<\/p>
Knowing how to cycle in the rain and wet, slippery conditions is part of the job if you enjoy cycling, particularly if you live in the UK.<\/strong><\/p>\n Learning to cope with wet conditions could not only lead to more effective training sessions but also save precious time in races \u2013 this can be huge if your technique and confidence are high. We\u2019ll also reveal how to bike safer and lessen the chances of falling off.<\/p>\n Before we deal with the technical aspects of riding in the wet, let\u2019s consider your bike and how it should be set up for riding in the wet because this will have considerable influence on your performance\u2026<\/p>\n When you pump up your tyres, use around six atmospheres rather than the seven or eight that would more normally be used (or drop your pressure by 15-20psi). Lower tyre pressure<\/a><\/strong> will increase the surface area of your tyre on the road and will increase grip on corners.<\/p>\n Alternatively, you could also consider riding on wider tyres, such as 28mm, to increase the area in contact with the road.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Make sure your tyres grip well in the wet \u2013 most do, but some models (particularly the hard-wearing ones) can be more slippery. Whether or not the tyres have tread on seems to make little difference.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t race on brand new tyres in the wet. The process of manufacturing rubber can lead to a surface \u2018bloom\u2019 (thin surface layer) containing slippery elements like silicone that\u2019ll reduce grip.<\/p>\n Wear the tyres in a bit first by training on them. Also, make sure that your tyres are relatively cut-free and that there are no sharp stones or other objects in the tread before you start.<\/p>\n Caliper brakes take longer to work in the wet, so go for an aluminium wheel, where grip between brake and wheel is relatively high. Or upgrade to a disc-brake bike for better stopping power.<\/p>\n If you stick to caliper brakes, adjust them so that they\u2019re pretty close to the rim. This is because you\u2019ll need to pull harder on the brake levers when braking in wet conditions. Also, if you need to brake a lot, your brake blocks will wear down quicker in the wet.<\/p>\n Just make sure that you\u2019re accurate with the adjustment, as you don\u2019t want to adjust them so much that they rub on the rim, particularly at the back where you\u2019ll distort the rim every time you pedal.<\/p>\n Take your wheels out and inspect your brake blocks before you start. Prise out any stones or pieces of metal that may be lodged in them. Make sure that they\u2019re not too worn and that they still have the grooves in them that displace water when braking.<\/p>\n Keep your drivechain \u2013 front chainrings, chain, rear sprockets \u2013 clean and apply a light coating of water-repelling lubricant before you ride. Ensure that you avoid spraying or dripping any lubricant onto your tyres or wheel rims, though.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to judge the amount of kit you wear so that it\u2019s just right to avoid getting cold or too hot (both of which reduce performance). When training, wear enough to keep you as dry as possible and warm.<\/p>\n Modern cycling kit is often designed to achieve this. Windproof-fronted, breathable jerseys and good quality tights are readily available.<\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> Don\u2019t forget to protect your hands, feet and head, though \u2013 a lot of heat can be lost through these parts, even though they\u2019re small relative to the rest of you. Use overboots, gloves and hats as required.<\/p>\n Think about this when you\u2019re racing as well. Clearly, you want to spend as little time as possible during transition, but it\u2019s far better to lose a few seconds putting on another jersey and a pair of gloves than it is to lose minutes by freezing out on the bike.<\/p>\n A racing cape stuffed in your back pocket is always a good idea when training \u2013 an essential on longer rides \u2013 and racing. Capes are low weight and pack up small, but offer good protection against the wind and rain.<\/p>\n Your bike technique will make an enormous difference both to your speed and to your safety when riding in wet conditions. Let\u2019s deal with the critical aspects of technique in turn\u2026<\/p>\n Cornering technique is important to get right all the time but is especially important when wet. Ensure your centre of gravity is as low as possible by keeping your hands on the drops, lowering your shoulders, keeping your inside knee low and pushing down on the outer pedal.<\/p>\n Keep your body, head and bike in line as you lean into the corner. You\u2019ll not be able to lean as much as you can in the dry.<\/p>\n Keep the balance of weight equal between your front and back wheels \u2013 go too light on the front and it\u2019ll slide from under you. Concentrate on maximising the degree of curvature of the corner by approaching the corner wide, cutting in at the apex and exiting wide.<\/p>\n Brake before you enter the corner and not in it. There\u2019s much less tolerance on doing things wrong in the wet and much more likelihood of falling off. So make sure your technique is right on every corner \u2013 unless traffic prevents it.<\/p>\n You may also need to be careful when accelerating out of the saddle. Avoid wheel spin by keeping your weight back, particularly on steep hills.<\/p>\n When accelerating out of a corner, apply the power smoothly and keep an even weight distribution between front and back wheels. This will reduce the chances of your back wheel sliding out.<\/p>\n It\u2019s critical to have good anticipation when descending fast in the wet. This is because your brakes will be less effective so it\u2019ll take longer to slow down, and also because if you do brake too hard you may skid and fall off. So keep looking forward, and brake early and gradually.<\/p>\n When braking, mainly use the front brake and be careful about the amount of back brake you use so that you avoid skidding.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t pump the brakes. If your brake blocks are in good condition, they\u2019ll disperse the water on the rim quickly and avoid the film of water building up between the rim and brake block that cause brakes not to work well.<\/p>\n Feeling confident and being relaxed on your bike is important when riding at speed in the wet, especially on corners and descents. You\u2019ll be much safer and faster if you\u2019re feeling cool.<\/p>\n Build confidence by practising \u2013 you\u2019ll be surprised by how fast you can corner. If you\u2019re unsure, find someone who knows what they\u2019re doing and get them to help you.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll help you to realise the limits of you and your bike, and to optimise your speed. But it\u2019s better to be safe than to fall off.<\/p>\n Finally, be aware of the road under and approaching you. Wet drain covers, white lines, those shiny bitumen strips at the edges of road repairs\u2026 they\u2019re all slippery when wet. Avoid them!<\/p>\n Different road surfaces have different grip characteristics. Coarser surfaced roads are usually more grippy, while smooth surfaces are often more slippery. Avoid patches of diesel and oil on the road.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be tempted to ride through large puddles \u2013 however fun this may be \u2013 as there may be a big pothole in the middle. So practise hard and improve your technique. You\u2019ll be safer and much quicker.<\/p>\n Finally, revel on the rules of the Velominati<\/strong><\/a> (website who devise the rules of riding): \u201cFair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who ride in foul weather are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face. This is a rider who loves the work!\u201d<\/p>\n By Debbie Graham Published: Friday, 11 March 2022 at 12:00 am Knowing how to cycle in the rain and wet, slippery conditions is part of the job if you enjoy cycling, particularly if you live in the UK. Learning to cope with wet conditions could not only lead to more effective training sessions but also […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":10199,"template":"","categories":[1,23],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"7"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/03\/how-to-cycle-in-the-rain-and-cope-with-wet-conditions.jpg",600,440,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/03\/how-to-cycle-in-the-rain-and-cope-with-wet-conditions-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/03\/how-to-cycle-in-the-rain-and-cope-with-wet-conditions-300x220.jpg",300,220,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/03\/how-to-cycle-in-the-rain-and-cope-with-wet-conditions.jpg",600,440,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/03\/how-to-cycle-in-the-rain-and-cope-with-wet-conditions.jpg",600,440,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/03\/how-to-cycle-in-the-rain-and-cope-with-wet-conditions.jpg",600,440,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2022\/03\/how-to-cycle-in-the-rain-and-cope-with-wet-conditions.jpg",600,440,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Debbie Graham Published: Friday, 11 March 2022 at 12:00 am Knowing how to cycle in the rain and wet, slippery conditions is part of the job if you enjoy cycling, particularly if you live in the UK. Learning to cope with wet conditions could not only lead to more effective training sessions but also…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/10198"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to prepare your bike for cycling in the rain<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tyres<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Brakes<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Drivechain<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Clothing\/kit<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to cycle in the rain<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Cornering<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Out of the saddle<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Descending and braking<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to gain confidence in wet conditions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Road conditions<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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