I wussed out today

Get an indoor trainer and forget about riding in rain/snow. Less dangerous
and you won't get sick.

~ AB ~

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

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Roger Moore said:

Get an indoor trainer and forget about riding in rain/snow. Less dangerous
and you won't get sick.

~ AB ~

I don't think riding in the rain/snow causes sickness. But the
alternative, riding in buses and subways filled with sick folks, that
does cause sickness.

Is it statistically more dangerous to bike in the snow and rain in a
big city? I think other folks are being more careful also.

But there is no question that it is not really enjoyable being wet and
cold.

dgk said:

Roger Moore said:

Get an indoor trainer and forget about riding in rain/snow. Less
dangerous and you won't get sick.

~ AB ~

I don't think riding in the rain/snow causes sickness. But the
alternative, riding in buses and subways filled with sick folks, that
does cause sickness.

Is it statistically more dangerous to bike in the snow and rain in a
big city? I think other folks are being more careful also.

But there is no question that it is not really enjoyable being wet and
cold.

That's why I live in San Diego.

I've traded all that "wet and cold" stuff for impossible traffic, $500,000
median home prices (that only 19% of the population can afford), wildfires,
earthquakes, and smog.

:-D

dgk said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

It's tough to consider cycling in the rain when you're doing it as part of
a commute.

OTOH, I'm looking forward to trying out the neoprene booties and the latex
glove liners <lol>, since it's 55 F, and raining on and off. However, I get
to come in and take a shower to wash all the mud off. On days like this I
usually skip the early morning ride.

You might consider working out the kinks of riding in the rain on the
weekends when you're not adding the complexity of getting cleaned up at
work and then spending 8 hours at your desk.

-B

Roger Moore said:

Get an indoor trainer and forget about riding in rain/snow. Less dangerous
and you won't get sick.

~ AB ~

Isn't that a myth, that being cold and wet makes you sick?

I rode in some gawd-awful conditions all last winter and only got sick once
in the spring, and that was fairly mild.

-B

Quoted message said:

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

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---= East/West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---

On Fri, 12 Nov 2004 15:18:46 GMT, "Neil Brooks" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

dgk said:

Roger Moore said:

Get an indoor trainer and forget about riding in rain/snow. Less
dangerous and you won't get sick.

~ AB ~

I don't think riding in the rain/snow causes sickness. But the
alternative, riding in buses and subways filled with sick folks, that
does cause sickness.

Is it statistically more dangerous to bike in the snow and rain in a
big city? I think other folks are being more careful also.

But there is no question that it is not really enjoyable being wet and
cold.

That's why I live in San Diego.

I've traded all that "wet and cold" stuff for impossible traffic, $500,000
median home prices (that only 19% of the population can afford), wildfires,
earthquakes, and smog.

:-D

Every year during winter I think about moving. But I really love the
beach, so that sort of limits the possibilities. I spend all summer on
the beach. I'd like to ride there but the umbrella, chair, and body
board make that a bit difficult.

"Roger Moore" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Get an indoor trainer and forget about riding in rain/snow. Less dangerous
and you won't get sick.

Riding in the rain ain't so bad, and it works the opposite -- you'll be less
likely to get sick if you are clearing out your lungs and nose in the cool
air, than if you are walled in with other people, who are just bristling
with germs.

And you know what I say about indoor trainers...

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

Quoted message said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

On the other hand, you might try to turn things inside-out and actually look
forward to riding in nasty weather. I didn't get the cold temps you had
though; generally, the coldest it will be here (when raining) is about 38F
or so. But when it does get that cold, I'll be out there! And when it's
cold, wet & windy, that's when it's really fun in the hills. Actually, it's
not so bad on the bike, but you do worry about the (rare when that nasty)
cars sliding around.

From yesterday's almost-daily diary entry (www.ChainReaction.com/diary.htm)

11/11/04- BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR... because, as they say, you just
might get it! So far this season, my "rain" rides have been more nuisance
than epic, and this morning was looking to be little different. A bit of
drizzle at the start, enough to scare everyone away except Kevin. I started
out overdressed, wearing my waterproof pants and jacket, both of which I
removed at Hudart Park on the way up Kings Mtn. Kevin didn't have enough
time for the full Old LaHonda loop, so instead we headed about halfway down
Bear Creek, encountering an increasingly-thick fog as we got closer to the
coast. We had to turn around just where it gets really steep, since my rain
bike doesn't have low gears (52/42 front, 13/23 rear), and the drizzle
immediately turned to rain. Light rain at first, but by the time we got back
to Skyline is was seriously dumping (as you can tell from the weather map).
Since Kevin had no flashing lights (and visibility was getting bad), I
accompanied him back to his place (near Swett Road) and then headed down
King's Mtn. Oh, did that hurt! Combine heavy rain with speed from descending
and you get an eyeful... a painful eyeful! When it's that nasty out, my
Oakleys don't work very well (no wiper blades), so you're squinting and
trying to look up as little as possible, since each raindrop seems like a
little missile targeting your eyes.

Fortunately, it wasn't too cold (no lower than 50 degrees) so I didn't have
any control issues (no shaking), and when it's raining that hard, your
traction is very consistent so you never feel like your bike is going to go
out under you. Still, it felt really nice to get to the bottom of the hill
and put a bit of effort into the pedals again, not to mention that the
slower speeds were a lot easier on the eyes!

I really didn't expect to see anybody else out there in the muck, but as I
approached Canada Road I saw somebody heading North, making tracks and
kicking up a lot of water in the still-heavy rain. That guy automatically
gained a lot of respect in my book, and even more when I pulled up next to
him and found that it was probably somebody in his 70s who, silly like me,
rides rain or shine. In his case, he parks at Canada Road & 92 and rides his
20-year-old Schwinn High Sierra mountain bike out past Woodside and back.
Made me wish I had a waterproof camera to get a photo; maybe I'll try one of
those cheapie $20 keychain digital cameras next time (don't want to ruin my
expensive cameras by getting them soaked; electronics generally don't like
that!). This guy was definitely my hero for the day.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

dgk said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

Wussing out is better than arriving at work with an already bleak outlook.
Bill Baka

Badger said:

dgk said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

It's tough to consider cycling in the rain when you're doing it as part of
a commute.

OTOH, I'm looking forward to trying out the neoprene booties and the latex
glove liners <lol>, since it's 55 F, and raining on and off. However, I get
to come in and take a shower to wash all the mud off. On days like this I
usually skip the early morning ride.

You might consider working out the kinks of riding in the rain on the
weekends when you're not adding the complexity of getting cleaned up at
work and then spending 8 hours at your desk.

-B

That's my plan. As soon as I get the gloves figured out, I ride around
on a rainy weekend.

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

Cold rain is the toughest thing to dress for. Drenching rain usually soaks
through any conventional gloves I've tried after an hour or so. I've
started wearing full neoprene gloves I got from an industrial supply house.
The have a pretty narrow temp range, much above mid-40's they're much too
hot, and below freezing they're not warm enough, still, in that critical
range, you can go all day in the rain (at least your hands can).

I've also started wearing thin, latex over-boots (also industrial supply).
They're the only way I've found to ride in the rain for a few hours without
wet feet (neoprene booties always leaked at tops).

Tomorrow (Boston) should be this season's first really cold, wet ride --
temps around freezing, wet snow/rain.

Peter Cole said:

"dgk" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

Cold rain is the toughest thing to dress for. Drenching rain usually soaks
through any conventional gloves I've tried after an hour or so. I've
started wearing full neoprene gloves I got from an industrial supply house.
The have a pretty narrow temp range, much above mid-40's they're much too
hot, and below freezing they're not warm enough, still, in that critical
range, you can go all day in the rain (at least your hands can).

I've also started wearing thin, latex over-boots (also industrial supply).
They're the only way I've found to ride in the rain for a few hours without
wet feet (neoprene booties always leaked at tops).

Tomorrow (Boston) should be this season's first really cold, wet ride --
temps around freezing, wet snow/rain.

Got my first taste of the neoprene booties. They were good for about half
an hour, after which I noticed some dampness. Pretty steady rain, 63.

Paradoxically, this was a colder ride perceptually than the last rainy ride
at 46 deg F.

Still with the boots my shoes will surely be dry enough to wear again
tomorrow, which is my chief concern. No problems at all with cold feet.

-B

dgk said:

I decided last night that I was not biking to work today. The weather
report was a high of 42F and rain all day. I haven't really figured
out rain riding yet. It worked once, but that was going home and
warmer, yet my gloves got soaked and my hands were cold towards the
end.

Sure enough, this morning it was raining. And chilly. So, perhaps once
I get the gloves figured out I can pull this off. I wonder if I get
shocked if wearing battery powered gloves in the rain.

Oh man.
I love riding in the rain!

Then again, I live in Portland, Oregon - so if you don't
ride in the rain, you don't ride much...

Badger said:

Got my first taste of the neoprene booties. They were good for about half
an hour, after which I noticed some dampness. Pretty steady rain, 63.

Paradoxically, this was a colder ride perceptually than the last rainy ride
at 46 deg F.

Still with the boots my shoes will surely be dry enough to wear again
tomorrow, which is my chief concern. No problems at all with cold feet.

My method for cold rain (inside layer to outside layer):

- SmartWool socks
- GoreTex oversocks
- Standard ventilated bike shoes
- fleece of neoprene booties

The shoes get wet, but my feet never do. To dry out the shoes
overnight, I hang them on a hook inside the water heater closet.
Works like a charm.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

Terry Morse said:

Badger said:

Got my first taste of the neoprene booties. They were good for about half
an hour, after which I noticed some dampness. Pretty steady rain, 63.

Paradoxically, this was a colder ride perceptually than the last rainy ride
at 46 deg F.

Still with the boots my shoes will surely be dry enough to wear again
tomorrow, which is my chief concern. No problems at all with cold feet.

My method for cold rain (inside layer to outside layer):

- SmartWool socks
- GoreTex oversocks
- Standard ventilated bike shoes
- fleece of neoprene booties

The shoes get wet, but my feet never do. To dry out the shoes
overnight, I hang them on a hook inside the water heater closet.
Works like a charm.

Interesting. I can see the principle, but would one really need the Gortex?
In addition, wouldn't this layering mean you need two sizes of cycling
shoes b/c of the double layer of socks due to the need for the shoes to be
snug? Since you mentioned neoprene booties, any tips for fitting and
cutting out for the cleat? Get two sizes larger than your cycling shoe
size?

Unlike going on foot, my experience so far indicates that wet or pruney
feet on the bicycle is not a big problem, say in blister formation, etc.; I
just don't want to end up cold -and- wet.

Uh, I don't mind the shoes getting a _little_ wet. When I rode the first
time - just plain cycling shoes - I got everything completely sopping wet,
including the spongy insole. In the past I handled this by wearing an older
pair of tennis shoes - no can do once you move to clipless...well, at least
not until accumulating vast quantities of cycling gear! ;-)

-B
I'm workin' on it...

Badger said:

Terry Morse said:

My method for cold rain (inside layer to outside layer):

- SmartWool socks
- GoreTex oversocks
- Standard ventilated bike shoes
- fleece of neoprene booties

The shoes get wet, but my feet never do. To dry out the shoes
overnight, I hang them on a hook inside the water heater closet.
Works like a charm.

Interesting. I can see the principle, but would one really need the Gortex?

On really wet days, I do. A steady stream of water from the front
tire finds my feet with great accuracy, especially on descents.

Quoted message said:

In addition, wouldn't this layering mean you need two sizes of cycling
shoes b/c of the double layer of socks due to the need for the shoes to be
snug? Since you mentioned neoprene booties, any tips for fitting and
cutting out for the cleat? Get two sizes larger than your cycling shoe
size?

The Gore-Tex socks are pretty thin. The only adjustment I make is to
leave the shoe straps a little looser than normal. I didn't need to
do a cut-out to fit the cleat, the Gator booties were already cut
out.

I have the REI brand GoreTex socks, which are a little clumsy
fitting. If I had it to do again, I think I'd buy the Sugoi brand
instead. Their stuff fits very well:

http://tinyurl.com/5b3jk

--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

Terry Morse said:

My method for cold rain (inside layer to outside layer):

- SmartWool socks
- GoreTex oversocks
- Standard ventilated bike shoes
- fleece of neoprene booties

The shoes get wet, but my feet never do. To dry out the shoes
overnight, I hang them on a hook inside the water heater closet.
Works like a charm.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

On drenching rain commutes I wear a waterproof jacket and pants and if
it were cold enough goretex ski gloves with neoprene gloves underneath.
I figure my feet are going to get soaked anyway so I don't bother trying
to keep them dry. I pack a change of clothes in a garbage bag and change
at work. If my socks are still soggy when it's time to go home I just
wear my dry pair that I brought along. I should point out that where I
live the climate is similar to living in Florida. The coldest it gets is
around 7 degrees celcius.

Kenny

Claire Petersky said:

Riding in the rain ain't so bad, and it works the opposite -- you'll be less
likely to get sick if you are clearing out your lungs and nose in the cool
air, than if you are walled in with other people, who are just bristling
with germs.

And you know what I say about indoor trainers...

"They'd better have big pecs"?

--Blair
"It's like kissing your derailleur?"

Peter Cole said:

Tomorrow (Boston) should be this season's first really cold, wet ride --
temps around freezing, wet snow/rain.

BT, DT, almost died on the Harvard Bridge because water
on my glasses kept me from seeing the missing cover-plate
for the expansion gap.

--Blair
"But I've told that story before."