop and freeze IMO.
I don't much like riding in rain but that's why I wear real waterproof waterproofs and slow down a bit to prevent or at least minimise sweating. It's a £30ish hiking coat because cycling waterproofs seem to have gone crazy and merely drizzleproof seems to qualify as waterproof until you get up to spending really big money. :Wacko: