Another wet morning, rain coming down in spades, skies are grey and I know the local trails are going to gloopy as ever. I wan’t to get out for a ride, but this is doing nothing for my riding mojo.

What the hell has happened to our summer? I feel cheated.

Looked out of the window and I don’t feel like a ride – I need to grow a pair

Do something else then.

It’s supposed to be something fun, it’s not a job.

Lovely sunshine nr Wigan my friend!

Tempting not to sack family duties off and go for a spin really, in fact, it might be a crime if I didn’t. 🙂

You could always fettle away in the garage? Clean you chain and cogs up perhaps?

+1

Our local trails are so deep in mud you just can’t see them drying out before the Autumn rains come:(

Rode for the first time in 13 days on Thursday evening! Which is bad as Ive got a road race on Sunday!!!

Only one ride since Mayhem. And I was riding 2/3 times a week before whatever the weather. On that one ride, I managed a proper helmet cracking crash and not been out since. Not actually raining here, mud tyres still on, so might as well get on with it.

Riding always better than not riding. Well NEARLY always 😉

swim/body weight work out will make you feel better. currently fettling my lights to lend to a mate who is in bonty 24/12, then im off doing something…i have a strange urge to cycle to crazywell pool (1.5hrs away on dartmoor)then go for a wild swim there, then cycle down to bonty race and enjoy a few beers for the evening and cheer my mates on (and looking at the weather they’ll need it!)
just do something!!

I actually like riding in the rain. I find it meditative.

Once you are completely soaked you aren’t going to get any wetter. 😛

Alternatives …
Swimming in the rain is lovely, and despite not liking running … running in the rain is ok; certainly has appeal as there is less to do afterwards, with no wet/muddy bike to sort out.

EDIT; blimey, almost coincidental posting with carlphillips there ^.
Must be looking out at the same weather. 😉

For me I go for a run if I can’t be arsed cycling.

Cycling in bad weather is often tedious but running in bad weather is quite good fun. No faffing about, no endless cleaning and no audible, grinding erosion of expensive equipment and gear.

Plus you can be done in an hour and back for a cup of tea and have had a really good work out, as opposed to the 4 hours plus of getting rained on on your bike.

Rode XC to a tennis match this morning. White socks, black within 2 minutes….heavens opened half way there forcing me to shelter under a tree….cycled to the court and the others decided to wimp out. Grrrhh…!

I am going out this afternoon come-what-may for a slidey one!

Lovely here in Staffs. Come up/down/over to Staffs.

Well I’m back. Head High Nettles, washed away trails, gloopy mud, endless stingy things, humid and wet so like breathing through a moist paper bag. Roots with the traction of glass. Not so much riding, more going sideways.

Still good tho. Glad I went out. Glad I got back uninjured! Glad I’m not at the 24/12!

Alex – forgot the nettles – agreed lots of head high bu&&ers! Stung to death within 2 mins of leaving home.

If the mud on the trails is too much then you could
1) sod and ride anyway,
2) buy an old steel rigid bike make it single speed put thin mud tyres on and enoy the simpliitity and that fact you an ride through foot deep slurry and not get stuck and still have a bike that works.
3) use a road bike with mudguards, this is my current solution.

d) get a cross bike 🙂 That’s what I’ll be doing tomorrow. Assuming I’ve recovered from what I’m now calling ‘the great stinging disaster’. I feel like I’m being attacked by spear throwing lemmings!

I never feel like riding when the weather’s lousy but everytime I’ve made the effort, I’ve always enjoyed it. It’s just getting over that initial inertia.

Got caught out in a massive downpour whilst out on my road bike today. It was shit. I hate riding in the rain. Running is way better when the weather is crap.

Endured more mud and stinging!! But good thing about bad weather is the bike always gets a special clean when I get back. Looks pristine now!

Re nettles- I couldn’t be bothered going for a ride so instead I goretex’d up and went for an EPIC NETTLE SLAUGHTER.

Road bike + guards and 25cs, go country-laning? Plus, for all those riding in the rain –

Rule #9// If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.

Today I was a very wet and quite cold badass. Or would’ve felt badass if I hadn’t have slowed up so much and got a grump on towards the end. **** summer.

)

Better than getting unfit and slow though, we’re on for a cracking Autumn I hear.

Going out, even for an hour or so, is almost always good for the soul, if not for the chainset. This would appear to be the worst summer since..2007? Not that long ago to be honest. My best weekend so far was Long Mynd in *March* – three days of sun and 20C. Seems ages ago.

Got off my fat arse today and went out. Cabin fever drove me to it, but as above, once out I was pleased to be riding. I had half considered a run, but went out Thursday pm and gave my knee a good pasting.

Rode around Peaselake area, with the trails almost to myself, except of course for Barry Knows Best. Humid, very muddy in parts, but it was awesome. Riding in crappy weather is not the wife’s cup of tea, so I was able to have a bit of an exploration ride too and have found some new trails.

Feel better about going back to work tomorrow*.

*A feeling that is not guaranteed to last beyond Monday morning…

I don’t personally mind riding in the rain, it’s the bike damage that annoys me. I was at Afan a few weeks back and it chucked it down all day, I managed to do a set of brake pads(Resin, my fault), both bearings in the front wheel, both gear cables and my garmin edge got so much grit on it all 3 buttons stopped working(Just got a warranty replacement). It also took me about a week to dry out my shoes and osprey bag.

Other than that, twas great fun… especially the slightly mental locals that we ended up in a lock-in at the local pub with in the evening. Total nutters, but great fun 🙂

I don’t mind riding in the rain or even the mud either, it’s the aftermath that annoys me. Having to clean down the bike, wash all my kit, dry out my shoes etc… It’s meant to be summer, I should just have to shake the dust off!

my 5-tens will be soaked for another week yet after yesterdays ride and then hosing myself and bike off.

I went for a run today instead.

I generally like mud and slosh and slither. I can enjoy riding in pretty much any weather for a couple of hours and some of the best memories come from riding in proper rain. It only turns bad when you can’t get warm.

That said, this weather is really tweaking my nipples.

Same here stayed in and painted fed up of getting soaked and cleaning and drying shoes out every week,Ridley crossbow for me

see if one of the lads down the pub can sort you with some of these tablets

I love mingin’ weather. Dirty, filthy, pissing down, full tilt therough the woods with the fear limiter set to “OFF!”

Being the super-fanboi that I am, if I ever think “ooh, bit wet” I load up one of the following edits:

Danny Hart at Champery Champs 2011,of course.
Brendan Fairclough at Champery WCup 2010.
Steve Peat at the start of “Seasons”

Then I’m all ready again. My equivalent of “Growacet”.

The mud keeps the paint safe.

It peed down on us today for some ti

Not sure what happened there. Anyway, we got wet.

True though, when you’re wet, you’re wet.

At least when it’s mild and the garments are good quality.

Cat boots for riding in.