QUICK! What does Water RESISTANT mean?

"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.

On 5 Nov 2004 04:10:50 -0800, (Maggie) wrote:

"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.

I always ride on days when it rains. I have purposefully ridden in the dark
and rain, though on a bike trail. Do that a bunch of times and it will give
you a modicum of skill which -may- translate if you get caught in the city
in the dark and rain. Of course you wouldn't ride in the city unless
adequately actively and passively well-lighted.

-B

"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.


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In article ,
(Maggie) writes:

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.

It's not that bad, really, when you're ready for it --
fenders, rain cape, helmet cover, generator & supplemental
flashlight-battery lights ... green label Scotch Gard.
Maybe a pair of gaiters if the rain is more horizontal,
and bread bags over your socks, inside your shoes. And
a few plastic grocery bags stuffed in a pocket (for saddle
covers in case you have to park outside, but that doesn't
really work, so forget the plastic grocery bags after all.
Just wipe the saddle dry with your glove.)

Avoid the more problematic routes and try to stick to the
less traffic'd ways, because:

1) the rain cape keeps you from being able to hand signal.
(On the other hand the rain cape keeps your gloves dry.
Drier, anyways. Dry enough to wipe the saddle dry.)

2) the more shoulder-checking you do, the more likely you'll
get one of those big, stinging, blinding raindrops
rolling off your well-Scotch Garded helmet cover, right
in your eye.

3) typical rim brakes don't work as well when wet, so you've
got to [remember to] dry them frequently by semi-applying
them without actually stopping (keep pedaling while
semi-braking) until they regain their functionality.
Better to do that on Easy Street than on Gung Ho Way.
If your brakes squeal, you can have a little mischevious
fun, making drivers look to see who's wiping out.

I much prefer riding in rain than in fog when it's dark.
I don't like riding in fog at all.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

From the point of view of an Oregonian, water resistant means a wind
breaker :-)
Alan Acock

On 5 Nov 2004 04:10:50 -0800, (Maggie)
wrote:

"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.

Maggie (and everyone else) it was a huge success. The only problem was
that the waterproof gloves weren't. They ended up being a bit soggy
and cold. 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.

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.

It won't be as much fun riding through the rain going into work
though.

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.

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

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.