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We rode Penmancho on Friday. It started raining as we left the car park and never bloody stopped!!! And boy was it wet! The melting snow turned the singletrack into streams.
The waterproofs gave up the ghost after a couple of hours and in the end I couldn't feel my hands or feet. It was just miserable. No fun at all for the last few miles
I was meant to be out riding Calderdale today, but the prospect of another dousing is keeping me glued to the sofa with a coffee and the heating on 🙁
Anyone else?
no.....you soft manc shyte........ 😉
try some of these [img] 
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i dont mind the cold and rain, you can protect against them, its the condition of the trails that were anoying me, as soon as the trail is flat you upside down or going sideways,
Binners - I'm with you mate. I've got bad circulation and a total dousing (once it gets through everything) ruins a ride for me and make me dread the next one. All I end up thinking isfor the last 10 miles is "oh my god I'm so cold" When you cannae even bend your fingers enough to pull the brakes, it's not a good ride....wrist braking is never good.
I'll happily go out in the rain, but not if it's gonna rain ALL day on a Sunday epic. No thanks, 2-2.5 hours in the rain is enough for me.
I reckon I may be turning 'Southern' Ton 😀
I'm contemplating a jaunt up Rivi later if it stays dry. I really can't be bothered getting soaked again. I've just taken my soggy stinking gear out of the bag from Friday. Its so wet its like I'd just thrown it in a particularly muddy bath
😆
I really suffer on cold/wet rides and riding looses its appeal. All feeling disappears from hands and feet & when circulation comes back ouch! Downhills loose their thrill when you can't work the brake levers. I avoid plunging into deep puddles and streams for this very reason. I'm envious of those who always seem to have warm extremities though 
you guys need to get some natural insulation.
pork pie, bread and drippin, bacon butties all help with this.......... 8)
Binners/Daffy my circulation is not great but a combination of MW80s, Gore Phantom and SealSkinz gloves has made an amazing difference to this winter's riding.
The worse cold feeling I had this winter was about a 7 out of 10 but last winter it was getting unbearable at times.
Ya big puff. Days like that just help you appreciate the good ones :p
pork pie, bread and drippin, bacon butties
Now that's a good old Yorkshire diet Ton 😉
Non sufferers will never understand the pain 🙁
I find it very hard to set off into the rain ( looks at of window and turns the heating up) but there is a lot of truth in " there is no such thing as the wrong weather for biking - just the wrong clothes"
Proper waterproofs keep you dry, decent gloves and your hands are warm etc etc.
Lowey. amen to that. If karma is for real then I've definitely earned a return visit when the trails are dry and dusty. The whole way round I was thinking 'this would be ****ing great in the summer!!'
binners I feel your pain.
Many a time we've been up to Penmachno and I've actually cried with the cold and wet.
Summer's coming, I feel it in my bones. So we'll do a SMM ride up there again, It'll all become a bad memory.
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I ride because I love it. I don't love riding in the pissing rain or on trails that resemble a pudding. With this in mind, I don't go out and ride when the weather is shyte and I don't ride trails that resemble puddings. It's not nothing to do with being soft, it's all about enjoying a pastime. If the weather turns on a ride, then I brace myself, get on with it and make the most of the rest of the day; but I 've never understood the folk who wander around with grim faces and grimly ride around the just because they [u]have[/u] to ride or because it somehow represents a lack of passion. If somebody genuinely enjoys that kind of thing, great, but watching riders depart and return to Glentress car park in the sideays rain tells me that the vast majority of them do so with a grim face. That's not passion; that's obsession. No thanks...
Darkside ride around Forth, Carnwath and along the A70 this morning which was great although wet.
The Kids were driving me nuts and the wife wants to paint the Kitchen again :cry:, Easter Mondays....You gotta love them.
If you got cold when you got wet, you weren't equipped appropriately.
HTH. 🙄
I have fessed up to being overly optimistic about conditions
Turns out I wouldn't have got far today as I seem to have completely ****ed my cranks on Friday from some of the hefty clouts they took. Just tried going for a local pootle and my crany arm fell off. They really are nackered!!! Oops!
Looks like I'm spending the afternoon looking for a new set of cranks then. Any recommendations for good deals at the moment. I'm skint 🙁
Almost new Truvativ FireX + GXP BB, email in profile if you're interested
Lowey's right!
Bloody fairy!I love riding in all conditions and feel a real sense of achievement at getting a ride in when the weather is shit .It feels more satisfying to be sat in the pub with a couple of mates after a character building ride.Then again we work outside all year round so are used to the weather I imagine it is harder for those people who are office based and not used to shit weather for most of the year!
When it continues to be foul weather, I take the mtn bike on the road.
With winter tyres, it's hard going as it feels slow & draggy (?) averaging 14mph but just keeping up a 150-ish bpm HR and going for 3hrs makes it reasonable training & you're out turning the pedals, ready for the dryer conditions.
I rode Pen' in October and said at the time that I'd not fancy those trails in the wet. Not a good choice of trail in the worst condidtions Wales can throw at you IMHO. Very exposed and I imagine wind-swept in places.
Having a lazy Monday here, day 4 of a 5 day detox, think I'll be going for a darkside later, I love riding but have to agree about the fact it can be no fun if it's chucking it down, if i get wet when I'm out fine, but I gain very little enjoyment from sliding around on porridge, and seeing as how with other commitments my free time is limited, I think I'd rather enjoy my riding, thank you, but each to their own and all that. Surely it's not when, how or what you ride, just that you ride that counts.
Many a time have I got back home with feet like ice blocks, dispite wearing seal skins socks (which are never quite up to the job of keeping water out). You mostly feel great once you've thawed out!
When you peak out of the window it always looks worse that it is - just get wrapped up and go!
I'll always look forward to dusty trails through - bring them on!!!
I've inspired myself - off out for a local blast, in what looks like a mega windy day on the Littleborough hills!
Any tips for keeping feet warm would be welcomed.
Flats and stout / walking boots!
That metal cleat / pedal is what makes the feet cold very quickly.
Have you thought about emigrating to somewhere nice and warm and sunny? 🙂
Riding DH in the wet can be fun with wetscreams on, but I just don't enjoy riding xc when it's wet muddy climbs are no fun at all and I rather stay inside. Despite the fact you can buy all of the kit it surely only makes a bad experience mildly better as it's not so much being wet and muddy that I dislike it's the fact that it look depressing out, being all grey, and the shear amount of work that you have to do when you get back to sort your bike and kit out.
Iain
Did a pretty wet CwnCarn uplift day on Friday it was brilliant really enjoyed it. Not ridden much XC/Trails in the wet recently but it's part of the sport, it would put me off if I only rode in the wet cold, but as I don't it's all good.
I've seen some trails ruined in the winter with riders trying to find a "dry line" and opening up lovely singletrack to a 3m wide mess. Just ride through the middle, you're going to get mucky anyway.
For about the first time ever, I did a real road ride today (rather than commute) with a couple of friends, and it was ace. Really enjoyed it, not as good as MTBing, but I didn't fancy going out and getting mucky after this on Saturday 🙂
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There's sage advice in this thread "it's never as bad as it seems" and "don't feel guilty if you don't want to go out in it". Truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Edric made a good point,most folk on here ponce around in offices.I've worked outside for 32 years,some days the weather getsto me,but generally it's rarely THAT bad
Penmachno is a short enough trail to blast round before you get cold.
Crap trails and weather is getting to me now. Roll on summer conditions please.
We’re coming to the tail end of February part 2, and of late I’ve been riding with at least one rider who is excellent in the mud (his wife also confirmed this to me!) so it’s been good to watch and follow more capable riders through the mire, making me in turn less cautious.
It’s the hoof prints that throw you off-line hereabouts not the mud per-se.
Conversely, one pal finally came out with us two weeks ago and was all over the place in the mud, even being thrown off on a descent. He was angry with his tyres and frustrated with his poor fitness: the moral being that if he’d ridden in the winter months he’d have been fine with his tyres, the mud and his fitness. He bailed out after an hour as he was out of his depth.
In February part 1, I took to the roads and kept a good fitness level that way. Pedalling for 3-4hrs without a break is not something we do off road, so it was a good set of training rides and one I’ll be continuing to do & can recommend too.
I think full length Lycra bibs are the way to go. Unlike the photograph above - 90% of my body was made in the North East but my ankles seem to have been made in Surrey! 😉
Funny thing, I saw the title of this thread and immediately thought of Penmachno about three years ago & being caught in the same situation, wind rain & cold. Underestimating the weather and being underdressed.
By half way round I was unable to work hard enough to keep warm. My sweat kept running into my eyes with the rain, making them sting & requiring a stop every 10 mins or so to clear. The most miserable I've ever been on a bike. Got back to the car, turned the heater full on, climbed into the hatch & shivered for 15 mins. Lesson learnt.
Indeed.If you got cold when you got wet, you weren't equipped appropriately.
Not true at all. Where on earth did you get that idea from?Penmachno is a short enough trail to blast round before you get cold.
thats penmachno for you!
its always wet, the trails don't drain properly (or haven't been built with this in mind)... its a shame really cause its an okay trail
i've ridden there after the dry spell we have last october and still got soaked
Rode there Saturday - not raining but still got soaked! 🙂
Just how long are people taking 'round the 2x loops?
Ti29er - MemberJust how long are people taking 'round the 2x loops?
About as long as they want to I guess?
Anyway what's all this talk of shite weather? Its been great since Thursday here in the NW corner of Cheshire almost bone dry all day & sunny most of the time. In between riding I have dried 5 loads of washing out on the line 🙂
Binners I was heading for Coniston this morning but turned back at Lancaster services when the torrential rain stole my enthusiasm, but the hastily arranged blast round Rivington was good, even though the uber-slippy-slidey Belmont descent kept me on my toes 😛
I can't get over your waterproofs "only" lasting a couple of hours... I [s]suffer[/s] make use of a similar layer of thermal insulation to Ton though. Always the last to notice the cold (oh, and I have only used it once, but a rash vest keeps you toasty even when wet through).
Ya softie! Us girls were out today in wind and rain, only saw one bloke out! 😀
Johnny,I got my idea from riding the place. It is short enough to blast round.There's been a liberal coating of ice on my last two visits.
If we waited for warm days and dry trails,we wouldn't get much riding done on our woderful island. Riding in the mud keeps you sharp.
as taken in soggy Yorkshire on Saturday:
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he's obviously [b]hating[/b] it 🙁
Is there a sound reason why some people choose not to wear some sort of eye protection?
Is there a sound reason why some people choose not to wear some sort of eye protection?
a) I don't like it
b) it's unnecessary
c) the eyelids and eyelashes already provide protection
The eyes are too sensitive & too easily damaged not to add simple protection IMHO plus we have only one layer of protection (my dogs, by way of a contrast, have two), plus eyelashes and closed eyes were never meant for cycling activities.
Its well documented my aversion to rain.
However I rode on Sat in vertical wind with hail/rain.
How I did it- British Army DPM jacket, two merino wool tops and a baseball cap under my helmet. **** who cares what that bit looks like- but it DOES keep the rain out of your face properly.
Young Dave riley - MemberJohnny,I got my idea from riding the place. It is short enough to blast round.
Penmachno takes me about 2 to 2.5 hours just for loop 1, so 3.5 to 4 for both I reckon, but to be honest the only time we've ridden both we cut out one section entirely (the clearfelled bowl just after you rejoin loop 1) as the weather was so awful we couldn't actually ride: one of the girls was literally blown off her bike into the ditch.
You're obviously quicker than me
As an aside - now that the worst of the February Part 2 weather has now abated - does anyone wear full length waterproof trews?
I've been eyeing up those w/proof over-shorts that would seem to be a good idea but the full length w/proofs I own for trekking seems like a hiding to gas mark 6!
PS - Rode Pen's 2x loops in 3hrs with lots of photo / video stops in October & thought it was magnificent.
Buffalo shirt and Sealskinz?
Simple answer, MTFU and get some lycra on instead of baggies. Baggies are cold when they are wet.
Did a cracking ride around Dent yesterday, got wet trough but was still warm and I was wearing, Lycra shorts, leg wwarmers, cycle top, gillet & arm warmers and gloves, helmet etc and was nice and toasty
"Penmachno takes me about 2 to 2.5 hours just for loop 1, so 3.5 to 4 for both I reckon" what...walking!!!!
Actually scrub that most of the people I saw on saturday would have been quicker walking-and while I'm ranting whats with stopping for mechanicals right in the middle of the trail!!! And stopping for a chin wag exactly at the point the singletrack ends at the fire road thereby blocking it off.Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
I should REALLY stay away from manmade trails.....
FWIW Binners, book a nice day and go back to Penmachno. Its my fav man made trail. I love it.
Hmmmm Glentress Red is mine then Penmachno.
Saying that I've never done the South Wales ones.
The eyes are too sensitive & too easily damaged not to add simple protection IMHO
I'll take my chances - the one time I nearly got something stuck in my eye it came in from the side where I doubt glasses would have made any difference.
plus eyelashes and closed eyes were never meant for cycling activities.
it's called "blinking"...
does anyone wear full length waterproof trews?
shorts all year round 🙂
I did the wettest ride on Friday, its been a while since I have ridden a REALLY wet one like that...BUT...IMO...
Its hard.
It makes you think why do I do it and sometimes it makes you want to stop doing it.
Once you have done it, you feel much better for having done it.
It does toughen you up. 😉
I will also be re-thinking about my kit etc
Over the last few years I just have the attitude I just dont care about the weather anymore, half the battle is in the mind...and simply getting outside..
Just get out and ride.... 🙂
FWIW, I’ve been reading about the Falkland’s Conflict and one of the reasons the Para’s, Royals et al did so well on the islands was, in one commentator’s opinion the British cold weather training was clearly superior to the Argies.
So don’t be too despondent, we, we wheeled few, are out there in all weathers, at all hours of the day & night, proving that the worst of the British weather can do pretty much what it damn well likes but it still won’t stop us hardened souls riding our bikes in it!
ps - I do believe the sun has got its hat on this week!
"eyewear"
Tend to ride slower on the slippery hills over-winter so seem to get less crap thrown off the front wheel and into my eyes, and my crud-guard and specs help a bit too.
As the trails dry out my speed increases and I get lots more crap hit me in the eye - very dangerous losing your sight at 20+ mph, having to slam the brakes on while blind and then clear it out. Even then I often return home and look in the mirror to see grit jammed into the corners of my eyes!
The fork-beef-flap is a good, cheap defence and a new one will be going on this weekend. But I've also just bought some close-fitting prescription Oakleys (£££). When they turn up, I hope they help.
The fork-beef-flap is a good, cheap defence
on Saturday everyone remarked that my face was clean and they were all like the shot above, despite having fork-flaps. I have a crud catcher zip-tied under my fork crown - it may be inelegant but it obviates the need for eyewear 🙂
"I have a crud catcher zip-tied under my fork crown"
Interesting but how does it not interfere with steering? Got a picture?
Geometry plays a big part.
My Giant VT2 threw everything into my face, regardless of the weather.
The 29er is my pal and so treats me with more respect & keeps me reasonably splatter-free.
Both have / had Crud carchers.
Now I need to invent a rear mud guard that works with bigger wheels as the Crud Catcher doesn't!
I can tell you one thing. I ****ing hate those bastard rear crudcatchers. I ripped the thing off this weekend as it keeps BRRR'ing on the rear wheel then coming off sideways/hanging off etc etc.
"BRRR'ing on the rear wheel then coming off sideways/hanging off"
Sounds like you have the wrong lump of rubber under the clasp and maybe could do with tightening it up. Love mine - keeps my bum comfy. Ugly things tho.