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"Jacobe Hazzard" wrote in message ...
dgk wrote: This is my very first commute home (12 miles) in a heavy rain, and only my third where it will end up dark. Dark and Rain. Good combo. My advice is....call a cab. Why would anyone ride a bike in a heavy rain when its dark? Maybe I don't have the mentality to ride a bicycle. If you get CAUGHT in the rain its one thing..but to start out knowing the rain is heavy and its getting dark....I don't know. Doesn't sound like a wise choice. |
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#13
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"Maggie" wrote in message
om... My advice is....call a cab. Why would anyone ride a bike in a heavy rain when its dark? It's fun. Then again, it's nearly always fun to ride a bike. The one dark and rainy night I did call a cab (three flat tires, ruined my spare tube and used up all my patches, had to get home) the cab driver was drunk, and I spent the entire time in the back seat in terror. -- Warm Regards, Claire Petersky please substitute yahoo for mousepotato to reply Home of the meditative cyclist: http://home.earthlink.net/~cpetersky/Welcome.htm Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/ See the books I've set free at: http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky |
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#15
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From the point of view of an Oregonian, water resistant means a wind
breaker :-) Alan Acock |
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#17
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On Sat, 06 Nov 2004 02:05:47 GMT, dgk
wrote: The coolest part was the water coming up the front tire and shooting into the air in front of the new Raptor light. The odd part was just how dirty everything got. I'm going to have to wash the bike down tomorrow. Do you have fenders? Look into them if you don't. They make an amazing difference, reducing water splashed onto the feet and the general dirt level of the bike. And you still get the spray off the front tire!! It won't be as much fun riding through the rain going into work though. It can be. Then again, going into work isn't a fun experience for me because of where I end up. Have some dry clothes ready to change into and a wet morning commute is fine. |
#18
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In article ,
dgk writes: Maggie (and everyone else) it was a huge success. As if there was ever any doubt :-) The only problem was that the waterproof gloves weren't. They ended up being a bit soggy and cold. Yeah, gloves may well be the most problematic aspect of cold-&-wet weather riding. Once gloves get cold and wet they stay that way until they dry out. Maybe you can rig up some sort of water resistant outer layer for them. Scotch Gard is our friend :-) Even if they're not wet but they get cold, it's almost impossible to warm them up again just by wearing them. As a Raynaud's Syndrome sufferer, that's killer for me. So if I take my gloves off mid-ride and I'm wearing jeans, I just stick the gloves in my pockets right away, before they lose too much heat. If I'm wearing cycling- specific garb, I'll stick 'em under my shorts/tights waistband and under the front of my jersey. Before setting out in colder weather, I like to pre-warm my gloves on the hot air duct in the basement. Heavenly! Good spot to dry them after a ride or after washing them, too. But everything else worked as hoped. The Kmart pants kept my jeans dry. The jacket kept me dry, the hood kept my head dry. The booties even kept the sneakers pretty dry. I am going to look into clips/clipless though. Excellent! (about the experiment being a success.) I'm not too sure about the advisability of wearing a hood while riding, but I'll leave that choice up to you, and henceforth mind my own beeswax about it. The main thing is to continue experimenting and figuring out what works best for you. I must say, though, I find the notion of booties on sneakers delightfully fred-ish :-) But it's no worse than my gaiters. The coolest part was the water coming up the front tire and shooting into the air in front of the new Raptor light. I should get some colored lights up there and I could have one of those dancing fountain type things. The rear rack kept water from shooting up my back. I have enough lights on that bike to look like an ambulance. A red blinky on the back of the helmet and one on the seat stay. The Raptor lead acid on the front, as well as a Trek 4AA battery one. And, those nifty valve stem lights. The odd part was just how dirty everything got. I'm going to have to wash the bike down tomorrow. I'll echo Dan Daniel's suggestion of fenders here. They really do make a big difference. They won't completely eliminate grime, but they'll restrict it to mostly the rims and brakes, and under the bottom bracket. And they'll help keep /you/ from getting too wet. Of course fenders can accumulate a little grime themselves, on their undersides. Something to look out for. It won't be as much fun riding through the rain going into work though. Just try to time your arrival to coincide with when the coffee's ready :-) Anyhow, I'm not sure what a 'real cyclist' or a 'serious cyclist' is, but you're now officially an Irrepressible Cyclist. cheers, & well done, Tom -- -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
#19
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On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 21:29:10 -0800, Dan Daniel
wrote: On Sat, 06 Nov 2004 02:05:47 GMT, dgk wrote: The coolest part was the water coming up the front tire and shooting into the air in front of the new Raptor light. The odd part was just how dirty everything got. I'm going to have to wash the bike down tomorrow. Do you have fenders? Look into them if you don't. They make an amazing difference, reducing water splashed onto the feet and the general dirt level of the bike. And you still get the spray off the front tire!! It won't be as much fun riding through the rain going into work though. It can be. Then again, going into work isn't a fun experience for me because of where I end up. Have some dry clothes ready to change into and a wet morning commute is fine. The fender is a good idea. I just took a look at the bike in daylight, yech, what a mess. |
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