Things to consider when riding in the rain
If you didn't ride your bike in bad weather, you'd never ride it at all. Here are a few things to think about now that the climate has reverted to type and getting yourself out the door isn't as easy as it was for those two beautiful weeks we called summer.
Well the rain is back. Although we love to moan about the weather in Britain we’re all secretly relieved when everything reverts to type and the weather that this fair isle is known for returns to dampen all our spirits. Britain? Any weather you like, mate, as long as it’s rain...
Anyway, there’s no reason that a bit of precipitation should stop you from riding your bike (except when it snows, that pretty much rules out any road riding). Here are a few things to think about when the rain comes, and ways to keep riding outside.
Overshoes
Cycling shoes are fantastic. But most cycling shoes are made to be light, highly ventilated and basically Summer-ready. In Britain, Summer-ready applies to about one month of the year with the other 11 having ‘be prepared’ stamped on them in big, red letters in your future riding plans.
Whether they’re to keep your feet warm, keep them dry or both, overshoes are one way to stave of some of the bad weather misery. Wet feet – like wet hands – get cold very quickly so you’ll want to keep them covered up and insulated when the rain starts.
Lights
We ride with lights all the time; when it’s sunny, when it’s dark, when it’s dry, when it’s wet, doesn’t matter, there’s never a bad time to have lights on your bike. But lights are especially important when it’s raining because of the reduced visibility, because sometimes you need help seeing where you’re going and because people drive with a sense of lunatic urgency in the rain as if they were getting wet in their heated cars.
It’s never a bad idea to make sure you’re seen on a bike, and heavy rain is one of the times that you need to make yourself as visible as possible.
Aeroshell
Sure, the aeroshell is styled as a cover for your road lid to make you ride faster and that’s great. But you know what’s better? A solid helmet cover that stops rain getting in. Absolutely wonderful.
Mudguards
When it’s raining you get wet because water is falling from the sky. We all know this. But when you’re riding your get doubly wet because your wheels recycle water from the floor and throw it up at you from below to compound your soggy misery.
That’s why mudguards are great, and the longer the better. Sure, they may not look cool, but looking a bit uncool is way better than getting soaked through within 10mins of starting your ride. Also, they stop anyone riding behind you from getting a facefull of water from your rear wheel so if you're riding in a group it's just common courtesy.