well first commute home gales and rain

[Angry Blonde]

been peddling to work for a while now.... good weather only six mile each way, in the car if its dodgy. decided to do the coast to coast in may, so I decided that I would commute in all weather reguardless. well last night at half two in the morning the weather was horrendous, gale force winds and lashing raIin. I had been to aldi and bought a cheap pair of waterproof trousers and gloves, well happy with them to be fair. I also had my snood round my neck and lower face and a beenie hat under my helmet. clear glasses which im not sure if wiping them every two seconds or taking them off were better and squinting. all in all I have found out, feet got soaked so overshoes are my next purchase, wind is a nightmare, looking out the window now and its not looking good, but I aint taking the car tonight, im going to soldier on, im waterproof. any tips on making it more enjoyable ? cheers chaps

 

[Ganymede]

been peddling to work for a while now.... good weather only six mile each way, in the car if its dodgy. decided to do the coast to coast in may, so I decided that I would commute in all weather reguardless. well last night at half two in the morning the weather was horrendous, gale force winds and lashing raIin. I had been to aldi and bought a cheap pair of waterproof trousers and gloves, well happy with them to be fair. I also had my snood round my neck and lower face and a beenie hat under my helmet. clear glasses which im not sure if wiping them every two seconds or taking them off were better and squinting. all in all I have found out, feet got soaked so overshoes are my next purchase, wind is a nightmare, looking out the window now and its not looking good, but I aint taking the car tonight, im going to soldier on, im waterproof. any tips on making it more enjoyable ? cheers chaps

I'm well impressed.

The first time I commuted in these conditions, I was luckily on the way home so it didn't matter so much that I was turning up in a state. That made me relax and enjoy it as a sort of struggle with nature. I ski quite a bit in the winter and will always go out even if the weather's bad (not always for very long!), and I realised if I could ski in a blizzard and kind of enjoy it, I could cycle in a storm and find some relish for it.

I still don't commute in all weathers though! So kudos to you!

 

[Mugshot]

At the moment it can be a real effort to get going, it was gusting up to sixty last night with us and getting home was a real adventure. I was in bottom gear pedalling as hard as I could down a hill I'd normal be doing a comfortable 25 - 30mph on. But I enjoy it, when I've got home I've done something most people wouldn't even dream of attempting, I was seriously considering doing a loop so I could hit some of the Strava sections with the wind behind me. If I'm forced into taking the van or the car now it just feels wrong, it's so much less enjoyable and I feel terribly guilty. I may be warmer and drier but there's no sense of accomplishment and no giving yourself a pat on the back when you can feel your heart working, you're doing it and yourself a big favour and there are so many people that are missing out on that.
Decent gear is a must, particularly if what you have doesn't keep you warm, I can live with getting soaked I'll soon dry out, but getting cold on a ride can be really miserable and painful. A big well done for doing it in this weather, if you can do it in this you can do it in pretty much anything, keep going

 

[Angry Blonde]

@Mugshot cheers for that, I was thinking whilst doing it why the hell am doing this, but I had to keep going, was a right challenge, but when I got in it didnt seem as bad. I enjoyed it apart from being blowed four foot accross the road and paths. and tried to change my route......but still ended up with it blowing in my face, which I cant fathom how whicheverway I turned it was in my face was really warm though.

 

[Mugshot]

@Mugshot cheers for that, I was thinking whilst doing it why the hell am doing this, but I had to keep going, was a right challenge, but when I got in it didnt seem as bad. I enjoyed it apart from being blowed four foot accross the road and paths. and tried to change my route......but still ended up with it blowing in my face, which I cant fathom how whicheverway I turned it was in my face was really warm though.

That's the first time I've been tagged!!
I saw someone posted on here recently that the hardest bit of the journey is from bed to shed, and it's true. It's you against the elements and yourself, sometimes when it's really really bad the ludirousness of the situation hits you and you'll just start laughing as you're lashed and blown from pillar to post (that may just be me )

 

[bonker]

Don't worry about the weather worry about visibility and traffic. Lights and high vis even when it's light.
Baselayer, bit of warmth and a good outer.
Try to avoid flappy clothes as they will catch the wind. Your feet will get wet in very poor condiitons whatever. I actually think lighter shoes that let the rain out are better than 'waterproof' winter boots that get wet and stay wet. Sealskin socks are your friend.
I think overshoes are over rated, just another bit of kit to worry about.Ditto overtrousers.

 

[ManiaMuse]

Honestly wasn't that bad this evening in London. Didn't rain heavily and the wind was only moderately annoying. Half the effort is manning up and not chickening out. It's fine once you are on the bike, just get down on the drops and think of the sense of achievement when you get in.

Personally I've come round to the idea of less clothing is more in the wind and rain. Rainjackets just flap around in the wind and your just boil in the bag if the temperature is anything above 0. And I don't think I have worn my winter jacket this winter at all, it hasn't been cold at all.

Overshoes are useful though, as are proper mudguards. Nothing worse than wet shoes/socks as your feet don't really get the chance to warm up when you cycle. Overshoes won't stop all the water getting in during heavy downpours, but they will give your shoes/socks a chance to dry out during the day before cycling home if you get drenched on the way in.

 

[sheffgirl]

The rain doesn't bother me that much, as long as it isn't full on blowing in my face and making it hard to see. This week I have increased my commuting distance by 3 times, and it coincidentally seems to be constantly raining, but I figure if I can do it in this weather it will be easy when the weather is better I have waterproof trousers but even they couldn't keep me dry on the way home, although I wasn't as soaked as I would have been without them.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

I hated the ride downhill today, and loved the ride uphill

Which was odd. First proper wetting of the year though, but that was mainly down to my being called in to work on an emergency on Sunday when I had scheduled a good fettling of my main bike - so I was on the MTB.

What they didn't tell you in Jurrasic Park is that Velociraptors may be quick and sure footed, but they also love to throw dirty road water up at you! And probably anyone behind - sorry if you were "drafting"!

 

[Angry Blonde]

@bonker I peddle home at half two in the morning, im very visible but to be fair I only get past by about two cars on my way home, its great its like I own the roads.

@ManiaMuse im a wagon driver, six hour round trip every night, if my gear gets wet I put it all on the dashboard heaters and its all bone dry and toasty when I get back, so I never have to peddle home in wet gear.

 

[Amanda P]

any tips on making it more enjoyable ? cheers chaps

There's some good advice there. Mine is:

Forget about keeping dry - if it's really raining there's nothing that will keep it out while you're on a bike. And if you do wear something totally waterproof, condensation will form on the inside of it and make you wet anyway. Instead, just try to keep your skin reasonably dry - that means wicking layers near the skin and breathable layers outside of that - and keep warm. If you can keep moving, you'll generally stay warm anyway. A hat is good; you can easily remove it and stow it if you start to overheat.

Wet feet makes anyone miserable quickly, so it's worth taking some steps to keep them dry. If your bike doesn't have mudguards and a mudflap on the front one, consider fitting them. They won't keep you bone dry, but you'd be surprised how much wet they do keep off (they'll help your bike last longer too).

Finally, keep going. It gets to be a habit, so that you feel short-changed and disappointed when you drive instead. When it feels that way, it's definitely more enjoyable.

A night-time commute can be very pleasant - you'll have the roads largely to yourself, and when it's not raining or blowing a gale, the peace and quiet - and the stars (if you're not under street lights the whole time) - are something not many people get to experience. Enjoy.

Oh, and if it's a dull ride, and the roads are quiet, some music or radio can make it more fun. Lots of folk on here will scream that to wear headphones on a bike is suicide, but it really depends on how you do it. Full-volume thrash metal over in-ear headphones on the A19 is probably unwise; Radio 4 at conversational levels on open-backed headphones on a towpath is quite civilised.

 

[Angry Blonde]

aye ive got mudguards, feetwise I think I may just get some sealskinz socks, but I love peddling home half two in the morning, get passed off two taxis tops, no one walking about either, its like I own the country, its great, music wise I have my headphones in.i used to work on the roads and have the same attitude, I blast my music, I look round everywhere, but to be fair if something is going to crash into me from behind, id rather not know about it