Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Day 14- Bring on the Rain! (Another Day with St. Joe)

Success!! Day 14

Weather: 64 deg F. humid, drizzle to light rain
Time I left my house: late-ish 8.09 am.
Time I arrived at work: 8:42 am
Distance: 8.19 miles
Avg. Speed: 14.6
Max Speed: 21.2
Time: 33.47 min.

Pre-game: After flip-flopping my decision (my wife offer to give me a ride) I decided to go out. It wasn’t thunderstorming, which I think will be the deal-breaker for future go-outs, so I just got an extra set of riding clothes in case I got drenched. What kind of bike-commuter would I be if I didn’t go out in the drizzle? Besides, I spent all that money on equipment for this kind of weather.

Good ride-luckily it only started raining once I got within 2 miles of my office. I’m amazed that I increased my average speed on the St. Joe. I wonder if it’s because I wanted to beat the rain??

Like boys scouts’ motto “Be Prepared” everything I bought (equipment-wise) held true: the Planet Bike Cascadia Fenders kept me dry; my Banjo Bros. Panniers kept my work clothes dry; my Performance Bike yellow neon rain jacket did its job as well. My only pet-peeve about the jacket was its lack of breathability, but I guess you lose that if you want to keep from getting wet from the rain. I wonder what it will be like once the temps drop and the wind gets involved?


UPDATE: The ride home

Weather: 69 deg F. raining steadily
Distance: 8.44 miles
Avg. Speed: 13.6
Max Speed: 21.7
Time: 37.26 min.


The rain was coming down- I have to say it's my first trip with this much rain- luckily it wasn't that cold.

Equipment thoughts:

Waterproof vs. Water-resistant Panniers: My Banjo Bros. Panniers had either a leak- which I sort of expected as they are not waterproof-so I'm maybe going to get waterproof panniers for such a ride. I know I should've gotten them to begin with, but then I thought I would never ride in so much rain. Luckily, it was worse riding back than going to work- imagine taking our my wet, work clothes!

Clear Lenses: I saw those the other day when the stage was set in the mountains and it was raining- good idea to have since I was squinting or looking down the whole ride when it was coming down.

Waterproof Helmet cap- for obvious reasons

Shoe covers-My shimano MT shoes were pretty dry considering (compared to my running shoes, that absorb rain like a sponge, and you hear the squish/squish when you're running). But probably something to consider for future rides.

I really hate to say it, but I admit I was missing a geared bike for obvious reasons in that rain- I don't know if I made the right choice (I know, I know!) to go with a singlespeed as my foul-weather bike. I know it's easier to maintain, but after Monday's horrible ride and today's rain, I may have to rethink this as a rain bike and look for some gears. We'll see.


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