Topic: What do you do if the rain comes?

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What do you do if the rain comes?

(71 posts)

(41 voices)

Started 88 days ago by getaclueblue
Latest reply from dsdouin 18 days ago

getaclueblue

I’ve only been road biking about a year now. I’ve not had to deal bad weather, ie-rain, lightning, storm winds, etc. My bike doesn’t have fenders and the tires look like they would be kindof slippery on wet roads. What do you do if you’re in the middle of an 80 mile run and the weather turns bad.? Do you ride in the rain? Even without fenders on the bike? I’m not one that likes to quit anything but would like to hear from more experienced riders so I don’t put myself into a hazardous situation.

getaclueblueQuote

Posted 88 days ago #67133
Jim

I have been caught out in the rain on rides and nothing to do but continue. On RAGBRAI I don’t carry rain gear. I figure i will sweat under the rain gear and get just as wet as if I just ride in the rain. Must be more careful when it is raining. Slow down and check brakes often so you can stop when you need to. If it is lightning that’s a different story. Find cover and not under a tall tree. A barn or a porch out in the country is welcome cover. You do need to be careful not to get chilled. That spare trash bag in you pocket can provide some warmth in a pinch.

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Posted 88 days ago #67147
SFC JKL2

Put on a coat and keep going. Store a trash bag under you seat or around a tube in case of emergency if your not going to carry a jacket. Even better is storing two so you have one to lend a friend.

Be more careful in slowing for turns and watch out for paint on the road as it becomes really slick when wet.

In general, you have all day (or usually a good 12 hours) to make a trip you should be able to do in 4 or 5 hours of riding. There’s no prize for coming in first. Who cares if you have to pull over for a couple hours. Get to the next town and find a good bar to take shelter in.

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Posted 88 days ago #67199
rmorr

Yeah it’s been hard to find a rainy day in Texas for the last 12 months but that’s changed now. I’ve been caught out in it a few times and even once or twice in small hail and you’re just going to get wet. Lightning is a different situation that I’ve been lucky enough to avoid.

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Posted 88 days ago #67245
Dint

On a very hot day a nice rain is a welcome site to cool things down. In 2010 we had a very cool day, and a hard rain most of the day. Not much you can do unless U have someone who will come pick U up but just keep on going. I found staying on the bike and generating some body heat was much better than huddling under a tent soaking wet and shivering. Stopped just long enough to get something hot to eat and kept going. About 30 minuets before arriving at the next overnight town the sun came out. I found my charter location (not always easy) with nice high ground to set up my tent. With hot showers a block away, cold beer in the cooler, life was good once again.

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Posted 88 days ago #67267
Amanda

This will be my 14th RAGBRAI. And I never am quite prepared for rain. I try to remember my lt weight jacket but am not always on top of things in the morning. 2 years ago it rained and luckily someone had a spare plastic bag. He told me to put it under my Jersey and it kept the chill out. I looked silly but who cares, I was warm. And yes, keep riding if its not lightening or coming down so hard that you cant see the road.

AmandaQuote

Posted 88 days ago #67270
redbikesrule

Just keep ridin’ til you come to a friendly, sheltering bar. Unless there is lightning, then find shelter asap.

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Posted 88 days ago #67271
Bacchettaman
Indeed the 2010 year had a very cold rainy stretch between Waterloo and Manchester. It was the most demanding stretches in 7 years according to some riders who had at least that much experience. But even under my breath I didn’t grumble because the weather had been perfect all week. By 2 PM good ‘ol Iowa sun came out and quickly warmed us up. Under a spectacular, aqua-blue Iowa sky we stopped to wring out clothes at a roadside ice cream stand and had ice cream… whereas just hours before we were so hypothermic we couldn’t talk. That’s Iowa!

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- This reply was modified 88 days ago by Bacchettaman.
- This reply was modified 88 days ago by Bacchettaman.
Posted 88 days ago #67288
mcpartla

It depends on the situation. I’ve been on rides when thunder & lightning is all around and I usually seek shelter … something solid and never a tree …one time I had no choice but to lie down and cover myself with a tarp for a few minutes. Scarey but the other riders just continued riding. Later I learned I should have gotten away from my bike because the metal parts could attract lightning. Well, live & learn. On RAGBRAI one time I went into a nearby barn but hundreds of bikers kept biking in the lightning and they were lucky. Another time I went inside a town library and most RAGBRAIERS stood under trees (also very lucky no one got hit). If it’s just raining I’m more likely to keep biking and tough it out.

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Posted 88 days ago #67321
cubbies1945

The stretch between Waterloo and Manchester was bad, but I’ve ridden in worse. Just ask anyone who was on Soggy Monday in 1981 (I wonder how many people actually know what Soggy Monday is anymore) and they will tell you that it was much worse than that stretch. Just suck it up and ride. There really is not a whole lot you can do other than just that. Rain gear just seems to get in the way in my opinion. It’s hard to carry on the bike, if it stops raining and gets sunny, which it often does, you are stuck wearing a jacket in 70-90 degree weather. Just be careful if you start hearing thunder. I usually don’t stop once I hear thunder, but I’m really cautious and keep my eyes out for the lightning after that. People are really nice, I once stopped and stood soaking wet in somebody’s house on a training ride when the lighting got bad. 10 minutes later when things calmed down, I looked about 400 yards down the road and saw some lightning strike the road. Thank God I waited just a little bit.

cubbies1945Quote

Posted 88 days ago #67343
steve
Fenders are cheap and have a favorable weight to benefit ratio.
More water comes up from below then above.
The front fender keeps the feet dry.
The back fender keeps the panniers dry
Some use waterproof rain covers for the panniers..
Use baby oil to keep legs warm on cold rains

steveQuote
- This reply was modified 88 days ago by steve.
Posted 88 days ago #67456
"Bicycle Bill"

Ah yes, Soggy Monday!

The rain itself wasn’t that bad; it was one of those ‘all-day’ rains that the farmers love. Then add to that the fact that we never rode out of the rain; the weather system seemed to cover the entire course that day. But the worst part of Soggy Monday was that the temperature was ridiculously low for Iowa in mid-July; I don’t think it ever got above 60° all day, and nobody was really dressed for it. Remember, this was back in 1981 and all the hi-tech fibers we now have (such as Gore-Tex) either hadn’t been created yet or were prohibitively expensive.

So get yourself soaking wet, add temperatures somewhere around the 55° mark, and what you’ve got is a tailor-made combination to create hypothermia. I remember seeing people stopping at a clothing store in Schleswig (ask me how I spent Soggy Monday in Schleswig, when you’ve got some time to kill) and buying anything that had long sleeves. They were literally buying suit coats and blazers off of the mannequins in order to have something that was warmer than the shorts and T-shirts that most people wore for riding in those days.

-”BB”-

“Bicycle Bill”Quote

Posted 88 days ago #67457
steve

They should have worn wool shorts and jersey..which WAS available back then.

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Posted 88 days ago #67462
getaclueblue

Amanda: This will be my 14th RAGBRAI. And I never am quite prepared for rain. I try to remember my lt weight jacket but am not always on top of things in the morning. 2 years ago it rained and luckily someone had a spare plastic bag. He told me to put it under my Jersey and it kept the chill out. I looked silly but who cares, I was warm. And yes, keep riding if its not lightening or coming down so hard that you cant see the road.

Like

getaclueblueQuote

Posted 88 days ago #67485
getaclueblue

Good info. Thanks. I’ve noticed that the weather forcasts seem to be allot more accurate now with the iphones having instant access to the radar websites and such. I think I’ll have the rain/weather clothing available each day and make a decision before starting out each morning. If i get hung-up between towns without gear because the forcat was wrong, I’ll just struggle thru it.
I read about the 1981 RAGBRAI. It said the temp got into the 40′s one night and the riders had to face a strong wind mixed with rain and then some hail when they started out in the morning. It said the farmers and townsfolks were really helpful hauling riders to the next overnight town. The town opened up building they could to accomadate the riders. It said the weather finally broke and the last half or so of the ride was really good.
I’m thinking seven days of riding bliss with temps from 65 night to 85 degrees daytime and no rain.

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Posted 88 days ago #67493