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Rain here for as far as the forecast shows. No chance for the ground to dry out.
Garden is a swamp now too.
Has an awesome few weeks of dry/hot days. looking forward to June next year now.
Time to invest in a good fan for the turbo trainer.
Tonight's jobs are mudguards on my electrical bicycle and take my summer bike back to Mrs zips mums garage and get my winter one back.
In reality there's no difference between too hot to ride and too wet to ride.
Yep, I think I'll be refitting my mudguard for tomorrow's ride.
IT'S MOTHERFLIPPING JULY!
Don't mind the heat. Just hate riding in the wet during warm weather. Oddly, don't mind the mud in winter.
Fittng some Nano's to the gravel bike later. The ground is so wet
I don't recall summer ever starting.
At the beginning of the summer I bought a Zwift subscription and smart bike ready for the winter. I've used it most days.
Buying an other Schwalbe Big Betty before everyone else has the same idea for mud riding
Can we all petition Bontrager to fire up the Mud X tyre moulds again.
Just hate riding in the wet during warm weather.
I don't mind it but hate riding in rain in the winter.
I don’t recall summer ever starting.
Isle of Wight two weeks ago - that was it!... 🙂
Yesterdays ride was on the singlespeed CX winter bike. Not what I was expecting to be doing in July.
Looking at the forecast, it’ll be seeing more action over the next few weeks.
It is depressing, although the forecast I watched the other night was somewhat optimistic that warmer drier and sunnier weather is on the way back. July has been shitty, no doubt, but summer's not over yet, and late May/June was lovely.
Yep, I think I’ll be refitting my mudguard for tomorrow’s ride.
Same here, I got a wet bum yesterday.
It is depressing, although the forecast I watched the other night was somewhat optimistic that warmer drier and sunnier weather is on the way back. July has been shitty, no doubt, but summer’s not over yet, and late May/June was lovely.
agreed, I was trying to think of an equally rubbish July, 1980? the weather is weird as Scotland seems to have done much better (in parts) for sunny weather compared to south of the border?
here's hoping for an Indian Summer...
The jetstream doesn't show any signs of moving, so yes, basically that seems to be 'it'.
Maybe hope for some kind of Indian Summer in Sep-Oct. 🤬
I don’t recall summer ever starting
First week of June was clear blue skies and baking hot sunshine and somewhat unbelievably it was when we were in the lakes for the week 😃
I've never seen the trails up there so dry. It literally hasn’t stopped raining since we got home. We're riding our usual winter routes to stay on the hardpack as the moors are a quagmire
It's less than ideal, but I've just kept riding and the upside is I won't have to re-learn my slop-riding skills come autumn.
Fork mudguard stays on year round anyway.
Yeah my summer was at the start of June as well, sunny today though!
I've been almost entirely on the road, I just can't face having to do winter levels of cleaning in July! Even contemplating taking the commuter Plug back to an SSCX build.
'Possibly'....'less wet' in mid August...
Dry spring and wet summer is hardly news for the UK is it?
Everyone complains about the British summer, but I think it's the best day of the year.
Even contemplating taking the commuter Plug back to an SSCX build.
Funny, I'm eyeing mine up again, had converted it to single-cross racing duties but I don't think CX racing is for me, so now I'm thinking a winter singlespeed gravel build with full length PDWs and 40mm tyres. Such an awesome versatile wee frame.
Dry spring and wet summer is hardly news for the UK is it?
July averages pretty wet, historically it rains 19 days on average, and August averages worse with 20 days of rain. March April May are historically the least rainy.
Really can’t complain about our part of Shropshire, the trails are spot on. I did put my rear mudguard on for a few days then took it off yesterday! Looking out to Wales, you can often see a wall of rain in the distance, although saying that, Llandegla was bizarrely dry the other night 🙂
To be honest, quite enjoyed damp July, not been too cold and our lawn has pretty much recovered after last summer. Looking very lush at the moment....
What a difference a year makes, this time last year an insane heatwave had not long ended, where on the hottest day it was approx 37C by 1100 in Southampton.
Might be my bad memory, but I can't recall such a wet July in the 30-odd years I've been here, only comparable summer that springs to mind is from my youth in Wirral around '86.
July averages pretty wet, historically it rains 19 days on average, and August averages worse with 20 days of rain. March April May are historically the least rainy.
Yeah, my birthday is in August and I can confirm, having organised outdoor activities around my birthday many times, that hypothermia, soaked clothes, high winds, flattened tents, and the extensive use of waterproofs while eating outside in Wales' laughable cafe culture are all features in late summer.
wet July in the 30-odd years
Not quite July but late June 2012 was extremely grim. It had rained since about Feb of that year. I spent 24 hours carrying my bike through the knee deep (in places) mud at Mountain Mayhem at Eastnor. After which I retired from 'racing'. That was a rubbish summer. 2007 when we moved her was also pretty horrible from memory.
Trails here (FoD) vary from sloppy for high traffic areas and surprisingly okay. Off out again later, so I reserve teh right to update this description.
Oh I went looking for a 2012 photo and found this: https://www.pickled-hedgehog.com/just-a-walk-in-the-park/
I saw a good comment on Friendface yesterday…
Do you think Spanish daytime telly has a programme called ‘A Place in the Pissing Rain’?
I haven't ridden loads this year, admittedly, but can only remember one ride where the bike didn't come home with some mud on it. Even in relatively balmy May/June my spaniel face planted what resembled a wallow in the local woods whilst on traildog duty.
I took the front mudguards off both bikes rather hopefully in the spring, but looked at them yesterday and thought I needn't have bothered! My favourite riding conditions are those slightly damp, mist autumn days with a few leaves on the ground and proper grippy loam. You can keep hot, dry and dusty.
Well I love it. Keeps everything nice and green. The air is warm and the ground is only damp really in the big scheme of things. It's not like true winter slop.
Hate it when it's too hot. Last year was awful. Everything went brown and dead until it finally started raining in September.
And they’re playing the final test at the Oval. Mind you, “in the old days” that could have meant it was September
Do you think Spanish daytime telly has a programme called ‘A Place in the Pissing Rain’?
You jest, but in a few years they'll be fed up with harvests failing and the landscape burning down every summer....
You can keep hot, dry and dusty.
+1, I'll take a rainy day over glaring sun at 21c+ any day. Although will admit the trail conditions are not ideal here at the moment.
Why does anyone take their front mudguards off? It's not like they weigh much and don't get in the way when they're on.
just heard it's looking like this past month is our fifth wettest July on record...
Few puddles but still plenty of fun. Sunday tho I think is going to be bigger mudguards, rain jacket and hopefully mud skills 😉
Ach it’s not all bad - we’ve just had 3 weeks in NW Scotland. The weather has been absolutely superb - best weather in a good few years. For once I’ve worn shorts more than I have waterproofs!
Nights are drawing in...
Soon be christmas
Nights are drawing in…
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Soon be christmas</span>
Don't!
Longridge was a bogfest last night. Axle deep in mud a few times.
May and early June were glorious, two water butts nearly empty, definite tanlines despite factor 50.
Last month has been soggier, but only had mudguards out once, only one TT cancelled. Still warm today when the sun appeared.
Water butts now both full, lawns are actually green, its not that bad
Frankly, I’m perfectly happy with it like it is. Last three years spent working outdoors for ten-twelve hours with the temperature up in the high 20’s - mid 30’s, and my treasured Acer struggling because there’s just not enough rain, and early this year many of its outer branches dead and brown, the gloss rapidly wore off. Right now, I’m not having to use precious water on my garden, and my beautiful tree is showing more fresh, green growth than it has for years!
It’s not cold, I’m spending most of the time in shorts and vest tops, and if it rains, well I’ll either stay indoors or wear appropriate clothing.
I’m sure all those bitching about the moderate amounts of rain we’re getting would rather have 45° heat and vast tracts of valuable grassland and moorland being destroyed by wildfires, as well as crop losses and even property losses due to ignorant assholes igniting wildfires by using disposable barbecues on tinder-dry grass.
Nah... I was sweating in lovely sunshine and warm sea breeze on my ride today.
Lovely day in Fife today 👌👍😁
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Shitty rainy weather just in time for the summer holidays.
Was out Wednesday night we could've jumped into the canal given how wet we got! Think the shoes are still wet in the garage now. Its still been warm though and I ride in all weathers anyway just avoid the silly steeps/proper sloppy bits in the wet.
Think I'd take this over silly temps southern europe have been having TBH!
Think I’d take this over silly temps southern europe have been having TBH
Yep absolutely this.
I think how wet it is on the ground is very location dependent.
East of the Pennines (leeds) yes we've had rain but it hasn't been constantly heavy. The trails deep in the woods prone too be bad are a bit muddy, but many others riding absolutely fine
I had shoulder surgery at the start of July. When I initially got the date through, having been on a waiting list for a year, I was cheesed off that it would mean I was off the bike for a month of summer.
Given the weather we have had, it hasn't worked out too bad after all...
Mid winter here in Queensland and it was 27 and humid AF today 🙁
…not particularly looking forward to summer.
Scottish schools go back mid August, so it'll pick up from then.
Yeah sorry, it's my fault, I took the mudguards off my commuter beginning of June.
On the plus side I was made redundant so haven't suffered commuting in this wet weather.
Hopefully fingers crossed it's all going to transform back to summer on Monday as back on the commutes.
edit: ha, looked at forecast, doesn't look great does it.
I’ve had an idea!
if we all put our winter tyres and mudguards back on simultaneously, then surely we could usher in at least a week of sunshine?
I just finished putting this together, it's going to piss down isn't it 🙄
I just finished putting this together, it’s going to
pissfall down isn’t it 🙄
😆
It's looking and feeling like summer today here in West Yorkshire 😎 My local stuff is riding nicely and we enjoyed a beer garden pint post ride🍻
Just arrived for a week camping in the lakes. Missus not impressed.
confirmed it's been as bad as it's felt:
"Northern Ireland has had its wettest July on record, the Met Office data shows. The region saw more than double its average rainfall (185.4mm)."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66371704
Just arrived for a week camping in the lakes. Missus not impressed.
Had you told her that you were going all-inclusive at The Ritz in New York?
😀
Early on in the year was quite nice although there was a month or so of persistent bastard easterly wind. April/May looked really promising.
And then July has just been constant rain. One of my lowest mileage months ever. 🙁
A mate in Australia sent me a pic of solid blue skies, said it was 24°C (usual July average there is 18°). Although he did add that they were expecting a very hot summer which meant more wildfires.
Just cancelled a few days of my leave over the school hols because it's so unreliable. Saving some days for September because it will obviously become glorious the same day the schools go back and everyone's back at work.
To be fair, we have had a run of pretty excellent summers, so were due a rubbish one.
On the flip side, went out last night at Wharncliffe and it was running pretty well. In England, east of high ground in rockier areas is the place to go, if you can.
We have had average temperature and rainfall in East Lothian for July but it is one of those many Summer school holidays when it has rained every day. Again a very low milage month and I am starting to see mud again.
Just arrived for a week camping in the lakes. Missus not impressed.
One of my staff has just arrived for a week camping at Loch Morlich then a week on Skye...it is going to be a tad damp and a tad midgey. They are not too happy!
All this rain isn't doing my local insect populations any good at all. Minimal fruit in the trees - one apple and two plums by the looks of it - neighbours bee hives have all needed feeding for weeks because the can't fly in the rain so are starving and he's worried they'll freeze to death in winter as they've insufficient numbers.
Mossies are almost no where to be seen, ditto wasps.
A bit of rain is good, a bit of sun is good but like everything else, moderation moderation moderation.
Can confirm the ground is not dry west of the Pennines.
Don't think it actually rained for the whole two-hour ride though.
Winning.
I am quite glad we got married while the sun was still shining! The adjustment from Utah is proving challenging, he’s basically had a lucky break with the weather every previous trip here. Riding in the wet is still enough of a novelty that he doesn’t mind it too much, but the constant rain while trying to do DIY projects/go out for a day/go camping/dry washing etc is wearing him down. At least I have his reaction to the rain to keep me vaguely entertained by it. But it is never endingly wet up here.
Summer is generally judged on my amount of time wearing shorts and my suntan. Both are extremely lacking
realised this morning on my way to work that this summer, I've had to keep using the AC in the car to keep the windscreen from fogging up as everywhere is so wet. Only needed to do that during the colder months before now.
Had to pay a load of turf at the start of July so from that perspective the rain has been a godsend. Along with the warmth the grass has really taken hold. But I need to mow it now and looks like the earliest opportunity is going to be next week.
Went for my first ride in ages after work yesterday. Got a bit muddy and the usual sections were a bog, but generally trail were running ok, didn't feel the need to pop the rear mudhugger back on.
But yeah a slight increase to mid 20s and slightly less rain would be appreciated.
In Shropshire May and June were almost wall to wall sunshine and really quite warm, so it doesnt matter so much that July has been a wash out.
I am hoping September will improve again 🙂
Our fruit trees have gone mad. If anyone needs about a 1000 apples of various varieties let me know 😉 Delivery not available tho! Had another great ride last night, odd puddle but super grippy whereas normally the dirt would be shiny, burnished and not very grippy at all! Definitely no dust tho.
Nights are defo drawing in tho 🙁
Looking at weekend forecast, I don't think I can be bothered to go ride either day with rain forecasted from dawn till dusk. I mean we've got all winter for that.
Still ^^^ I am looking forward to next Thursday 🙂
Actually reading the blurb on the BBC website, it says high pressure MAY push in and MAY bring us closer to average temps
Or we MAY have to wait until next MAY
Our fruit trees have gone mad. If anyone needs about a 1000 apples of various varieties let me know
Cider presses aren't too expensive Al 🙂