descending in the rain

[gt6267a]

i normally don't ride in the rain, but i was out with a group and found myself far from home mid-storm. it was a hilly ride. i felt very comfortable riding on the flats and down hill. descending had me rather concerned and at times down right scared.

i never lost traction and probably did not push the envelope, but i had this vision of myself putting on a full on yard sale.

are there specific techniques for riding in the rain? any experienced rain riders with sage advice?

thanks,
k

[Ahneida Ride]

Try Kool Stop Salmon Brake Pads. Superior to stock Campy

[gasman]

Here in the beautiful Northwest we find ourselves often riding in the rain. Like all the time. I ride year round and had a couple of punishing rides last week in the rain and wind.It is worth bonus points and builds character. I refuse to ride a trainer unless there is snow or ice on the ground.You just need to slow down on the descents and watch out for gravel and other hazards as they are harder to see.


The big problem with rain occurs only if it has been dry for weeks or months. The first rain will bring up road oils that have slowly collected over time. You end up with a thin layer of oil on top of water and it is mighty slick. I learned my lesson the hard way when I went down rounding a corner at a slow speed with the first rain in Sept. several years ago. Learn by my mistake.

[Andreu]

I´d second this....the worse weather (apart from black ice) is long hot dry periods followed by a light drizzle for about 1 hour....leaving a "grease" all over the road . The opportunity to go tits up is enormous. The best time to go out in the rain is after a 5 hour downpour to give sufficient time for the roads to have a good wash.
As for descending in the rain.....difficult one really, I have raced some scarey descents in the rain and then thought afterwards...mmmm shouldn´t really have done that. Its fatal, when I think I will fall - the speed goes and the line goes and there is more likelihood I will fall. Touching brakes (hard) is a no-no, you just have to find a smooth line (in fact this is what you have to do in the dry!) brake smoothly, make sure your kit is in tip-top condition- especially tyres (of course). I have a set of ceramic rims on my winter brake and they work well in the wet. Give yourself plenty of room (difficult in race conditions). and erm...don´t think too much and pretend it´s dry. Or descend like Gianni Bugno (nun-on-bike style).
A

[Too Tall]

It's an act of faith. You have to pretend there is no problem. Once you loose grip on confidence your bike handling with go to pieces. Most decent tyres have excellent traction in wet. Been there done that, I generally love riding in the rain however, if I get cold my mind starts to play games and I'm no longer sitting loose and fluid on my bike and everything goes ta' sunder! Take two deep breaths and ride your bike!

[NateM]

Too Tall,
sounds like you already know the secret to upright rain riding,relax and be smooth. I run lower air pressure,90 psi. Here is a great bit of advice,watch out for what you cant see. My first real crash was during a thunderstorm. I was scooting down a 4 lane road at 25 plus and caught my front wheel in a crack filled with water,never saw it. I was very lucky to be wearing a camelbak as it protected me while I hydroplaned along on my back,bike still attached.My buddy blocked traffic from behind during my 100 foot slide.Funny thing was the water both caused my crash and then saved most of my skin.

[David Kirk]

Countersteering is the key....do you know what it is and how it's done ?

Dave

[Kevan]

a Bicycle Guide article dealing on this subject many rain storms ago. I'm not certain the technique is any longer in vogue, but the author suggested the rider treat his bike as much like an outrigger than anything else while taking a turn. The Idea being that the bike be kept as upright through a turn as possible, and the rider instead extend their weight (also pointing their knee) into the turn.

I'm all for learning new...

[David Kirk]

Nope that ain't countersteering.....I don't know what that is.

Dave

[Climb01742]

well, thanks dave. is there anything else you don't know what is that you'd like to share with us? :D ;) :p :) :rolleyes:

[Legend_1970]

Countersteering is what Davis Phinney teaches in some book he wrote about 10-12 years ago. I know how its done. Whether it is safe to do on wet roads, not sure..

[gt6267a]

dave, as i understand countersteering it is all about turning by leaning and NOT by turning the handlebars. in fact, the handlebars might even go the opposite way to properly let the lean happen. is this really what you want to do in the rain? i would think the greater the lean, the greater the likelyhood of sliding out in the rain? no? maybe i am not trusting the tires enough?

[Climb01742]

with a car, countersteering is turning into the direction of a skid. as a past owner of a 911, i'm all too familiar with steering the front part of a car toward where the back part is already going. swapping ends on ice and snow is fun for the whole family. trying to imagine how you could do this is on a bike. :banana:

[Legend_1970]

gt##,
If my memory serves...
Countersteering basically involves leaning the bike into the turn, but steering the handlebars a little bit in the opposite direction by putting some pressure on the inside side of the bars to push them outward, keeping your outside foot down with weight on it, so not leaning your body into the turn.

So....body somewhat upright, bike leaned in, bars turned slightly opposite direction, weight on outside. I take no responsibility for the carnage about to happen....

[Richard]

Bicycle handling is subtle because of the reletive weight of the rider compared to the bike. If you want to witness more obvious counter steering, watch motorcycle racing. This sport requires the use of counter steering to initiate and control high speed turns.

On any two wheeled vehicle, at some level, you must counter steer to go through a turn at any real speed. However, practicing the technique can yield an ability to change lines, change lean angle on the same line, all sorts of wonderous things.

Describing it is hard, maybe a good exercise for a technical writing course, but, you exert a bit of pressure on the inside of the turn portion of the bars by pushing the bar away from you. This initiates lean and turn in, which you control with body angle, weight distribution and more counter steering. All of this is subtle, as big inputs on a bicycle result in big crashes.

[TimD]

I learned countersteering on a bike long before learning it in a car.

As bored adolescents in South Florida we engaged in skid contests and
"dirt tracking", the latter on rain-slicked seal-coated driveways
which often felt at slippery as ice.

Skid contests - accelerate to maximum RPM, cross the crack in the
sidewalk serving as the starting line and lock the coaster brake, move
your body forward, ruts night on the stem, head out past the front
axle, unloading the wheel rear. Countersteer as necessary to stay
upright, waggling the back of the bike with your legs. Skid marks of
50' or more with a 1.75" semi-slick on a dry concrete sidewalk were
common.

Dirt-tracking - Night after night after night (to quote a certain
rocker in his lead-in to "Its My Life") coasting and kicking out the
rear wheel, sliding your bare foot on the soaked tar, countersteering
the Bike of Choice (a sky blue Schwinn Breeze less fenders and
chainguard) in an arc, holding it at 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 or
more degrees, scrubbing off speed and then back onto the saddle and
out to watch your buddies and line up for another lap.

Fast-forward to October of last year: Downhill 30+ MPH, right turn,
was tracking out a little wider than I would have liked, probably from
turning in too early, heading for the oncoming lane. Unfortunately it
was occupied by a big-ass Buick coming straight at me. Flashed through
my mind "Mmmm, that grille is really going to hurt."

Heavy braking, rear wheel locked, the rear of the Marcelo came out in
a big slide to the left. I held it, released the brake a bit and it
straightened out. I got back on the brakes again and it slid out
again, then recovered without a hint of instability - thanks Dario.

Stayed in my lane. Did not get spattered. Fear of impact was overcome
by feelings of surprise and immense relief. Those hot, bored nights
long ago sliding wet Florida driveways did me some good after all -
damn. That and a fair amount of good luck kept me out from under that
car.

Unfortunately the three guys behind me were having their own dramas
and didn't see any of it. Which is too bad, as it was probably
spectacular :)

[vaxn8r]

Well, I've gone down on the wet asphalt on a curved descent. It might have been fun if it didn't hurt so bad afterwards. Lots of grinding noises as my helmet was whittled down to the foam, intersting my shorts didn't rip but my skin sure did. Jersey was trashed. Lots of road rash.

I've raced in the rain since then but I'm just not as aggressive when it's wet and less so on a group ride. I agree about letting some air out of the tires...maybe run 90-95psi. Watch for wet leaves!!!

maybe the guys who bomb down the hills are teh ones who haven't bit pavement yet. That or they really need that $75 cash prize :cool:

[zap]

Countersteering saved my wife and I while riding our tandem on Jan. 2. First the rear slipped, then the front on a wet section of road. A quick snap on the h-bars worked like a charm. We were both pumped big time after that save. Especially considering there was a big, stupid SUV right behind us.