It’s been raining a lot recently. Something the news loves to report on. If you haven’t had a few days off the bike thanks to floods and high winds, I personally think you’re a lucky rider.
Could there possibly be anything good about all this rain? Let’s see…
You get cool points for riding through it
Riding a few miles from the station in torrential rainfall might not seem like too much of an ask for the average cyclist, but to many non-cyclists this is like completing a seriously high risk and demanding operation. Here’s how to milk it:
Step 1: Ride to work in heavy rain, if you can, keep the journey short to limit the price you have to pay, unless you plan on revealing your mileage.
Step 2: Arrive at work swinging bike light/helmet/rolling up waterproof or presenting other visible symbols or riding in.
Step 3: Wait for the shock, and be ready to bask in the glow of your colleague being impressed that you two-wheeled your way through the torrents.
Step 4: Look concerned as the gales begin to get stronger around 4pm, suggest it may be safer if you leave early and work from home a little this evening.
Score!
It’s good weather for testing waterproofs
Here at London Cyclist we pride ourselves on providing a thorough review of gear when we put it through its paces, and wet weather gives us a great opportunity to get absolutely soaked, or, if we discover a miracle material, to stay totally dry and shout about it.
To see the sorts of reviews we do, check out these pieces on the Endura Gridlock II jacket and trousers.
Waterproof kit can be pretty expensive, so if you’ve paid above the odds for some really sensational kit, now is the time to really get the full benefit from your spend.
It’s a good excuse to stay indoors all day and eat Christmas leftovers
I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve got a turbo trainer in my flat and an awful lot of leftover Christmas food. What better way to spend a weekend than to jump on the turbo in the morning, cram in what would be a Saturday 4 hour ride into a 90 minute high intensity session, and then snuggle up on the sofa to write, read, and eat chocolate most of the day? After a few weekends spent this way, cabin fever may begin to settle in, but for now it’s quite cosy hibernating inside.
It’s a great time to play bike engineer
If you’ve any interest in bike engineering, now is your time. How about creating some sort of device that collects rain water in a bike basket, then using pedal power to convert it into either drinking water, or a clown-like spray to direct into the path of wayward pedestrians, or even worse, potential “car door” offenders?
Maybe you could go one better, and add some sort of waterproof skirt to your bike, or even a sail to help you along in the gale force winds?
It might actually rain itself out
Britain has been littered with flood warnings for weeks now, we’ve seen 50mph+ gusts, trees down, mile high waves smashing the coast and more. I’m no weather-lady, but I’m pretty sure there can only be a finite amount of rain in the actual sky, which means it’s only logical that the rain will soon stop! Of course, we’ve now had more than our fair share of rain, so I’m absolutely certain we’re in for a dry summer. Best get the suncream ready.
On a more serious note, if you are worried about riding in the wet – take a look at our piece on wet weather riding.
Your tyres look great after a ride in the rain….
As an ex-London Cyclist now resident in Spain can I say that the last few weeks have been delightful. Today (7 January) the sky was blue and the temperature reached 20 centigrade at lunchtime. Just two hours away from Gatwick.
We will soon be living an hour and half from London… The best solution of this awful British weather… can’t wait:)
I’d rather have mild, wet and windy weather over bitterly cold. I actually love riding in the rain, keeps my legs nice and cool 🙂
I don’t really mind the rain to be honest as long as it’s not near freezing temperatures which it hasn’t been this winter so far. You just get a bit wet (or occasionally very wet).
The upside for me is whether you’re arriving at work or getting home you really feel wide awake and invigorated from a bit of rain. So I wouldn’t want it everyday but every now and then it’s almost enjoyable.
The wind however… not so keen on that when cycling….
I’m not to bothered by the rain, even with the complete failure of my sealskinz socks and gloves. It is the gale force winds that have been doing my head in.
It’s good because the road gets washed clean of all the dirt and muck.