Melburn folk would have probably had their first taste of being well and truly soaked through over the last couple of days, and im sure everyone has their own unique ways of combatting the wet.
How about we use this thread as a place where we can share our little wet weather tricks and habits, as I’m sure everyone could benefit to some extent from it! I know I could!
I’ll go first (I’m sure none of these are ground breaking, but to get the ball rolling…)
-My trusty Zefal Flamingo. nice and light and quick releaseable. I put it in a plastic bag to keep the dry from the wet then slide it into my backpack when not in use.
-I saw a modified 1.25lt soft drink bottle and string/zip ties downtube front splashguard today travelling up swan st, which i thought was quite resourceful.
-The trust plastic bags over the socks then into the shoes trick!
It’s not that comfortable but its more comfy than wet socks and feet, especially if you can carry a spare pair of shoes in your bag. wearing wet shoes around in this combo is just kinda dumb… and squelchy! But it has kept my feet dry on long rides home when there has been unanticipated rain.
I guess you could apply plastic bags to other parts of the body too! Rain chaps!
Anyone else have some cool habits/tricks to combat the wet?
A set of Ansell Hyflex multi-purpose gloves in the bag on a day like today is a god-send.
About four bucks a pair from the supermarket too won’t break the bank
Not much good for extended wet weather riding but enough to keep your hands on your bars
sheesh… fuck guys…
I ride in the rain all the time, was just wondering if some people had a favourite guard, or choice of wet weather kit that might make the ride just that bit MORE enjoyable!
at least Intervale got my drift haha…
I am yet to try this but a full sized fender will presumably keep your feet a lot drier as i reckon most of that water in your shoes has bounced off the down tube.
i’ve found coolmax socks to be really good in winter as they don’t absorb nearly as much water as the cotton socks i normally ride in.
vest keep you really warm
polypropylene (the stuff they make the cheaper-than-merino-wool thermals out of) gloves under your cycling gloves are comfy
untinted (clear) glasses are essential for keeping rain and road grit out of your eyes. industrial safety shops (the places that sell dayglo jumpers) sell decent looking glasses for about $9. I found an awesome pair of Euro glasses hanging off my handlebars when I was in France. Must’ve been the cycling fairy.
My Deuter backpack has a tiny pocket on the bottom that contains a bright yellow rain-cover with reflective lettering in it. I have very high recommendations about Deuter backpacks and they are perfectly suited for cycling in any weather.
A cycling cap with a stiff peak or the visor on your helmet should do a pretty good job of stopping the rain from getting in the gap between your face and glasses
sks make awesome fenders that use rubber quick releases to hold to the seat stays and the fork legs. brilliant in the rain, which is when you’d want them to be brilliant i guess.
i use a zefal swan R which is the narrow version of the standard swan.
good set up and easy to use, but once you’ve mounted it, when you take it off the little grey plastic clip will fall out. store it safe or you’ll have 4 fenders and no clips.
Oh my god- I’m not the only one that is driven crazy by the poxy design of the Zefal!!!
Such a crap design- literally falls off the guard when you take it off the bike.
Saw a dude on a Surly in the city this morning- wearing green Safeway plastic bags around his shoes. Points for inventiveness, but I wonder how effective it was… :evil: As for me, I adopt the ‘accept wetness’ rational. My system is to wear as little clothes as possible, no socks on the Shimano shoes, and just hammer through the rain without fear. Of course, I have a change of clothes at work…
Riding in the wet can be fun though caught the tram today (bike left at work last night, If I rode the roadie in Id still have a bike left at work…). Upside I’d forgotten how many cute girls catch the 96 Tram down Nicholson St.
When i know im going to get wet i just wear a pair of shorts, wear my shirt and tie under my mountain design rain jacket and get changed at work. Takes 2 minutes to get changed and you are bone dry at your desk.
If its one thing i dont miss about couriering its riding around in the rain all day…
Yeah, move to Brisbane, where it is usually warm when it rains. Belly laughs every dry, sunny winter’s day, thinking of those poor buggers down south. :evil:
At the risk of sounding like a skirt I just FUC#ING hate riding in the rain. Never have, probably never will. Don’t mind getting dirty from top to toe on the MTB, but I generally need to be dry when I get to wherever I need to get to in the city.
And yes I caught the tram today cries in the corner
