Riding in the rain

[darthandy]

As has been said - ride within your comfort zone - but - having said that, you want to be careful not to wind up as a hood ornament on some cagers car as he/she gabs on their cell phone while blasting past the speed limit. Keep checking your mirrors! This is where good tires in good shape with plenty of tread are important. Bikes are typically better on rainy roads than cars - a bikes greater weight per square inch of contact patch means that the tires "cut through" the water better than most cars so that they are less likely to hydroplane (But watch out for puddles!!) and therefore will do a surprisingly good job of holding to the road even in a downpour. It's actually a good idea to get out for an occasional ride in the rain to keep up your "wet road" skills. Better to get comfortable under conditions that you set up rather than as an unexpected lesson while trying to get home.

 

I hate riding in the rain, but it's almost impossible to ride regularly and frequently and not get caught every now and then. Better to be prepared than to be surprised.

 

Andy

[MiCarl]

I use a National Cycle product called Rain Zip. I use it both on the windshield and helmet visor. Like many of the other tricks, it doesn't help much below about 40mph. At high speeds it sheds water nicely. I also put it on the inside of my windshield to help the drops fall off rather than cling there.

 

Behind the windshield there just isn't enough air movement to clear the face shield. I either wipe it with my hand or pop my head up into the air flow. At speeds above 60 or so not much rain makes it to the face shield anyhow.