Cycling in Rain

Rain comes from all directions when you're riding a bike: down from the sky, up from your wheels, and sideways, both driven by wind and splashed by cars. Rain can be a big deterrent for cyclists. Being prepared and having the right frame of mind can help out a lot. Therefore, before you even leave home, you should take steps to protect yourself and your clothes from all that water:

• Rain gear: Rain jackets made for cycling usually has built in vents to allow air intake and cool you off. Many hardcore cyclists usually wear some sort of cycling jacket with arm pit vents. It's hard to avoid splash back. If it's raining really hard, it's cold, and the roadway is gathering puddles, then put on a pair of rain pants and some waterproof booties over your shoes. An alternative is to put your feet in plastic bags and then into your shoes.

• Full coverage fenders on both tires: This will help keep you and others near you from getting splattered by water on the roads. Short clip-on fenders are worthless; they're a waste of money and you might as well ride without fenders. Full fenders help keep grit from getting sprayed into the moving parts of your bike, into your shoes, up your legs and your backside. While riding without fenders is more than doable, fenders will prolong the life of your bike components and make your rain cycling much more pleasant.

• A headlight and a tail light: Clean up your reflectors and add a headlight or a tail light. Being visible in rain can make a huge difference. Make sure that your bike is visible to other vehicles.

• Wider tires: The wider the tire, the better the grip. A 23C width tyre will be more suitable for wet conditions than a 19C or 21C. There are even 25C and 27C tires on the market that are made especially for wet and muddy conditions. But most modern day racing bikes are built with close clearance between the frame tubes and the wheels and will not accept anything wider than 23C, so check your bike out before purchasing anything wider than a 23C.

• Correct tire pressure: Regardless of your tire choice, check your tire pressure. A tire inflated to the recommended maximum will give lesser grip in rainy conditions than if it is inflated to the recommended minimum. In very wet conditions, inflate tires to the minimum pressure printed on the sidewall of the tire. In drier conditions, inflate the rear tire to half a bar more than the minimum recommended pressure.

• Disk brakes: Many of the commuter bikes available now at the bike shop come equipped with disk brakes. They're much less susceptible to fade from moisture than traditional rim brakes.

Once you're on the road, bear in mind the following tips:

• When your brakes become wet, your stopping time will increase a lot. Ride slower in wet weather, and practice braking if you're not used to it. Pump your brakes gently while going down hills; this will reduce your speed slightly and dry your tires a bit as you go.
• Puddles can be surprisingly deep and can conceal glass and bumpy things, so avoid them.
• Wet leaves are treacherous. Try to avoid riding through them, and especially avoid turning sharply on them unless you want to end up skidding through a messy puddle.
• Finally, remember that motor vehicles also have less control and visibility in wet weather, so pay special attention to what they're doing when it rains.

Once you're done with riding, incorporate the following tips:

• As soon as possible after a ride in the wet, clean and dry your bike. Pay special attention to the chain and once it is clean and dry, lubricate with a dedicated bicycle chain lubricant.
• Lightly lubricate all moving parts such as brake callipers and derailleurs. Lubricate gear and brake inner cables where they leave the outer cable casings. Clean in between the spokes where they cross to prevent holding water and causing rust.
• Extremely wet conditions can cause water to get in between the handlebars and the stem causing an annoying creak. Loosen the stem bolts that secure it to the handlebars and clean and dry both the handlebars and the inside of the stem clamp. Polish both surfaces before resecuring.

To avoid spray from other vehicles, first discourage them from passing you too closely and be cautious when you see huge puddles beside you; a car's wheel may go through it and create a huge splash.