[HoldingOn]

No – not one of Trump’s “friends”

I often get asked by non-cycling people “Do you cycle in the rain?” I’m a stubborn sort, so I cycle in any weather. Rain doesn’t bother me at all (or the dark, which is a weird question I get asked too)

Storm Agnes is inbound here in the UK and it made me think back to Storm Dudley & Eunice, when I got blown sideways across the cycle lane. It was the one time the weather made me think “I possibly shouldn’t be cycling in this.”

Does anyone abide by rules for what weather they won’t cycle in?
Is it just wind that creates a hazard – or is snow a problem too? (I’ve not cycled in deep snow before)
It there a particular technique to cycling in adverse weather?

Topic

[HoldingOn]

Yeah. Cycling in this morning

Yeah. Cycling in this morning was…. fun…..

Couple of close passes (with no hope of pulling a licence plate from the rain soaked footage), muddy, slippy canal path (which will be underwater by this evening) and a strong headwind.

Dark + rain + strong wind = WFH

[Ride On]

Heavy rain combined with dark
Heavy rain combined with dark reduces drivers visibility dramatically I try and avoid that.

I tried riding when it was icy … wont do that again.

But a 60kmh tailwind in the right road is a strava boon. (For those of us interested in such things).

[Ride On]

Heavy rain combined with dark
Heavy rain combined with dark reduces drivers visibility dramatically I try and avoid that.

I tried riding when it was icy … wont do that again.

But a 60kmh tailwind in the right road is a strava boon. (For those of us interested in such things).

[jaymack]

Ice, strong wind and snow are
Ice, strong wind and snow are each a no-no from me. An all too predictable crash on an icy morning had me off work for three months. So, now discretion gets the better part of cycling valour. Although the advent of weather app’s have no doubt reduced the chances of being surprised getting caught out in bad weather is always a risk but I’m old now and both my cycling ego and wallet have adjusted to allow me the indulgence of indoor training.

[HoldingOn]

That is interesting – why

That is interesting – why specifically lightning? Is it the lightning itself or the general bad weather that lightning implies?

[ktache]

I sometimes hide from hail

I sometimes hide from hail…

[Miller]

Heavy rain is grim. Ice rules

Heavy rain is grim. Ice rules out road cycling. Having said that, back in January there were some hard frosts and I had some lovely gravel rides on frozen tracks and trails.

[brooksby]

I don’t mind wind or rain.  I

I don’t mind *light to moderate* wind or rain.  I don’t like snow, but it has been years since we had enough snow or ice here in Bristol to actually cause a problem.

But I truly hate it when it is windy  For some reason, I have yet to encounter a tail wind – I have only ever encountered crosswinds and headwinds.

 

* Edited; I reread it and realised it didn’t make sense as I’d originally written it

[andystow]

I ride in about everything,
I ride in about everything, but I’ve waited out the heaviest bits of lightning storms, or left earlier to avoid them. Tornados I wait out whether I’m cycling or driving. I’ve taken rides with people before when there’s been unexpected harsh weather I wasn’t prepared for, like cold rain with no gear.

[roboito]

I take the car if there is
I take the car if there is lightning forecast or if there’s been a hard freeze on wet roads (this doesn’t happen often enough for me to justify spiked tyres I think). Otherwise I cycle my 8 miles each way to and from work. I’ll generally make excuses and promise myself I’ll go later with weekend spin(s) if the weather is horrible and I haven’t arranged to go with someone else

[ktache]

Pretty much attempt whatever

Pretty much attempt whatever the weather throws at me, just change the outfits a bit. I will adjust my speed to the conditions though.

[ktache]

Spike tyres make ice fun. Bit

Spike tyres make ice fun. Bit of an investment, but they stop you falling hard, and the control and traction…

[HoldingOn]

I am quite lucky to have a

I am quite lucky to have a canal path almost door to door on my commute, so I may use it during the weather warnings.

There is a risk of ending up in the canal, but as Cugel points out below, I need to weigh the risks of a swim against the risks of unsafe drivists!

[Tom_77]

As far as safety goes, if

As far as safety goes, if there are weather warnings in place then I would avoid cycling if possible.

I try to time my cycle rides to avoid rain, mostly because I don’t like cleaning my bike (I have full mudguards but they don’t catch everything). I’m less bothered about getting myself wet, so long as I can have a shower afterwards. But it’s no fun if you have to sit in damp clothes.

[Cugel]

Schwalbe spiked Marathons

Schwalbe spiked Marathons work well on black ice, frosted roads and even on the wet-green-slime backroads. That’s what they’re designed for. The studs are steel jackets around TCT cores, which TCT is very hard so punctures the black ice and similar to get a grip. Don’t be leaning at extreme angles around the black-iced corners, mind!

Also, when the grip of the studs gives you confidence, don’t get all unaware when you get off the bike on to the ice, as your shoes will slip & skid immediately. 🙂

These tyres don’t work in deeper snow, which needs something more like studs used on MTB tyres for very muddy conditions. But new snow isn’t too slippy – it’s the older and slushy stuff that’ll get you.

******

Personally I avoid high winds and heavy rain, especially if the temperature is below about 8 degrees C. Wind can blow you off course or even drop a heavy or speedy thing on you. Heavy and cold rain will suck the heat out of you very quickly, especially if it’s windy too.

Wind also creates lots of road detritus. Some of this is hazardous, especially bits of wet branch, which can slide you off when leaned over or even get picked up on a wheel and jammed in your stays or forks. The latter will give you a very rapid face-plant.

Some drivists also ignore weather conditions and drive far outside their safe speed and control abilities. If they see you late and brake heavily or rive at their steering wheel, the car might just slide into you anyway on wet and detritus-laden roads.

 

[Author]

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