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Sizing up wet roads

07.04.2010 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

This post may be coming a few days late — at least in Central Texas. We’ve had nearly a week of heavy rain, courtesy Tropical Storm/Hurricane Alex. For those of us who have to get out on the bike, it means we had to ride in wet conditions.

My wife approaching our neighborhood on a recent wet ride.

My last major crash came because of wet roads. Ever since, I prefer not to ride if it’s raining. But often, I get out out on the road when the rains come. So we might as well learn to deal with them.

It’s a good idea to test the road surface first. We all know (I hope) that roads are slipperiest when the rain has just started, because it brings oil to the surface. After the rain has been around awhile, it washes that oil away.

So, you might want to start your ride in the wet by standing on the pedals to accelerate quickly. If your rear wheel slips, you know the road surface offers less traction. Be careful.  Greg LeMond used to test the surface by taking one foot out of the pedal, and sliding the rear wheel out while stopping to see how much traction the roads would give.

Do your braking well before you enter a turn. Remember that it will take longer to slow down because your brake pads are skimming water from the rims. But don’t brake while turning.

If the road is clear, try to take the turn on a wide arc. That has the effect of straightening the curve. Be smooth about it.

Lots of riders (myself included) try to keep the bike upright, but lean their bodies into the turn. Pro cyclist Davis Phinney says that’s not necessary. Lean both bike and body, he says — just do it gently, and not as far as you usually would.

In fact, slick road tires probably offer more traction than knobby MTB tires, because more tire is in contact with the pavement. However, it is commonly recommended to lower the air pressure in your tires on wet days. I bring mine down about 10 pounds in each tire, and have had good results.

It’s also been my experience that I’m more likely to have punctures in wet conditions, because the road gunk you pick up tends to stick to the tire. So a piece of glass or metal that you might throw off after one revolution in dry conditions might stay on the tire for several rotations — and that increases the likelihood that they will punch through the tread.

Road surface makes a difference. Concrete is better than asphalt. Chip seal is pretty good, because the rough surface gives the tires something to grab. Old asphalt is better than new asphalt. When I crashed, I was turning from an older chip sealed road onto a recently-asphalted residential street. Water collected on the surface of the new asphalt. When my tire hit the new stuff, it slid out from under me.

Be wary of metal surfaces like manhole covers, or flat metal sheets in road repair areas. They’re as slick as ice. So too, for the raised paint that marks traffic lanes. Two riders in the Tour de France prologue were knocked out of the Tour because they hit those raised traffic lines.

Riding in the wet may not be the pleasantest way to spend time on the bike, but it doesn’t have to be a ride-stopper, either. For me, the biggest problem riding in the rain isn’t the road surface, but keeping my glasses clear. Any ideas to help with that?

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Categories // Technique Tags // rain, Technique

Lesson #11: Turn slowly in the wet

11.08.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 7 Comments

Just adding here to the Top Ten Lessons enumerated in the previous post.

Our B ride took a 38-mile route today in nice autumn weather, but the weather deteriorated as the ride progressed. We started in fog and temps in the low 60s (17°C). A little more than halfway through the ride, the rain started falling. We were about 16 miles from home, and wanted to waste no time getting back.

The four of us on the ride headed out in the downpour, and actually caught a much larger ride at an intersection two miles down the road. But those folks dropped us, and one of our own riders peeled off to head home by a different route.

One of the riders with me started cramping, and dropping back. We were on a two-lane blacktop with no shoulder, and I wanted to turn into a residential subdivision where he could take it easy while we made our last several miles home.

I braked before the turn into the subdivision, then turned. My front tire gleamed from the amount of water on the asphalt, even though the rain had subsided by now. I watched the wheel as it slid out from under me, and I went down hard. Unlike previous crashes, I didn’t have the out-of-body experience where I watch myself fall and tell myself what must be done. I just hit hard on my right hip, and slid along the pavement. My helmet clacked against the hard surface. Two water bottles shot out in different directions. The rider immediately behind me maneuvered between me, a rolling bottle, and my bike — and managed to stay upright while doing it.

Several drivers stopped to ask if I needed help, but once I got to my feet, I felt all right. Road rash on the knee, my hip really hurt, but the most bothersome thing was the soreness in my right shoulder. Although I could move it, and raise my arm over my head, I knew that would be the problem area. A cursory examination of my helmet revealed no cracks, so we mounted up and soldiered on.

Back home, I found that although my leg and hip stung from the road rash, the injuries were really quite minor.

Ow
Shin, left, and upper thigh, right.

The shoulder, which has no visible marks, is still sore, and I expect that it will be for several days to come. Neither my shorts nor jersey has any tears or scuffs.

Maybe it was the wet, maybe it was because I was going slowly when I fell — but the bike is OK. It’s all wiped down and ready for the next (upright) adventure.

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Categories // crash Tags // crash, rain

Riding in the rain

09.13.2009 by Ray Niekamp // 20 Comments

I carefully checked the weather forecast Saturday night, because it looked like we would be rained on again on Sunday morning. After a record hot summer, Central Texas has been drenched in rain over the last four days. And if it was raining Sunday, I wouldn’t be riding.

I sent out an e-mail blast to the club to advise them of that fact, and that if people did show up in the rain, I wouldn’t be there to lead the ride.

The forecast said 60 percent chance of rain. When I got up Sunday morning, the first thing I did was turn on the weather radar channel on TV. The area for a 60-mile radius was clear. I rode.

In fact, it was a terrific ride. My B group and the A group rode together for the first 10 miles. On one stretch of road through an upscale residential area, I almost hit 40 mph — and then a mile later, had to climb a killer hill.

I’ve never gotten up this hill without walking part way before, but I did today. While I rested with the others in the parking lot at the top, I felt exhilarated (between gasps for breath). If I had wimped out because of the rain, I would have missed that feeling.

On the last leg of our ride, a light mist fell, and on my short trip home from out post-ride gathering, a few raindrops pelted me.

Now that we’re coming into what passes for fall in Texas, there will be more rain to contend with. I don’t like riding in the rain. If it’s raining before I start my ride, I’ll scratch my ride plans and find something else to do.

But if it starts raining while I’m out riding, that’s a different story. I’ll just keep going. I might cut the ride short, if I’m in a position to do so, but that doesn’t happen often. So I just keep slogging along. The thing I dislike most about it is rain spotting my sunglasses. Vision can be seriously reduced when the glasses are awash with water.

How about you? Do you regularly ride in the rain? Any tips on handling it? Will you begin a ride in the rain, or do you wait, hoping it will clear up?

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Categories // Rides Tags // hills, rain

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