How To Ride In The Rain. (And Not Die.)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 8 сер 2024
- Everything you need to know about riding your bike in the rain. Including preparation of you, your equipment and your bike for the wet. What modifications you need to make to your bike. How to handle the bike on wet roads.
Time Stamps
0:00 Intro.
1:04 Preparing yourself for the rain.
11:24 Preparing your bike for the rain.
22:32 How to ride and handle the bike in the wet.
27:38 What to do after the ride. (To you and your bike.)
31:37 Bonus clip.
33:08 End.
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Safe riding,
Reg. - Авто та транспорт
People who haven’t tried it will probably give me flak for this but I’ve discovered joy of a properly waxed chain. Wax will not come off in the rain and, if you wipe the grime off the chain at the end of the ride, it can last for months. I rode all last winter on a single waxing without having to re-lube.
As to mudguards, I feel like front mudguards are as essential as those on the rear because a full coverage front mudguard helps keep water off your shoes.
What oils or additives do you use in your wax. Because a normal wax chain will rust in the rain. Had a customer who thought a wax chain worked in the wet… he was surprised when it went orange! 😂 Also a wax chain only lasts 300km before needing a re-wax. So did you not ride much that winter? 🙂
@@reginaldscot165 I don’t know where the 300 mile re-wax number comes from. I have seen it on forums and such, but I’m guessing that’s for plain paraffin home brew formulations. Zero Friction Cycling tests for the product I use, Rex Black Diamond with a 2/8 “black block” (the additives) to “white wax block ” ratio, show a ~1700 km reapplication frequency (dry conditions), which I have been able to exceed by a factor of two by simply wiping my chain with a damp cloth after wet rides. I’ve never seen rust, but I do use a SRAM Red chain, which is chromed for wear resistance, and I don’t live in an environment with a lot of salt, i.e., is I live far from the sea and the monsoons you have to deal with. I ride a minimum of 190 miles a week, every single day no matter how hard it’s raining. Winters in the part of California where I live are cold and the rain is very light compared to the tropics-I grew up in Guam, so I know the difference - maybe it’s the environmental conditions that make waxing work so well where I live. I also only have four months of data since I started waxing around the start of this winter.
@reginaldscot165 A chain lubricated by any of the different lubes available will need topping up after rain. Waxed chains are no alone in this. I used other types for over 40 years, as an all-season cyclist .
Been waiting for the rim Vs disc video 👍👍
Me too. Sorry 😞 I’m still working on it. 🙏🏻
Another great advisory video, thanks muchly
You are very welcome! 🙂👍🏻
Woah some good tips in general here tyvm
Thank you also! Ride safe! 👍🏻🙂
Very good, practical advices. No bullshit, just down-to-earth real world experience. Novices, take notes.
Regarding lubrication. During the rain, you don't need lubrication, because water itself is a very good lubricant. Don't believe? Try to dodge the sign "CAUTION! WET FLOOR" at the shopping mall and report back if you liked the experience, lol! The issue starts raising its ugly head when the water evaporates and you have yet a long way to go - then the wear between links and rollers increases. I would advice NOT to use oil-based lubricants for wet weather, because these tend to get washed away 10 minutes later in the heavy rain than lubes for dry weather, but come the cleaning time, you would remember every curse word by trying to clean all the thick gunk that got stuck to your chain, chainring and the cassette. Trust me, bro, even strongest solvents don't dissolve the gunk, so you would need to clean the mess by mechanically rubbing all the surfaces with coarse brush. So, jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none lubes are the best.
Great comment and I agree. 🙂👍🏻
I ride year round 5 days a week to work and it rains quite a bit in the winter in Oregon. Chain Wax. That's where it's at.
Good info for riding in weather…especially for those of us that aren’t as familiar with it! Thanks.
Glad it was helpful. 🙂 All the best!
Lots of good practical advice. I haven’t tried yellow lenses in rainy weather. I’ll have to give it a try.
Thank you! That was the hope of the video. Yes give them a try, they should improve your life in the wet. 🙂
Living in the Philippines and I can tell you thunderstorms are not good, but if you're caught in the middle of one, the points in this video are spot on.
Thank you. Yes the rain in Phil is frightening! 🫣
I like a front mudgaurd/fender if you have a decent descent in the rain. I used to get a stream of water in the face/chest. Yellow lenses are great, I used to use them when hunting in low light situations and it's amazing the extra clarity you get.
Great comment and good tip. 🙂👍🏻
A lot of useful information going to try yellow
lens .
Thank you! Excellent, I hope you like them. 🙂👍🏻
exited for the rim vs disk video
i like both but ive got alot of mixed feelings about both
and im an outcast in the mtb community for not liking hydros lol
Interesting. I will try to make it in the next 3 videos, I have 1 or 2 I need to finish first. 😁
Living on the Florida Panhandle/Gulf Coast I've been caught several times recently and I have to say the Oxic Ceramic coating on my DT Swiss PR1400 wheels and the Swiss Stop brake pads do an exceptional job braking in wet weather.
The best aluminium wheels on the market! 👍🏻 I have the PR1400s without the Oxic. Still excellent wheels, but not as good in the wet.
verry nice vid 90% of the things i already do but couple i dont i keep my bikes in living room so after wet ride i do the bounce bike thing its pretty obvious to me to get as much water off as possible people think im weird for doing that then bring bike in and towel dry it then lube everything up then go get myself dry and thanks for sharing good information to pass on
Thank you! Yes a lot of it is common sense and experience. It’s definitely helpful for newer riders. Your system sounds good. All the best and safe riding! 👍🏻🙂
Since going to England and riding in the cold (all weather is cold in England), the glove has become my friend. I totally get the function of the (eye)glass but they tend to take away from my periphery and I find that particularly dangerous as I ride much with regular traffic.
Interesting, try some frameless cycling glasses. I only have solid plastic across the top of my glasses and as a result there is no negative impact on my vision. I was always riding in heavy UK traffic, it’s frightening sometimes but strangely I miss it. 😂
Living in New Zealand this is very handy. I used to be in the NZ Army, chucking everything inside dry bags inside of a waterproofed is great. I have a "Czech Army M85 Rucksack" I bought for $25 NZD, which has roll top dry bags in it. I also have thin removable mudguards in said bag in case the weather sh×ts itself, and a heavy rain coat. I wear just enough that I can get home quickly and shower, lol.
Cool, I have never been to New Zealand, I have been to Old Zealand. 🙂 Looking at photos the place seems very green so I imagine you get a lot of rain? 😁
Yeah, definitely. My home city Dunedin gets a tonne, sometimes even minor flooding occurs. I could get annoyed with it, but the huge upside is the extremely healthy forests and bush all around us. Mountain biking is the most popular type of cycling because of that. I'm an urban cyclist in Wellington, but when I'm offered a MTB session, I never refuse.
Glasses ALWAYS, gloves no; I absolutely agree with you on everything else.
Glasses never, gloves always. Top Gun went over my head.
@@peterwillson1355 😀
I used to wear gloves but frankly stopped when the couple pair I had wore out rather quickly. Plenty of other places to spend that money. I like to tell myself that while gloves will prevent superficial wounds, not instinctively reaching out with your hands will also prevent broken bones, etc. I do like to wear sun sleeves in warm weather to avoid getting overly sweaty, slippery hands.
Both for me. I don’t like gravel under my skin. 😉
Neoprene gloves are the ones for me in the wet. I hardly ever wear them mind - probably once every two years 😃
PS: We don’t see many wet weather races in F1 any more because the rear wheels spray too much in the face of the driver behind. So the race is red flagged or under safety car. Why can’t they use mudguards? 😂
That’s a good point. 🤔 🙂
A mate broke his hip falling in a parking lot full of newly-painted white lines after surviving a wet 3-hour ride up and down numerous twisting, hilly, narrow roads. Yes, you are lucky, and I hope you remain so.
Ah well that’s probably because I’ve never see a new painted line anywhere I have lived. And that says something about the quality of road maintenance. 😂
@@reginaldscot165 we are lucky to have decent road maintenance here in southern Indiana, but it brings up another risk--newly repaved roads. They tend to be quite slick in the rain due to the oils in the new asphalt. The dark black asphalt is also quite hot when the temperature goes way up! (but I still love fresh asphalt!)
Instead of bags I purchased Tailfin’s top tube and frame packs. Super slick system. Pricey, but super functional and high quality.
As far as lubrication I use a waxed chain. Yes, you must re-wax after ~300km but after this re-waxing only needs to be done after 1000km.
Sounds expensive, I will stick with plastic bags. 😅👍🏻
I have this big floor fan that I point at my bike to quickly dry the bike after a rainy ride before any rust happens.
I’m surprised that works. Cool. 🙂👍🏻
@@reginaldscot165 I suppose it might be less effective in a hot and humid country like Brunei though.
Great video. Warm rain? Here in the UK its not warm so rain jackets are advised but only if cool or cold weather as its very easy to overheat (at least I overheat).
Agreed! Yes the rain here is indeed warm. Especially the splashing of passing cars, because it’s heated up by the road. 😍
In conditions like that, it's usually your tyres or chain that will let you down, assuming your bike is assembled well with proper grease etc.
During some bad commutes in the past, I have taken a spare pre-waxed chain with me, a track pump and even a towel and spare gloves so I can freshen up after fixing the bike. Luckily, I never had to use them!
Sounds like you were ready for anything. 😁
@@reginaldscot165 Exactly. When it's pissing it down, you can't be stopping for too long if it's cold. It's a bit different where you are I guess. If commuting with a backpack anyway, there's no real downside to just adding these conveniences.
Full length mudguards with flaps attached. More comfortable in the rain and stops a lot of crud from reaching the drivetrain.
Great advice 👍🏻🙂
Good to hear someone with the same frame drying theory as me 👍 Slightly unrelated point: I am old-school enough to patch a lot of my inner tubes. Is it possible to melt the glue through heavy braking on a long descent on a hot day? Was thinking this may have happened to me (29 degrees, 3km descent averaging 10-11%… but I’m only 70kg). On inspection, I had patched a tear around 5mm long, so I would consider that a fairly ambitious repair 😅 Rims were standard box section alloy. Cheers
Maybe 🤔 but I did test 2 TPU tubes on a mountain descent in Malaysia. One was a self adhesive patch and the other was the correct glue patch and there were both fine. 🙂👍🏻
@@reginaldscot165 Thanks as always
I´ve used Morgan Blue Rolls Blue myself for years (both the one for dry and one for wet conditions), and as lubricant it has worked very well. However I find that also this oil attracts too much dirt and grit, and the chain goes black very quickly, even in dry weather. After converting to drip wax (have yet to test hot wax) keeping my chain clean is so much easier. Currently I´m using an unknown (to me anyway) quite inexpensive brand of drip wax and it´s not as good as other wax some of my fellow cyclists are using, but I am about to test a hot wax with good reputation and am very hopeful. I have not been riding a lot in the rain with a waxed chain, so I don´t have enough experience with that to be able to give a verdict, but as far as I understand it´s possible to put some paraffin in the wax for wet conditions.
Great comment anyway, thanks for the information. 👍🏻🙂
Reg. Now that you've covered dealing with the wet, what about tackling the heat? Specifically, hot disc brakes!
I'm wondering if Shimano's cool looking finned Ice-Tech pads make much of a difference -- and are worth the extra money -- compared to the regular non-finned variety. Especially in Asia, where it gets hot, hot, hot.
BTW: I appreciate you are a rim-brake man. But, I'm sure plenty of your customers ride discs.
Cheers
Hi and thanks!
Yes people have disc here, but no mountains so hot discs is not a problem. Also all the boys with discs only ride on the highway where there is no stopping. So no braking. 😁 The pads still wear out however, maybe because of the dust here?
Any thoughts on inox mx5 seems to work in the dry , haven't tried in the wet season (tropical Australia) , but inox claims it will , use inox products on my yacht and seem to do as claimed
And I've ridden in proper monsoon
Never heard of it. No opinion. 🙂
I would stay as far away from the edge of the road as possible so if you skid you have room to save yourself. Sometimes it can be safer to be on the part of the road where the traffic is , because vehicles will have crushed potential hazards or moved them towards the edge of the road ! Also at least in my part of the UK, the road edges / cycle lanes tend not to be cleaned & maintained as well as the bit where the cars are 😞
Yes that can be good advice, the key is knowing when to be on a different part of the road. 🙂👍🏻
Why do people go on about visibility yet wear black tops?
Insane isn't it ! ......the most important thing you can do on the bike is be as _visible as possible_ .....everything else is secondary.
Agreed! That’s why my jersey is full white on the back, half white on the front and I use a white helmet with green reflectors. 🙂👍🏻
moving bits are what catches drivers attention, ie. on your heels or pedals especially at night
@@reginaldscot165 Hah, that'll teach me not to watch until the end of the video!
@jamble7k Very true, white socks are excellent in that regard, but in the daytime it's best not to look like the shadow of a tree, that dark bit of a hedge, or any other dull bit of the landscape through which you're riding. The GCN presenters are particularly guilty in this respect, IMO.
For many, emotional safety trumps physical safety. Black makes me look less fat.
Are you carrying all the kits on your back or using rear rack or bikepacking bags?
Just in my 3 rear pockets. My tools are very small and light. 😎
Clean your bike after a wet ride especially disc brake pads. Rain loosens a surprising amount of dirt from the road and it'll chew through pads and chains pretty quick.
Oh I don’t know if I can clean it every time, but yes that would be good. 🙂
I like rain caps in the rain (and cold). Gore and Assos make good ones, and having a “dry” head is nice (you’ll still sweat of course). With a rain cap, the water is directed to the brim of the hat instead of down the back of your neck.
Agreed caps are very useful. 👍🏻🙂
I wouldn't lean the bike over at all in wet/ slippery conditions, unless you've got the skills of N1no Schurter/ Loic Bruni......
It’s more about using all the road space and not over turning the bar. 👍🏻🙂
How do you ride with glasses in the rain? You cant see anything through them when they are covered in raindrops and they fog up from inside.
Also whats the point of putting all the tools etc. in ziplock bags? Eventually they will get wet when you have to use them. 🤔
Cycling glasses are hydrophobic and anti-fog. Also they are very wide giving plenty of visibility. I’d recommend them if you have never tried.
The tools would only get wet if you took them out the bad in the rain. If I don’t need them then they stay completely dry. Also they are small tools, so the bag helps to keep them together. Also they are steel, so if they get wet they will rust and turn my white jersey orange. 😁
What are your thoughts on multi- condition lubes?
I spoke about lube in the video. 🙂👍🏻
Where can I find that bar tape???
Just try searching for “fluro yellow bar tape” must be 1000s of different options available. I wouldn’t recommend this one, it’s by fizik and it’s not up to their old tape standard.
Good points which I mainly agree with, especially on Conti 4 Seasons. But, of course, it is where we disagree that is most interesting. Leather. 1st of all. A leather saddle is superior to any kind of plastic & thats an obvious done deal. 2nd, leather bar tape, maximum surface reliability in dry or wet, bare skin or gloves. Plus its longevity, I'm on 3rd year with same tape. Another done deal. Next, leather gloves, not the whole thing necessarily but in essential surface contact areas, the fingers & thumbs. Just like metals, it is nature that produces the best material. Leather is closest to our own skin, the feel through real leather is unmatched. On that point, why is it so hard to source leather bike products/gear? It is after all, a by-product of meat production, in effect.
I don’t think we disagree. 🙂 You are just adding more useful information. 👍🏻 How often do you check under your 3 year old tape? And does it come in bright colours? 🙂
@@reginaldscot165 I've reset this tape 3 or 4 times since purchase & found it couldn't stay in place so last time I used double-sided sticky tape which has worked really well. I use Brooks tape & saddles which only come in black (or brown), which suits me & the look of the bike. If I want more visibility I have fluoro-yellow gloves (Ekoi) & helmet (Lazer).
Try to be upright when traversing metal objects to avoid violent side slip.
Correct. Although I find tram tracks impossible to cross when wet. I hit one set perfectly, straight across and I was fully upright. But as soon as my front wheel so much as touched it my bike flipped on to its side in a nanosecond! I really hurt my shoulder that day. 😞
@@reginaldscot165 Ouch. Also diesel fuel spillages are very slippery in the wet.
1:11 I think the way how percentage is used in weather forecasting determines the amount of area in the region that would most likely be raining. Like in the video it says 50%, so at least half of the region would be raining (idk i might be pulling shit out of my ass)
That’s actually very logical. 🙂👍🏻
GP 5000 ?
I’m my opinion Only for racing.
Even if you claim that modern carbon rims work well with rim brakes, your rims will still wear down. Carbon rims with disc brakes won´t. And of course disc rotors also wear down over time, but not as fast as a carbon rim.
White paint might be different in different countries. In my country I´ve even experienced skidding on (quite new) white paint.
I think newer paint is worse. Or so I’ve heard. That’s an interesting point about wear on rims, but you see did some maths on that and you might be surprised at the results 😁
or you strike a deal with the weather so it only starts raining 5min after you arrive^^
What god do I need to sacrifice to for that perk?
@@reginaldscot165 i dont know i think once the streak gets going you`ll get the hang of it^^
I managed nearly a year to the point, where my colleagues asked me to ride my bike when they had theire rest days;D
but on a serious note it was probably just the time of the day on my commute where the chance of rain was pretty low anyway and sprinkle in a bit of luck and you have magic;P
and i dont think that works in countries with monsun rain
Instead of riding outside in rain, I would rather ride indoors on Zwift
How do you know if it’s definitely not going to rain? I don’t know many people who plan to ride in the rain? 🙂
How to ride in the rain....get on Zwift.
👉🏻🐓😉
If you live in North Wales and find it a problem riding a bike in the rain, you are doomed brother!
If I lived in North Wales 🏴 I’d move. 😉
Funnily enough, it doesn't always rain in N Wales. Here's a true story. I learned to drive in Bangor when I was doing a postgrad degree at the uni. On not a single one of my twenty or so driving lessons did it rain, so when on the day of my test it did actually rain I was a bit shaky on operating the windscreen wipers. I managed to fail the test, although that was because I went round a roundabout on the outskirts of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch at 30 mph in 5th gear.
Tip number 1: have disc brakes
Yes because much more powerful brakes is what you need on a 6.5kg road bike with skinny tyres on a wet road. 😁👍🏻
@@reginaldscot165 cmon bro. Not every single viewer has to agree with your points. Every single friend of mine who went from rim to disc (including me) is never going back, or regretting
Once you've spent that much money on something you do tend to be biased, however ugly it is. If I spent 15k on a new Madone I'm sure I'd do my best to convince myself it looked pretty.
waterproof clothes = OVER RATED
Sometimes, depending on the location, temperature, type of rain, length of travel. They can be. 🙂👍🏻
@@reginaldscot165 Agreed. Places with light consistent drizzle, it's ok. But places where it downpours, well, we never win that battle and always get soaked through. Better to wear something that dries quickly.
So prescriptive, as usual....🙄
Meaning? 🙂
Tarp. Ground cloth. Nap.
Amen.
Is that “after” or “rather than.” 😁