Hello, Does anyone purposely go out to ride trails or dirt roads in heavy rain? I know the forecast for tomorrow is 100% rain and I was planning on riding dirt forest roads. I have to ride ~73 miles of mostly paved roads (includes ~25 miles of Interstate Hwy). My reasoning: I haven't ridden off road in two weeks and it's killing me to be out there Maybe it'll even be fun - I've ridden in rain many times on the road - wasn't the worst thing I've ever experienced - beats being in the office any day I have "good" and proven wet-weather gear I realize it'll be slick out there, especially with my OEM "Trail Wing" tires but with that in mind and no schedule, what's the worst that can happen? It would seem there would be experiences of "light rain" or perhaps "no rain" so, maybe this could be a great experience after all. My wife thinks I'm a little crazy - that doesn't bother me but with a clean and well lubed chain, will all the water and dirt from a long ride . . . never mind, I can get more chains/sprockets. Oh - one last question, which helmet? I have on road and off road to pick from and I was thinking they both have advantages for wet weather. Thanks, RS
I like riding in the rain yet a find very few that do. -take a old gogle lens and tape it to extend your visor -tape off your helmet and visor vents -get those covers that go over your barkbusters to keep gloves fairly dry -plan on getting wet and learn to love it, wet dirt is awesome... -also smooth power delivery is criticall, steer with your rear brake and be carefull not to tweek a knee cause you slide out when not expecting brappp
"My wife thinks I'm a little crazy" They all do that. I used to enjoy playing in the rain and mud.......now.....not so much.
I don't care to ride the Interstate when it's raining. And I hate being caught on steep single track during a storm. But everything else is great, especially gravel. I'm headed out in an hour and will be out all weekend - looks like it will be a wet weekend up here in western NC.
Not in AZ. If its raining, it's flash flooding in every wash!! The day after is always epic though.. Psycho
Depends. On the West side of the Cascades, if it's raining when I get there I'll ride. Or if there's some chance of rain I'll go. If I know it's going to be a mess I'll probably think of something else to do. On the East side, I and most of my friends will drive up to 200 miles to ride that sweet, sweet, wet desert If it's pouring when I get to the Starvation Ridge track though (on the east side), I'll turn around and go home. Not worth it, never again The weather forecast has to be read differently from one side to the other too. 20% chance of showers in the NW means it's pretty much guaranteed to storm. 80% chance of rain on the East means it will still probably be a dust bowl.
Working on farms, I have often ridden off road in the rain. I cannot say it is what I prefer, but when needs arise I am not bothered by a little liquid sunshine.
They always say roads are slipperiest 10 minutes after the rain starts - when the water combines with the oil on the pavement. Honestly, I like riding off-road in the rain as long as it isn't too cold and the puddles aren't too deep. Take care on those roads though!
NOAA.gov (LINK) for days had been predicting either 100% or near 100% rain but today, the weather was really awesome. I did change my route and took off west instead of north. I only encountered a very brief sprinkle, maybe lasted about two minutes. I already posted this photo from today's ride but here it is:
Got up at first light in March / April, and went out by motorcycle to check the cattle on the common next to Worth Farm, high in the hills of Exmoor National Park in England. Occasionally raining, sometimes even a bit of sleet or snow. Counted and checked that all seventy cows were present and ok, then headed up to the lambing shed to help feed the ewes and do any other chores necessary there, before heading back to the homestead for breakfast at about 9.00 AM. Spent much of the day after that on a tractor, taking ewes and the three day old lambs out to the fields. Sorry, no photos; that was back in the '90s, before digital cameras became ubiquitous. The best I can offer is this screen shot from Google Maps:
My issue with riding in the rain is being able to see. I hate the steam inside my goggles and the drops on the outside. After a little bit I am basically blind. I love it other than that. DD
A buddy and I recently left in the rain on a dual sport ride, with plans to tent camp and ride the next day. Rained pretty much the whole time and we still had a blast. Made for a few reroutes though, but that's part of the adventure! My write-up is posted at: [thread=881009]The Roxy Report[/thread]. It's the one called "Natural Falls Ride". Happy Riding!
