[Closed] Fair weather riders!

Sounds like he's still prepared to pay his share, and one less means more room on the bus...

A young training doctor was shocked recently when I turned up at the surgery in waterproof clothing having cycled to the docs in heavy rain. Some people just think cycling is just for nice weather.

Don't think I've ever ridden BPW when it's been dry. And when I commuted, it was literally in all weathers.

I will adjust routes if the weather is going to be bad sometimes (like not riding Cut Gate if it's pissed it down for a month) but generally I get that little time to ride at the moment I'm not going to miss it 'cos of a little bit of precipitation.

Sounds like he’s still prepared to pay his share, and one less means more room on the bus…

Thing is if he dosent go then the other person who was traveling with him has to drive on their own and take the fuel hit which means instead of spending £30 on fuel they will have to spend £60

Tell him to look at the BBC weather now. It's showing dry for Merthyr Fri/Sat/Sun.

I thought it just rained 24/7 at BPW and any hints of sun in videos or pictures was very good photoshopping/CGI by students from Cardiff?

Yeah, my two riding partners always shy off if it’s going to rain. Snowflakes.

I am now a fair weather rider after 29 years of riding in everything nature can chuck at me. Initially it was fun, masochistic maybe but still fun. However.....
If I'd arranged a ride like the OP has, I'd still go cos I HATE letting people down whov'e gone to any 'trouble/effort doing so & I see it as bad manners & a bit disrespectful to cry off for anything other than an emergency. The threat of getting wet isn't an emergency.
This is why I only ride with my fair weather pal. Wev'e just sold the factory that made the T shirts that say, 'I ride in all weathers'. 🙂

Riding in the rain is shit. Mind you, so is paying to ride your bicycle.

I'm a fair weather MTBer, I just don't enjoy it and I can't be arsed with the clean up afterwards.

I'll ride on the road in any weather, my road bike is dressed in mudguards year round at the moment, I'm planning on making them better at being QR, but I hardly notice them anyway, after 3 years of commuting it feels weird not having guards on.

I'm turning more fair-weather as I get older. If it's torrential when I stick my head out in the morning then I am more likely to bail these days or head for sheltered trails like the local Drumlanrig. Off to ride in Arizona and New Mexico in a couple months so hoping this won't be relevant there 🙂

Off road - any weather.

On road - if there is a lot of spray about, I usually don't bother as I worry about visibility and crap drivers a bit.

Some people just think cycling is just for nice weather.

That’s me 👍

I have a car for when the weather is bad.

To be fair I don’t like going out in wet weather, however sometimes it can be good fun splashing through puddles.

Most of the time it just creates mess, wears your bike and clothing out and isn’t fun

I was starting to get a bit fairweather after the sensational weather of the last 12 months or so, but the wettest ride in living memory at Glentress on Saturday has cured me of that now.

Awesome fun and wish my local trails held up that well after a drenching.

I'm the opposite of Prawny, I rode on the road a lot, through all weathers - I'm now old, no longer racing so no longer have the desire to go out in the freezing or the bad rain.
I'd be more inclined to go mountain biking in the wetter colder weather. This time of year the rain isn't really an issue, its when its 2 degree's, 20mph winds and pouring down that I may cry off.

Everybody to there own I commute all year around what ever the weather and work outside so if its peeing down on Saturday or Sunday I don't bother I raced MTBs in all weathers for years so if you are only riding for fun like myself then its not that much fun in the rain after 32 years of it.

Depends.

I'm lucky and ride fairly regularly or at least have access to group rides almost every day of the week (friday is the only one without something organised). So if it's raining I can just sack it off.

OTOH if I'm committed to a ride I'll go out in the rain.

Surely riding at BPW in the rain isn't that bad, it's not like you have to sweat to the top in waterproofs!

Depends, my all day mountain biking passes are limited these days. So if I've got a ride planned especially if its a group then unless its absolutely minging I'll be going.

Casual rides on my local trails when i have a couple of hours spare on the other hand I tend not to bother if its wet.

Off road commute - anything
Road - anything but ice or fog if it's a club ride, niceish weather if alone
Off road for fun - nice weather - but anything if I rode with others

I definitely fall into the fair weather road riding camp, in fact I'm there again this afternoon, got shift finished very early for a Wednesday but there are rain clouds dropping water on and off over Bishop's Waltham; Hinton Ampner; Butser Hill; South Harting; Steep.

I cycle commute in all weathers again these days on the Wazoo, but it's less than 5 miles each way.

Unless there is ice on the pavements, I have to deliver mail in all weathers for up to ~5 hours.

It might be just over two years old now and I still need to buy an (M5x25mm?) bolt that Cube didn't supply with the v2 Cube Attain Disc mudguards for the seat stay mount, but I simply don't like the idea of getting my nicest ever bike covered in wet grit... Especially the drivetrain, when replacement Shimano 105 chainsets/cassettes/chains are ~£90/35/15 on a good day.

If money was not so tight, I'd buy a "wet weather" relatively cheap hydraulic disc road bike, albeit "cheap" bikes with this spec under £1k are like gold dust these days as prices have gone up (like with most things) since that silly Referendum we should never had had.

@n0b0dy0ftheg0at sounds like you need to check out the Planet X London Road.

One of my favourite ever commutes/rides was in the pouring rain where me and a colleague raced the entire 3 miles home without ever saying a word and laughing the whole way. I am sometimes swayed by the weather but not if it would put someone else out of pocket as the OP says.

I'm 50/50 on this one. If it's a planned ride I'm going, if I'd just planned to go to the local trails on my own, maybe not. I guess what would really sway me is how much I'd been out recently. If its snowing I reach for the fat bike and I am gone.

I love weather. Whatever it does. As long as it changes. Living in the middle east teaches you that. If you don't like rain move to Saudi. Lovely and dry. Shitty riding though 😉

My work colleagues can't understand why I choose to ride into work even when it's forecast rain, to the point where I am being questioned about my car (licence/my tyres/road worthiness), I'm like, wtf is this, really, there's no other reason other than I just don't mind riding in.

@chakaping we were there on Saturday too, quite frightening how wet we got. I had uplift booked for Hoppy jr and Mrs Hoppy, I was soaked through completely after 2 runs down from buzzards nest, quite how I got them out again in the afternoon I don't know.

It did mean I had to do a comprehensive clean on 3 bikes and in the less than 24 hours between leaving and unpacking once we got home chains were starting to rust, kit was totally minging too.

Commuting: every single day regardless of weather, spiked tyres for winter ice.

MTBing: big days out I don’t have an issue getting wet/muddy in the least. But I’ve got to drive 25min to my local trails - I’m not adverse to a bit of rain, but it’s a PITA getting utterly soaked for the sake of a 90min-or-less ride, then having to get back in the car. Don’t mind full-on winter muck ground conditions though!

@chakaping we were there on Saturday too

It was so wet it was funny, eh? I had to empty water out of my jacket pockets at one point.

Bike finished cleaner than when it started though!

Ride in the rain? No chance, I like it dry and dusty and warm. I only book these sort of places a few days in advance to guaranteed it will be dry.
Mtbing is a summer hobby.

Trail centres aside I think all mtb’ers have a responsibility to consider their riding when the weather is poor and the ground soft. Some natural trails I used to ride have over the years been ruined by too much riding over wet winters and when the ground is wet and waterlogged. The trail erosion is a few orders of magnitude greater when the ground is soggy. I’ll head for trails that are harder packed and better drained when it’s wet and soft, like trail centres, rather than the better natural trails in order to try to preserve them.

But I am a fair weather rider anyway. Don’t mind a bit of drizzle or a shower but pointless going out in the pouring rain. Though if i’d booked BPW i’d man up. Having said that more often than not when i’ve cried off a ride based on the forecast it turned out to be fair weather so ended up kicking myself, so it seems that more often than not fortune favours the brave.

Ride all year round in any weather, though as age increases I have used the weather as an excuse when I really just can't be bothered. Some of the funniest/most memorable rides have been in the worst weather.
But I do find myself turning into some kind of grumpy old man every Summer when the usually empty trails are suddenly full of people on shiny bikes trundling around very slowly! I'm all for encouraging new riders to the sport, but where were you in February when it was freezing, p!ssing down and you can't get enough traction to go downhill without peddling?? I think I've earn't an uninterrupted blast down a dry and dusty trail on a hot summers evening!
*I am aware this makes me sound like a ***k.

I was out in the Manx100 race last Sunday in the absolutely crazy amount of rain we had over here. It was crazy, wet, windy, cold, but in a way I'm glad I did it. The bike didn't even really need much of a clean as it was so wet the mud did not stick.

I'm no fairweather rider but uplifts can be miserable in the rain- too much standing/sitting around and it's a long day.

I'm fair weather when it comes to road riding but I usually do that from home and I don't like to set off in the wet. Mtbing usually involves traveling so I will just get on with it regardless off conditions, in fact riding in the wet is often more fun. As long as I've go some dry underpants to change into at the end it's all good!

Any weather is fair game for me except strong wind. Nothing’s worse than pedalling and getting nowhere. I avoid roads apart from linking up the not road bits.

No such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing! (And maybe a lack of mental fortitude...)

Some of my most enjoyable rides have been so-called hideous weather.

Hate going out if it’s raining but ok if it rains mid ride.
Will also avoid off road if it’s been very wet in run up to ride. I just don’t enjoy riding in filthy conditions. Been riding 30 years and I had enough rides in those conditions to last a lifetime.

As for mountain biking being a summer pastime I'd couldn't disagree more. I exclusively ride off road in the winter as 1. I've had a couple of falls on icy roads when winter road cycling.
2. I have the trails all to myself
3. There's no brambles, midges, clegs nor nettles in the winter
4. It is more challenging than summer riding

One year I was riding down Spooky woods in fresh snow drifts and was falling all over the place whilst laughing our heads off, my pal and I both agreed that although it was the slowest we'd ever ridden Spooky woods it was the most fun.

Best trail conditions for me after when the weather has been dry for a week or 2 then it has a brief rain shower. Just the right balance of grip and slip.

If we've got a big ride planned my pals agonises over the weather as the date of the ride gets closer yet unless it was crazy dangerous weather we'd still be doing the ride.

I generally try to ignore the weather and just enjoy the ride, if it just happens to be good weather when I'm out on my bike then that is a bonus

I ride all year round, but as others have said if it's raining I'll give that quick after work spin a miss. Likewise I won't head off into great unknown in bad weather, been there got the t-shirt. But if I haven't been out for a few days and the forecast doesn't look like changing I'll man up and ride on or off road in more or less anything. In Wales raining for 40 days and forty night's doesn't only happen in hhe Bible 💦💦💦

Riding in the wind does suck, which is a problem since I'm on the Isle of Man where it is always windy. It does reset your wind tolerance level on what is acceptable for riding vs no way.

Only time I don't ride my bike is when it is zero degrees and likely to be ice on road. Have fallen off due to ice 3 times and didn't enjoy any of them so now don't risk it.

I was 12 miles from home on Tuesday when the heavens opened. Just wearing thin roadie top. I put the rain jacket on and took it off again as I preferred being soaked to boil in the bag.
I got a few PRs on the way back, even into a headwind. Needed a shower to get dry but at least the bike is clean.

If you follow IMBA's advice we should all be fairweather riders,

Do not ride muddy trails...

The IMBA with their finger on the pulse as always! For an apparently international organisation they don't seem to understand that in some countries rain is almost a permanent thing.

Some days I just can’t be bothered with getting wet cold and muddy.

Initially it was fun, masochistic maybe but still fun.

There are certainly weathers that you need to be slightly masochistic to ride in, regardless of preparation. However, riding in the rain during the summer can be an absolute pleasure and really quite refreshing. Everyone finds pleasure in different things of course, I just think that providing you're dressed well, there's little, if any, discomfort at all in a wet summer ride. Winter is a different kettle of fish altogether.

That said. Had I paid 3 or 4 grand for a bike, and I was sat looking at it sparkling in the corner of the room, I'd be very reluctant to take it out and throw it around in the mud. Thankfully I have an old shitter, so I just leave it caked in mud and let it rust.

I do ride in the wet, but I ride enough (getting on for 4k miles a year, which isn't mega mileage but it's enough for me) that if it's raining I'm comfortable with saying I'll leave it for another day. Happy riding when it's really cold too, provided it's not icy and I'm on the road bike.

In terms of big trips, the situation the OP describes is probably a problem with BPW as a paid for, bookable venue. When I've been away this year I've gone where the weather forecast is good and kept things flexible. My last trip was up to Kintail, it was supposed to rain in most of Scotland but not there. We rode there on the Saturday, then Sunday's forecast was bad so we headed to Aviemore where it was dry. If I'd had to pay a lot of money to ride there then I'd have felt more duty bound to have a less good time riding in the rain there than somewhere dry.

Also, £60 in fuel to get to BPW? In my car that's almost 500 miles! You're travelling too far to ride it.

[Victor Meldrew]

Got home from work very early for a Saturday, but wanted to relax for an hour or so, before contemplating even going for a gentle ride for 2+ hours.

It felt really humid all morning, but forecast all saying it should be dry until at least 1900.

Start getting ready, to find rear tube is almost flat. Slow puncture or sticky valve that was not screwed in properly? Inflate to ~85PSI and see what happens over ~15mins.

Transferred chilled water to bike bottle.

Check Wunderground for real-time weather, SEasterly breeze... But rain cloud band on edge of city has been slowly moving North West towards Butser Hill...

Look outside, it's raining!

I don't believe it!! 🙁 😡
[/Victor Meldrew]

Guess it's a turbo ride then before dinner. 🙁

Commuting, any weather, with the exception of very strong winds. In all honesty, it's preferable in bad weather as there's a shower waiting when I get to work. It's nice to start the day clean and dry. One of my favourite bad weather rides to work involved an older chap complementing me on riding in in the snow.

Planned rides with friends, totally depends on the route. We'll see what the forecast is and often see on the day. We'll not do sensitive trails, sometimes may just go to a hardier location.The localish Indoor skatepark was used regularly over winter, and now Dirt Factory in Manchester is up and running, that may be a nice wet weather alternative not to far from us in Sheffield.

Too hot to ride today. 36c. Got the wife to drop me on top of the mountain for a 3 mile downhill and 5 mile along train track to get home.
Now drinking lots of beer.

I'm with the OP's mate. Riding in the rain is miserable and I really hate it, especially if travelling a long way knowing there is a high chance of rain. Its just not fun. Walking in the rain is fine but riding in the rain is not for me. On a very rainy day I'd rather sit on the turbo than go out.

If the trip is booked and he's paying his fair share still then its not a problem.

I'm not jumping to any conclusion here but some people genuinely struggle in different weather. Look up Autism and sensory overload. Weather is just one part of it.