05-17-2018, 07:23 AM
(05-16-2018, 07:06 AM)The ferret_imp Wrote: BHeezy is right, but it's only water. I have ridden in every conditon mother nature has to offer and an all day rain is one of the worst. Thankfully all day rains are rare. Usually you are in and out of rain in an hour or so. Rain usually moves in cells with the prevailing wind. Good rain gear will stave off most of the hour or so rains, if you remember to put it on, but in an all day rain, where a weather front is " socked in" eventually it will get thru your face shield, your collar, your wrists, your boot tops and worst of all your crotch lol. Waterproof gloves are the hardest to find and truly waterproof ones are rarer than hens teeth so take two pairs of gloves. One that will get wet, and ones you can wear while the wet ones are drying. Sometimes for an all day rain, if you don't have a schedule, it's just better to get a room and sit it out. Start fresh the next day.
Slow down a bit, don't lean over as far, leave extra room for stopping, and you will soon get used to rain riding. It can actually be pleasant. Oh and after a day of riding in the rain, throw some lube on your chain.
A chain driven bike isn't the best not even good for long travelling in rain. The chain is runnig too often dry because the water washes the lubricatiion away sooner as you can imagine. I rode a lot in permant rain during my Scandinavia and Great Britain tours. Did I like it? Of course not that much. What should I do, gone there, rode there and made the best out of it. So I got used to it, always oiling the chain with doubtful results. Me and my bike got real dirty and I got an oiled bike in the rear in the end, but mostly a dry chain, something I don't like. The smoothness of a chain driven bike has gone away. When I renew the chain on my bikes, I try out wax based chain lubrication, should be more water resistent. I'm in a test phase now. The first bike is the Bullet.
A laminat covered jacket and trouser don't require special rain dress. I'm satisfied with special offers from Vanucci, some run out articles bought relatively cheap round about 2 years ago. Daytona GTX are my boots of choice and I use old Goretex leather winter gloves from Held mostly even in summer while touring. My hands are used to them. A jethelm with a visier let my head stay dry.
I do ride during rain periods especially while touring when I have no other choice and also do the camping thing in them. There is only one way to survive in them, you have to develop a very special kind of humor and enjoy the times when you and your material will get dry again in between rain attacks.
Wisedrum