(upbeat music)
- Aside from the obvious tips like don't ride muddy trails
and avoid breeding tracks around puddles,
probably a few things your buddies
have left from you when it comes to wet weather riding,
lucky you have me here,
I'm gonna spill the beans today,
make sure you're riding all year long
and staying comfortable while doing so.
Now usually a wet weather ride,
the hardest part is just getting out of the house,
but it's always worth it
and we have a saying here in BC,
"If you don't ride in the rain, you don't ride."
Now where I live we're really lucky to have plenty
of good trails to ride in wet conditions
as do lots of other places in the world
like the UK for instance,
because it's always raining there, right?
However, if you only ride flow trails,
or if you live somewhere with really muddy or clay dirt,
just avoid riding for now, those trails are not
gonna benefit from having huge trenches down the center.
Maybe use this time to brush up on some more armor trail
riding or organize your sock drawer,
because we all know you've been putting that one off.
(upbeat music)
First up, what do you even wear on a ride like this?
And how does one prepare for battle in wet conditions?
I can tell you that plastic bag method,
probably not gonna work here,
might be a little sketchy and get caught in your rear wheel.
Personally for me, I like to layer up, stay nice and cozy,
but if you live somewhere tropical,
rain could mean hot, sweaty and muggy.
So maybe you don't need that many layers.
Start with a wool or breathable material base layer
that way, even if you get wet out on the ride
you're still gonna be nice and warm under your jersey.
Now personally, I almost always wear a shammy or a bib,
it acts as another layer underneath my pants,
keeps me nice and warm on the bike as well.
Knee pads are also a nice addition.
If you wear any kind of pads, knees, elbows, whatever
just gonna give you another level of insulation
and keep you a bit warmer out on the ride.
Getting to the outer layers,
I like to wear a nice pair of pants.
Most pants are gonna provide some level
of protection against the elements,
these ones that I've got on today
are actually water resistant, which is pretty rad,
and obviously a rain jacket.
Even if you don't have a rain specific jacket,
something of a windbreaker is gonna keep your core
a little bit warmer out on those wet days
and if you can get something with some zippers,
either a zipper on the front or under the pits
gonna help you for that temperature regulating,
not having feeling like a big old sweat bag on the trails.
Now I know some people are firm believers
in waterproof shoes and waterproof socks.
I got to say, I've never tried the waterproof shoe thing,
I do find with my shoes you're gonna get wet anyway
so just embrace it.
But if you don't have waterproof socks,
what I would recommend is something with a wool blend,
that way, even when your feet get wet
which probably inevitably they going to your feet
are still gonna stay nice and warm.
Wet gear does not do a good job
at insulating you and keeping you warm out on a bike ride
especially when the wind picks up.
So do spend a little bit of cash, treat yourself
to some nice pieces that are gonna last a long time,
something with wool or a synthetic material
that if it gets wet, still gonna keep you warm.
Personally, I always wear gloves,
it just gives me another level of protection
between the elements and also the ground and the trees,
if you don't wear gloves, maybe now is a good time to pick
up a pair for these wet rides
because slippery grips are super dangerous.
If it's really, really wet out
I'll even bring two pairs of gloves,
I'll keep one dry either in my bibs or in my pack,
that way when I get to the top of the climb
before the descent put on the warm gloves
then I can actually feel my break leavers,
keeps me safe out on the trails
and if you're a really, really serious rainy day shredder
you might even opt for some waterproof gloves.
I am a big fan of eyewear,
if you don't have riding glasses
grab a pair of goggles because keeping the rain
and the mud out of your eyes is gonna be awesome
and you can actually see the trails, crazy idea, right?
Maybe bring a little wipe with you
so you can give them a wipe down between laps,
keep that vision rolling smooth,
and at the very least, if you don't have any glasses,
a cheap little fender on the front fork will help a ton.
Find a little hit of preparation here before you hop
on the bike, try letting just a few PSI out of your tires.
Only like one or two PSI is gonna make a big difference
on wet terrain, it's gonna allow your tires to grip
onto those features.
(upbeat music)
We're nearly ready to hit the trails, but I like to start
by adjusting my expectations of the ride in wet conditions.
We're not usually firing on all cylinders
especially if it's cold and wet,
and we're not reacting with cat-like reflexes.
So stay a bit safer and ride longer
into the season by taking it down a notch when you need to.
Okay, let's go.
It's not uncommon for your brakes to be a bit less powerful
in wet conditions, especially if it's cold and wet,
so do your braking in technical terrain just a bit earlier
than you think you need to.
In general, it's a good idea to avoid off-camber rocks
on a really wet day out there.
However, the trail I'm riding right now,
it's got a lot of really grippy granite rock.
Even when it's wet, this rock is still quite grippy
so I'm not too worried about it.
However, if you're riding somewhere else in the world,
usually really wet terrain equals very slippery rocks,
so do be careful, don't go grabbing a fistful of front
and rear brake because you're just gonna lock up
and start skidding all around.
Instead, do a bit of that modulating
that we've talked about before,
so you're not locking up your wheels at any time.
On this particular rock,
I've chosen two nice points to break
just behind me where the ground's a little bit flatter,
it's gonna give me good traction to do my breaking
and my speed checking before the steeper part of the rock.
And then I've got a nice little dirt patch
just after the rock again, to maintain speed,
bring it back under control
and make sure I'm not locking up the brakes on the rock.
Now this little section of trail
does not have a single perpendicular route to crossover.
Instead, they're all just kind of funneling downhill.
So in this situation, plan B,
I would say follow the routes downhill in the trajectory
that they're going, don't try to fight them.
If the rain is falling hard enough
that it's actually clearing the mud off of the roots,
I'll still take a few opportunities to just jump up
and over the roots, as long as you're not landing really
aggressively and sliding out on them.
However, if the rain's not falling heavily enough
to clear the mud off of the roots,
then I just avoid that situation altogether,
I'd much rather stay planted on the ground,
right where I know where I'm gonna be.
Best case scenario,
if you come across nice perpendicular roots
like this on trail, just gonna cross
over them in a nice straight line,
least chance of losing grip and traction.
Okay, focus, don't break on wet wood,
don't break on wet wood, Oh my God,
don't break on wet wood, don't break on wet wood.
(upbeat music)
And now the best part, just kidding.
But we do have to pay for all that fun
we just had out on the trails.
So my best tip is to deal
with all your yucky mess right away.
Don't give it time to solidify and dry up on all your gear,
unless of course you're really
into that dry crusty riding paint look.
Wet gear can actually be quite dangerous
in bringing your body temperature down,
especially after a ride
because you're not working to keep your core warm.
So my advice is to strip off those cold yucky layers
and if you're traveling back home
or away from the trail head,
you're gonna be a lot warmer on the way home.
So do bring like a little bag
or maybe a bucket to put all that yucky gear
in and you can deal with it later.
I like to wash my gear and my bike outside,
and if you don't have a hose or if it's frozen midwinter,
then a little bucket will do.
Good as new.
Don't rinse off in the shower
or just throw your kit in the washing machine
unless you really hate your landlords,
and definitely don't forget to clean and lube your chain.
Well, that's wet weather riding for ya,
a lot of baggage to deal with at the end of the day,
it's always worth it though, right?
While we should be conscious
and respectful of what we're riding in the wet,
don't let it dampen your spirits,
still get out for a little rip if you can.
I hope these suggestions were helpful today
for your next soggy session,
we talked about prep, riding and tidying after a wet ride.
If you guys have some more tips
maybe you live somewhere where it rains all year long,
definitely send them my way
because I'm sure I didn't cover them all today.
This bag lady she's out.
(upbeat music)