4/26/14 11:16 AM

Read all about. No serious injuries or bicycle damage involved:

http://lawschoolissoover.wordpress.com/2014/04/26/in-which-i-am-a-wuss/

4/26/14 11:48 AM

I am going to take the denial approach and not read that... All due respect. ;O

4/26/14 11:54 AM

When you said 42F, raining, and fingerless mesh gloves, I really didn't need to read the rest...

For better or worse, I've ridden quite a bit in those conditions, including a couple centuries. I don't think you need waterproof gloves, but you need something full fingered with polypropylene or something that will still insulate when wet - I usually use a pair of XC ski gloves (med weight, not racing ultralight). They get soaked, but your hands don't fall off.

Your eye problem reminded me a bit of descending the Kanc in snow/sleet. My glasses fogged/iced up on the climb so I took them off. Then on the descent I could barely keep my eyes open with the sleet, so I stopped, cleaned the specs as best I could, and forged on.

4/26/14 2:37 PM

I think if my right eye hadn't started really hurting, I might have continued until hypothermia set in, just doing what I could to clean my glasses. Man, that was bad! I had counted on the radar and the predictions that the rain would end by 8:00. When it hadn't, I kind of figured "OK, any minute now," but the minute never came. If the temp had hit the predicted 60+, that also would have made a difference!

It was stupid of me not to be equipped for the bad weather. Once I saw it, I should have grabbed other gear. At least I had the fenders! Most riders didn't, and I cannot imagine how they must've felt...

4/26/14 3:14 PM

But what was the issue with your eyes?

4/26/14 3:33 PM

Some grit or something got into my right eye and irritated it to the extent that I had to try riding with it closed. The cold wet air made it much worse, and between that and the glasses I just said to hell with it. I'm kind of glad that happened...I didn't realize until I was home just how cold I had gotten. The other thing wad that with one good eye, I was essentially riding blind. Fortunately, I had been over the route before, but dealing with cars would have been hairy.

4/26/14 4:36 PM

I touched base with my 2 buddies at 8AM, for our 9AM Long Island ride, it was 45 and still raining lightly and obviously not going to clear or be reasonably dry till late morning, so called it off.

We''e gotten to be some old wimps when it comes to rain. I took a bad fall 3 years ago on a wet road, a buddy last year. Nobody has the interest to be that wet and that cold anymore.

I think the big local group - Massapequa Park Bike Club calls off the "official" rides if the roads are wet. Probably smart.

4/26/14 7:00 PM

Look here: weatherspark.com

I plan my early/late season ride base on the hourly temperature forecast.

Also, I look at the precip amount by time (not just the probability) to decide if I'm likely looking at a passing shower or a constant drizzle.

I'm old and whimpy. So when in doubt, I stay home.

Last edited by April on 4/26/14 8:12 PM; edited 1 time in total

4/26/14 7:23 PM

I had a great ride today. Zone 0, 17kph all under 100 watts estimated.

My wife rode 12.5 miles with me. ;)

4/27/14 2:27 PM

nm

4/27/14 2:54 PM

We got every other week straight rain for April, Wah..
So married to soggy yard work, son down from Spokane while the burn piles are allowed, we have cleaned out two new sections of wild growth. yard getting bigger. ;) Veggie garden, and a little sitting garden inbound...

;)

Although, it promises to turn back 70-80^, like what we had a few spots/days here and there in March...

I was getting out more in January. ;) Just gotta get back on the 29er. But 20 rides on the nice road bike(s) and you don't really want to go back to the winter bike. But I did put on a new rim and 32C tires on the 29er, pulling the 850 gram 47Cs. These 32s will take up to 100lbwrenching while watching the rain come down outside the garage door. ;)

The rear rim was way worn on the brake track, no way I was going to run more than 35 lb in a tire on a rim like that. Odd too, considering the bike has disc brakes. Guy must have thought same as me, use up this rim on a disc wheel with low pressure tires off road I guess... Yada

4/27/14 3:50 PM

Proper gear is everything. That's why I have a closet full of bike clothing I no longer need.

In randonneuring, having the wrong clothing for the next 16 hours doesn't bear thinking about. For example, I have at least 5 sets of foot coverings.

I would have used gore windstopper gloves in your situation.
I have two pairs. Either the heavier one or the lightweight ones with liner gloves.

4/27/14 4:57 PM

I do have a half-decent rain jacket that I should have taken along. But gloves are something I do need to get (I have some old LG gauntlets, but they're not waterproof. Good for winter, not for rain.

I'm not "good enough" at cycling to be able to justify huge expenditures, alas, much as I'd like to (I saw someone who looked very comfortable in a Shower's Pass jacket). But gloves? That I can do. If I can just find some decent ones to fit my bass-player-size hands.

4/27/14 5:24 PM

Many solutions, perhaps some better, but here's what I use:

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/75619?feat=-GN2&page=men-s-swix-star-xc-100-gloves&attrValue_0=Black&productId=1254399

I wear them all winter, except when it's close to 0F and I switch to down mittens. I also have a pair of the somewhat lighter Universal gloves which appear on the side, and would have been fine for your day, but if I were to pick one it would be the above. Though if you're not interested in below 40F, I'd get the Universals.

As a 40+ year XC skier I say, can't go wrong with Swix!

4/27/14 6:15 PM

Those look like they're worth the $.

The trick is I can deal with cold, and I can deal with wet. As I said in the blog, I've ridden regularly at -10(F). My solution there was a cheap pair of line buckskin mittens, which is fine if all you're doing is shifting a 3-speed SA hub.

I realized this morning that the other thing I should have done was to wear my prescription sunglasses. They're not wraparounds, but they still would have given me better coverage from the rooster tails. I would've still had to stop and wipe them, though. But the sky was so dark, I was loathe to even try them!

4/27/14 8:05 PM

I did a weekly Saturday morning ride and even in the dead of winter, there would be a group of at least 4 that would go out an hammer at 20+ MPH. At those speeds, I would stay warm with only a two heavy weight L/S jerseys and midweight gloves at temps as low as 15 deg F.

On one particular Saturday, it was in the 20's, a sight breeze, and none of the hammerfest riders showed up, so I went with the 17 mph group. Despite being in a 20 person pack, I couldn't get warm, and 7 miles into the 28 mile ride started to get cold. Went to the front and took hard long pulls to work harder, then would tuck in to keep warm, but it didn't work and by mile 20 , I was shivering, Took a short cut to cut the ride short to 25 miles.

Got home and Mrs Wheels looked concerned when my lips were blue and I had trouble talking. She felt my chest and immediately got me into hot shower. I stood there for 20 minutes before I started to feel warmer. Went downstairs and had a cup of Hot Chocolate and then took another hot shower, followed by another cup of Hot Chocolate and several blankets while lying on the couch.

4/27/14 8:24 PM

In kayaking, we have a saying "dress for water, not air temperature". Because just in case, you fall in...

Unlike xc skiing, when I start out cold and allow the rigorious workout to keep warm, I typically start a ride reasonably warm. That necessitate a stop shortly to shed layer. But so be it.

I made that mistake very early on, I was dressed for riding hard. Then someone flated and the new tube also flated 5 min later. The wait chilled me to the bone. And it was the most unenjoyable ride I had up to that point.

Now I dress warm enough if I had to wait for a flat-fix, or TWO!

4/27/14 8:33 PM

Exactly why I offer to fix flats on group rides. I have fat muscular mitts and a gazillion fixes... few thousand anyway... :)

No one seems to mind when someone offers to do the muscling. Especially the folks that get-em fixed at the LBS and not solo.

Layers, on the clothes to be sure...

When I was doing MTN Services for MTN Creek they gave us some Gortex jackets that were beautiful. And also way too warm. And they insisted we wear them at all times on the MTN. Only good for blizzard skying really, like extreme weather...

4/27/14 10:00 PM

quote:

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Now I dress warm enough if I had to wait for a flat-fix, or TWO!

---

4/28/14 8:07 AM

No longer a weight weenie, I now have extra layer that I kept on at the beginning, shed 5-10 minnutes later, which I would put right back on first thing when someone flats!

(not that I ride in the depth of winter, still, even a chilly spring/fall day can be a problem when there's a mechanical)

Last edited by April on 4/28/14 8:08 AM; edited 1 time in total

4/28/14 8:08 AM

Castelli Gabba LS...all you need to know.

4/28/14 11:54 AM

"Castelli Gabba LS"

Might be cheaper than the 2 layers you take off during the ride and have to carry too! ;)

4/28/14 12:18 PM

So are the Gabba layers as good as they are made out to be? As in "must have"?

4/28/14 1:56 PM

In a word, yes-from mid 30-'s to 60. I have a ss with nanoflex armwarmers and experience with the ls, both rock, the ss is more flexible but not as good bellow 40. Either is clammy without a baselayer and need to be unzipped once it gets into the 50's.

That said, it allows you to go out without worry about predicted showers. I've not experienced "drenching" rain but suspect it'd be fine for short periods of time, the issue then becomes other things. I also have some goretex socks for preventive measures.

I'm told that Garneau and maybe one or two others now have similar fabrics at a lesser price, search the interwebs and you'll get tons of data. Good Gabba thread on weightweenies forum as well.

I don't tempt fate often, but its nice to not have to obsess about the forecast.

4/28/14 2:16 PM

Sorry, had to be done.