Work kept me deskbound from dawn to dusk for several days last week, and when the pressure momentarily eased, I was understandably anxious to get outside. But the weather wasn’t exactly encouraging. The thermometer hovered around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and a chilly drizzle was fast becoming a cold rain. Still, I was determined to get away from my desk. So I saddled up and set off down a lightly traveled back road. This route has plenty of hills, but it’s not on the tavern circuit. On a Saturday afternoon that’s an important consideration.

I was riding my foul-weather bike, a much-modified Schwinn Sierra AL. The shock-absorbing seatpost is long gone, as are the original bouncy-castle saddle and the swept-back North Road bars. They’ve been replaced with stock mountain-bike kit, and the Sierra also sports wide Conti Town & Country tires and full fenders. The changes have made a good bike even better. And despite the cold rain, I was glad to be on the road, enjoying the pleasantly sweet smell of wet leaves and watching the jet of water shooting off my front tire. I wasn’t gone long—there was more work waiting for me on my desk—but I returned feeling better for having braved the rain and chill.

Of course, my ride would have been less exhilarating if I hadn’t been prepared for the challenges of cold-season wet-weather riding. I’ve listed a few of them below:

• Rain-fogged glasses and mirror
• Numb extremities
• Chilly aluminum-alloy bar ends
• Gritty spray from passing cars
• Slippery road surfaces: wet leaves, oil slicks, metal-deck bridges
• Brakes that let you down when you need them most
• Fans of sand and gravel at intersections and driveways

The remedies are (mostly) simple:

• A gloved finger makes a good windshield wiper, and a helmet visor or brimmed cap keeps rain off your glasses
• Gloves and overboots protect your extremities, while a well-ventilated rain jacket and carefully chosen layers insulate your body core, and a head band or watchcap keeps your ears toasty

Of course, your bike needs to be properly dressed, too:

• Lengths of old inner tube can be used to insulate bar ends
• Fenders keep much of the road grit off your drive train (and you)
• V-brakes beat the competition hands down, but they need good pads—and you still have to anticipate stops
• As important as it is to see what lies ahead, you also need to be seen. Mount lights front and back
• Small mechanical problems loom large when it’s cold and wet, so be sure you carry the tools you’ll need for roadside repairs. A compact survival kit in a rack trunk isn’t a bad idea, either.

Lastly, remember that your ride doesn’t end when you get home. You’ll need to wipe down your bike with a dry rag and relube the drivetrain. And if you ride regularly in foul weather, plan to clean youir bike and drivetrain much more often than you do when the sun shines.

Sound like a lot of trouble? It is. But unless you’re determined to hibernate till next June, it’s worth it!

 
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